Our London guide will walk you through the South bank of Thames in London. This part of town is a beautiful mix of history and modern architecture, quiet hidden corners and lively streets and it is a source of huge photographic inspiration. Please accept the invitation from great professional photographer Shaun Hines, who lives and photographs in London already for 25 years.
On March 26th in Prague was held an event called “Silicon Valley Success Stories” organized by STRV.com and Czech ICT Alliance. What was really interesting about this event for our team, was that we were chosen among the 5 startups (out of 24 applicants), who were given the opportunity to pitch our ideas to a committee composed of representatives of US MAC, Credo Ventures, J&T Ventures, MSD Global Innovation Centre, and Seznam.cz. Even though those companies are not our target investors, we are looking for investors with a personal relationship to photography and traveling, but it was definitely an interesting life experience, which I would like to share with you.
When we were informed that we made it to the top 5, we were also given very specific instructions. Our presentation was strictly limited to three minutes (not a second more) and had to have a very specific structure. Such short time is typical for the so-called “Elevator pitch”, a short summery or introduction which should catch the attention of possible investors. To put together a 3-minute-long speech in English wasn’t that difficult. However, to follow the prescribed structure of the presentation was quite challenging. Maybe I had it all wrong, but the structure didn’t suit me at all and if it were up to me, I would have chosen a different approach. Nonetheless, as it turned out I wasn’t the only one having this trouble. All the other four teams were dealing with the same issues and were also kind of at a loss. Well, what else was there to do, right? I took it as a challenge and prepared 12 slides according to the listed criteria. I made sure I didn’t add or leave out anything. If interested, you can download the presentation here.
Due to great interest, the event was moved to CinemaCity at Slovansky dum. I don’t mind speaking in front of people, therefore the fact that I had to stand before a movie theater full of people didn’t stress me out. What made me nervous was the strict 3-minute limit and the fact that my slides were running behind my back and I couldn’t see them. I’m used to presenting from my computer, using Keynote, where I see my time and the current and next slide. A presentation with only a controller in my hand was a real challenge for me and when I finished, I still had 10 seconds left. My mistake, I should have practiced more. All the more I want to thank for the applause that followed my speech.
The main reason why we entered this event was to get feedback from the committee. I must admit I was pleasantly surprised that I was met with a very constructive and open feedback. I got a few additional questions about our economy and where we are right now. That was exactly the 10 missing seconds. What made me really happy was the fact that one of the committees suggested changing the structure of the presentation – that’s exactly how I felt from the very beginning.
Probably the most valuable feedback (from the whole event) was incorporated in the final speech of Chris Burry from US MAC. He made beautifully clear what should be the main purpose of a startup in California. Forget about changing the world, serving the community, growth, traction, etc. The one and only meaning behind the word “startup” for a Californian investor, is to make big money. And the most important word is BIG. As Chris mentioned, no one is interested in millions, let’s talk billions. This is the reason why I hesitate to call Fripito a startup. We are not the next Instagram, which we would sell for a few billion dollars. We provide service that hopefully brings enjoyment besides ourselves and makes enough money. The word BIG is not that important for us.
Anyway, a big “Thank you” to STVR and the Czech ICT Alliance for such a great event!
To say the Botswana photo trip was a journey into a very different world is an understatement. The country is not as besieged by tourists as the more popular Kenya, so the wild world welcomed us with open arms as we entered a landscape barely touched by humans. We rented open Jeeps and set off on a Safari in the Chobe National Park and the Okavango Delta. As soon as we hit the unpaved road we found ourselves worlds away from civilization, both physically and mentally, instead of cars there was a family of elephants heading towards us. From a respectful distance we watched the majestic animals and waited until they deigned to move and let us pass.
It goes without saying that we did not waste this opportunity and forever immortalized the pachyderm beauties with our cameras. By the way, unless you are a professional photographer, it pays off to bring a wide angle lens to a Safari, be it a DSLR ultra-zoom or an 18-250. Botswana is an incredibly dusty country so frequent switching of lenses means lots of dirt on your camera chip. However, if you are a true Safari connoisseur, 120-300 mm or 200-400 mm lenses will be an excellent choice. Long-focus lenses are not very practical because of the haze and omnipresent dust.
We have encountered them on several more occasions because our camp was near a water hole frequented by every elephant in the neighborhood. In Africa, you have to adapt your daily routines to those of the animals, so we got up every day around four to watch their morning rituals, holding our breath in awe.
A couple of days after setting up camp we experienced another close encounter – a hungry lion strayed near our tents. Yet again, we found ourselves holding our breath, but this time, taking pictures was the last thing on anyone’s mind. Perhaps he was tempted by the smell of our dinner being cooked by our guides, who conjured up delicious meals including to-die-for deserts using only a piece of chicken wire stretched over a fire pit.
During our two weeks in Botswana we snapped not only all of Africa’s big five, but also more than forty other animal species, incredible sunsets and picturesque huts of the native tribes. Organizing a trip to Botswana may be challenging, but it is definitely worth it.