Interview with Jason Hamilton-Mascioli of Startup Rocket Launcher

Jason Hamilton-Mascioli (@jason_hamiltonm) has created an exciting new startup called Startup Rocket Launcher (@startrocket) over at McMaster Innovation Park. Check out the interview with him below:

 

Tell me about yourself.

I was born in North York (Toronto) and moved to Hamilton in 1999 (after completing a BA at the University of Toronto), where I started do part-time freelance web development from my basement while completing the Mohawk College Software Engineering Co-op diploma and eventually earned a Bronze medal of distinction at graduation for academic excellence and community involvement. In 1995 opened a web development shop (hiring 2 full-time virtual employees and contracting out for other services). Over this span of time, I have worked with over 150 startup entrepreneurs and early-stage startups technically assisting them lift off the ground. I was designated as a CTO for a few startups and for the past 6 years has been teaching Web Development in McMaster Universities Continuing Education Program. I am currently a technical editor for PackT Publishing and conduct research and consult with startup entrepreneurs and venture capital firms regularly on all aspects of running a startup.

What is Startup Rocket Launcher?

Startup Rocket Launcher is a business networking site where you create a specific email campaign with perks to attract industry experts to answer your questions and ultimately try your online product. A secure and privately held discussion group is then created to facilitate ongoing discussions based on your specific needs with all the experts that contributed feedback/advice.

The community is made up of fellow startup entrepreneurs, consultants, marketing professionals, lawyers, developers, designers, advisors, SEO specialists, early adopters, researchers and any other business professional required to launch a startup.

These experts can improve their own brand and attract new clients by participating in these discussions. Startups gain sound knowledge and advice in private forums with just the experts that are interested in their product and in helping out with their challenges.

Why did you decide to create Startup Rocket Launcher?

Actually, my main focus this year was re-branding and re-purposing my web development company (77Robots.com) into a company completely focussed on assisting startup entrepreneurs nurture their ideas using the lean startup approach / business model canvas, so my idea was to build various online tools (more are coming) to facilitate this methodology.

Essentially, Startup Rocket Launcher is our first tool we are bringing to the community.

There is a massive missing link in the cycle of entrepreneurism and especially among startups. Trusted critique is needed at all stages of growth especially the early stages where startup ideas need to be discussed outside one’s own networks. Generally, there’s lots of help for when you get funded, but the pre-investment stages are rather dark at times.

I have found that startup entrepreneurs are looking for trusted advice. Advice that cannot be found in a text book but necessarily don’t have the time to attend every meetup.

Why should startups be using the service?

Startups will be using our service for a number of reasons depending on what stage the startup is in. Here is a list of benefits:

Ask for any kind of critique to receive trusted expert feedback. Partner with fellow industry professionals and open doors. Screen and hire freelancers/consultants. Discuss your challenges in non-public facing discussion forums. Create a buzz and get featured on all our platforms. Review the demographic profiles easily for each of the exports to analyze.

Have you faced any challenges getting it off the ground?

The biggest challenge getting it off the ground is messaging for the two groups involved. I am currently trying to build a great comprehensive list of industry professionals but at the same time reaching out to early-stage startups to schedule a campaign date.

What’s next for Startup Rocket Launcher?

We are going to continue listening to the community to help build our platform. Active development will be ongoing for the discussion forums and we are coming up with ways to integrate other early-stage startup tools into our platform.

How can the community in Hamilton help out Startup Rocket Launcher?

We are receiving startup submissions from all over the world which is great but I would really like to feature more Hamilton-based startups on our platform, especially in the early stages.

What’s the biggest piece of advice you would give to startups?

The biggest piece of advice I can give is to start small (then think smaller). Next would be to listen to your intended audience and community for direction.

What are your thoughts on the state of the startup community in Hamilton?

I am really impressed with the direction Hamilton and the community leaders have done with fostering the existing startup community and allowing it to grow – which is has and seems to be getting bigger and bigger every year.