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Actionable
Takeaways

Focus on user needs, not assumptions:

When building your product, avoid hedging between multiple user personas. Jake's initial mistake was creating a product that didn't cater to the right users. Identifying and focusing on the exact needs of your core customer is crucial to gaining early traction.

Don't hesitate to pivot:

Even when you've invested time and resources into a product, if the demand isn’t there, it's time to pivot. Jake's experience shows the importance of quick, decisive action to refocus on a more promising product direction.

Educating a new market takes patience:

If you're introducing an innovative product that creates a new workflow, prepare for long sales cycles. Jake emphasizes the difficulty of getting teams to create a new budget line item for their tool, so educating potential customers on the value of the innovation is essential.

Use candid pricing discussions to build trust:

Jake’s approach of being open and flexible with pricing, especially in early sales, helped establish rapport with potential customers. Understanding the constraints of your target customers and working with them can foster long-term relationships.

Early adopters eliminate themselves:

Jake found early adopters by identifying the signs—those who want to influence the product roadmap and have access to cutting-edge tools are your ideal early customers. Those who hesitate or ask for more features aren’t ready yet.

Conversation
Highlights

 

Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech’s most innovative B2B founders. In today’s episode, we’re speaking with Jake Schuster, CEO & Founder of Gemini Sports Analytics, a sports analytics platform that’s raised $7 Million in funding.

Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:

  • Gemini Sports Analytics enables data-driven decisions in sports: Jake identified a gap in the sports industry—where advanced data tools used in other sectors were missing. His platform empowers general managers and decision-makers at professional, collegiate, and Olympic teams to directly interact with data, helping them make informed decisions without needing data science expertise.
  • Sports management is decades behind in data sophistication: Jake highlighted how many sports organizations, run like overgrown family offices, lag behind Fortune 500 companies in using modern data tools. Private equity groups are starting to bring financial services-level sophistication into the sports industry, creating a market opportunity for Gemini.
  • Early product missteps helped shape Gemini’s current focus: The company’s initial product was built for the wrong user, focusing too much on data scientists. Jake quickly pivoted, shifting focus to non-technical decision-makers who want direct access to insights without relying on analysts.
  • Pivots came from feedback and honest founder reflection: After six months of product discovery, Jake realized the market for the initial version wasn’t there. He emphasizes the importance of not being too stubborn, even when doggedly trying to make something work, and being open to necessary pivots.
  • Creating a new budget line item for teams is challenging: Jake shared that Gemini is pioneering a new workflow for sports organizations, which means teams must create new budget categories for the platform. He compares Gemini’s pricing to hiring additional staff to help teams understand the value.
  • Jake’s solo founder journey as a non-technical leader: As a non-technical founder, Jake turns his naivety into a strength by challenging his team to accomplish things without being limited by perceived technological constraints. He has built a strong engineering team to execute on his ambitious vision.