Pout, a Velocity-based fashion startup that calls itself the social network for fashion and beauty, has been making headlines for a killer product and a great pitch.
Pout co-founder Laura Smith delivered one of the better-received pitches to Brad Feld when the American investor was in town last month on his book tour.
Pout also won $25,000 in the spring 2015 Velocity Fund Finals (VFF) competition. Not bad for a company that launched only in September 2014.
Smith is petite and soft-spoken – a jarring contrast to the often loud and razzle-dazzle pitches that tech competitions are known for.
I caught up with the engineer to chat about what’s next for Pout, and how she ended up pitching her own company at the age of 23.
Q – How did you get into engineering?
A – No one in my family is an engineer. I actually went to a Go ENG Girl event at UW, because I’m from Waterloo, when I was in Grade 7 or 8, and that sparked my interest.
I knew that I liked science and physics and math. (Becoming an engineer) stayed in the back of my mind through high school. But I had no idea what type of engineering I would like. I wasn’t one to build with my hands like a traditional engineer would. I wasn’t really tinkering with things.
I went into engineering at Western and did the double degree with Ivey (Western’s Richard Ivey School of Business) because the first year at Western is general and you pick your specialty in second year. I also was accepted to Waterloo for chemical engineering but couldn’t commit to specializing at that time.
I wasn’t sure. So Western let me explore.
So, in the first year at Western, I loved the programming course. I decided to pursue that. It was just following my interests that led me into engineering.
Q – What were your co-op terms like?
A – It was very different between the places.
I did a co-op at RIM and then another summer at a gaming studio in Toronto (XMG Studio Inc.) and then another summer at Pinterest in California.
Being from Waterloo, I knew that RIM hired a lot of software engineers, and that was the coolest job ever at that time.
It was about five or six years ago that I was at RIM. It was very traditional. You have your cubicles and your manager who you only report to. It was still a fun culture. And you still had a fair bit of responsibility for a first-year student.
The gaming company, XMG, was a very different environment from RIM. It was much more a small startup.
And then Pinterest was a lot bigger startup, but still had that startup vibe that I like. It was more open and collaborative, and you hustled.
And then I started Pout right after school
Q – Why was co-op important to you?
A – It helped me decide the size of company I wanted to work at – ultimately a startup. I liked the vibe so much I started a startup.
Also, I just liked the environment and the tech field. I can’t go back to a traditional industry after working at these companies. It was so fun and you got quite a bit of responsibility early on.
It helped me figure out what I wanted to do. I also gained the skills I needed to run a startup.
Q – You are the lead software engineer at Pout. What’s that like?
A – I have learned way more at Pout than at any co-op or school. When you are the only one responsible for making it work, you learn really fast.
It’s been crazy, since we’re so small and we can’t hire someone yet. I’ve had to learn Android development really fast and build that out, while also getting better at iPhone development and continually improving our iPhone app, and taking care of the whole back end.
I found that I learn really fast. It’s definitely the best way of learning – just doing it.
I’ve asked a lot of people around the (Velocity) Garage for help, especially with the Android app.
Q – You’re pitching a lot for a young company. Why do you do it?
A – I do all the pitching right now. It’s been hard at times to balance doing that, and then go back and focus on the technical problems. But it’s been really good for us to take a step back and look at our direction for these pitches. It helps us stay on track.
Q – How will the VFF $25,000 help you?
A – It’s really exciting. It will give us the ability to grow to the next level. We will hopefully have 100,000 users by September. Right now, we have about 11,000 downloads.
That’s huge. At that point, we can get maybe an angel round and hire someone and get to the next level again. It was really big for us to get that money.
My business background comes out here. Our focus is growth, so understanding that is really important.
Q – What makes you a good pitcher? What makes a good pitch?
A – I think the most important part of a pitch is forming a clear, logical story that the audience can relate to. We spent a long time working on this.
Second, I'm happy, confident and passionate on stage, while still being my tiny self. I don't try to act boastful but instead use body language that is natural to me in order to portray my confidence and passion – standing up straight, not fidgeting, smiling when appropriate, having positive thoughts.
Third, I had a pitch coach. He taught me how to project my voice, how to have a range in tone and breathing techniques that are very helpful, especially with a quiet voice.
Q – What did you wish you knew going into engineering?
A – In terms of the tech industry, I thought you had to be interested in this since you were a toddler or programming since five, since that’s what you hear all the time.
I found it quite intimidating. Even though I loved programming when I tried it in university, I was really hesitant to go into it as a career. All the guys who were going into it said they had done it for such a long time before, so I thought I would never be able to catch up.
But that was definitely not true. And since tech products are changing so fast, it’s not like they stay ahead for long. They have to constantly be learning too.
There are so many types of engineering that you don’t have to fit into the stereotypes.
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This is a great weekend to explore your interests in Waterloo Region. I see and hear that... Brainstation is launching in Waterloo Region! The learn-to-code academy hosts a launch party this Thursday, April 9, in partnership with Communitech at the Tannery Event Centre, 151 Charles St. W., Kitchener. The free event starts at 5 p.m. and includes food, drinks, giveaways and an opportunity to learn about Brainstation courses ranging from intro to web development to UX design . . . This Saturday, April 11, is International TableTop Day. D2L hosts a game tournament at its offices, 151 Charles St. W., Kitchener. Register online for a fun-filled, drop-in game day. You can play one of the dozens of board and card games at D2L, or bring your own. Volunteers will be on hand to teach you new games. The day starts at 10 a.m. and runs until 6 p.m. . . . Monday, April 13, is the next Hackernest Kitchener-Waterloo social. The fun-and-relaxed evening aims to build a strong and supportive tech community that likes to hang out, chat and enjoy free drinks and snacks. The event starts at 8 p.m. at Enflick, Suite 310, 375 Hagey Blvd., Waterloo. The event is free but registration is required. A $10 donation is recommended.
