NJ Tech Meetup 63: Fireside chat w Gary Vaynerchuk (author, investor, biz dude)

***important: please see the updated timing of this event, below***

Speaker: Gary Vaynerchuk, more about Gary below.

Fireside Chat with Aaron Price

What should Aaron ask Gary? Submit your Q here (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1SstdRdermdqergt6xZWYEcHM-MWleqsHnk1780rVt_A/viewform)!

Schedule:

6:00 (sharp!) - 6:30: Speed Networking & Pizza
6:30 - 7:30: Welcome/Startups present
7:30 - 8:15: Feature Speaker, Fireside Chat
8:15+: Closing remarks/head to the Ainsworth (local bar) with food/drink specials

Startups:

• Gravy (https://www.itsallgravy.com/)

• Cosmic (https://cosmiccart.com/)

• Fusar (http://www.fusar.com/)

Who will win the Audience Choice Award (and this recycled trophy)

Tweet along using #NJTech.

This event will be streamed via meerkat and periscope. Follow @njtech on either platform to watch.

Watch on Meerkat: https://meerkatapp.co/njtech

apply to pitch your co at a future NJTM (http://www.bit.ly/HTMstartup).

Stevens students/faculty free: RSVP here (http://www.bit.ly/NJTechStevens)

About Gary: I have been a businessman for as long as anyone close to me can remember. You can be fancy and call it being an "entrepreneur (https://medium.com/@garyvee/13-thoughts-on-being-an-entrepreneur-18f2157af78b)," but at the end of the day, I do business. While most eight year olds were learning how to properly squeeze a lemon, I was managing seven lemonade stands across my neighborhood in Edison, NJ. When I turned twelve, I set my sights on my local mall, where I became something of a legend selling baseball cards on weekends. In high school I joined the family business, a liquor store called Shoppers Discount Liquors that my dad started. It wasn’t long before I became obsessed with collecting wine.

My core thesis has always revolved around one question: Are you marketing like the year you actually live in? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDAJEjWjrCc) That’s it. It’s not about where things are going to be in 5 years, and it’s definitely not about how we’ve always done it. Do what works. Right now.

In 1997 I was selling wine with an email list while most stores were still faxing their customers. Building on that, I quickly came to recognize the importance of e-commerce, and launched WineLibrary.com (https://winelibrary.com/), one of the very first wine sales sites. As soon as Google Adwords came out, I was the first (and for a long time the only) person to advertise against people searching for “wine.” All of this helped me to grow the store from a $3 million business to a $60 million business, and it was just the beginning.

Within a year of YouTube popping up, I knew it would be an incredibly powerful platform. Armed with a Flipcam and a NY Jets bucket, I started Wine Library TV (http://tv.winelibrary.com/)in 2006 to share my knowledge and passion for wine with a community that desperately needed a fresh voice. It wasn’t long before 100,000 people were watching my videos every day (shout-out to my Vayniacs – love you guys).

In the spring of 2009, my brother AJ and I launched VaynerMedia (http://adage.com/article/special-report-agency-alist-2014/ad-age-s-2014-agency-a-list-10-shops-watch-2014/291331/), a strategic creative agency focusing on social and digital. VaynerMedia has helped Fortune 500 companies like GE (http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/ge-makes-super-materials-relatable-moon-boot-makeover/294130/), PepsiCo (http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/aquafina-introduces-products-targeting-teens/244473/), and Mt Dew (http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/mtn-dew-makes-big-investment-taco-bell-exclusive/293057/) execute against their KPI’s (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performance_indicator), and build their digital brands through micro content and other storytelling techniques. The idea took hold, and what started as a 6-person project 5 years ago has swelled to a 400-strong team spread across the country.

After years of angel investing in companies like Twitter (https://angel.co/gary), Tumblr, Uber (http://www.crunchbase.com/person/gary-vaynerchuk) and BirchBox, I just launched VaynerRSE (http://venturebeat.com/2014/02/14/heres-what-gary-vaynerchuck-is-really-up-to-with-that-new-25m-fund-exclusive/), a $25 million seed fund that will help invest in and launch the next generation of world-changing technology companies.

When I’m not spending time with my family, who mean everything in the world to me, I speak (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfA33-E9P7FCEF1izpctGGoak841XYzrJ) and share my experiences in business with people around the world. I have also found a passion for storytelling, so definitely check out my latest book, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook (http://garyvaynerchuk.com/books). I’m so excited you have taken a few minutes out of your day to drop by. Don’t forget to say hey. (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?screen_name=Garyvee)

PS: I love to hustle! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4bAVgMJo8w)