Latest news with #Parity
Technical.ly
28-05-2025
- Business
- Technical.ly
Product-market fit starts long before launch. Here's how to sell your idea early.
Startups don't die from lack of money. They die from lack of market. That was the message at the 2025 Builders Conference panel on 'Early Stage Sales & Marketing: Finding Product-Market Fit,' where Parity founder Bree Jones and product strategist Lindsay Tabas broke down why even the most visionary product ideas fail without early validation. 'The number-one reason startups fail is they launch to no market need,' Tabas said. 'They were high off their own idea and built their own product based on what they wanted, didn't really talk to customers and there was no one waiting for it when they launched.' Tabas, founder of and a seasoned startup advisor, has helped founders and investors avoid these pitfalls through process-driven customer discovery. Jones, whose real estate company Parity transforms hyper-vacant blocks in Baltimore into communities of affordable homeownership, has lived that lesson firsthand. The nut of their argument: If you can't find people excited about your idea before it exists, you won't find them after it's built. Product-market fit isn't an end goal; it's a process that starts from day one. Jones illustrated this with her own story. Before she raised a total of $8 million for Parity, she validated her concept with a single $100 rendering she bought off Craigslist. 'I talked to every single person who would listen, and I showed them that $100 rendering. I said, 'Hey, if we could buy all these properties and fix them up, would you want to live here?'' Jones recounted. 'More and more people continued to say yes.' This scrappy approach helped her build a community of would-be homeowners long before renovations began. That early validation led to coverage by a major catalyst that Jones says created the social proof she needed to attract funding. 'Investors like to be the first to be second, meaning that they never want to be first in money,' she said, 'but as soon as someone else like JPMorgan Chase throws their hat in the ring, everyone else is like, 'Oh my gosh, here you go, take my money.'' Tabas emphasized that traction can start even earlier. She recommended beginning with interviews — not surveys — to get deep insights from target users. Her top three questions: Why did you decide to take this call with me today? What do you stand to gain if we solve this problem, or what do you stand to lose if we don't? What's the timeline to solving it? This kind of pointed inquiry, she said, helps separate mild interest from real urgency — and helps startups spend their time on the people most likely to convert. From idea to product As for how to find those people, both panelists stressed leveraging existing networks. Go back to your LinkedIn connections, Facebook groups and email lists. Build community from the ground up, not through expensive ad campaigns. 'We all already have a community; we just don't know how to use it and leverage it,' Tabas said. 'That's where I tell people to always start — looking at the community you already have and the relationships you already have.' Jones, who founded Parity after leaving a corporate job in DC, challenged assumptions about who wants to live in distressed neighborhoods. Her goal: create equitable homeownership without displacement. But when early investors told her no one would choose to live in Baltimore, she didn't argue. She went and found people who disagreed. By capturing their responses, Jones created a flywheel effect, or once a concept starts moving, it becomes self-perpetuating. As interest grew, she was able to show demand. That, in turn, helped unlock more investment. Parity now owns over 50 properties in Baltimore. Each transformation costs about $350,000, but the commitment from future residents keeps things moving. Selling the vision, not the product One underutilized tactic is creating a customer advisory board, a group of early supporters willing to offer ongoing feedback, according to Tabas. Jones said that those advisors often become the company's biggest evangelists, promoting the product even when the founder isn't in the room. It's a tactic grounded in psychology: People want to be part of something. When they see their input reflected in the product, they become emotionally invested. They bring others along. Both panelists noted that storytelling plays a critical role in the early stages. Jones closed her presentation with a short video of one of Parity's homebuyers and her daughter walking through a gutted house, watching it transform into a family home. For early-stage founders, the message was clear: Product-market fit isn't a milestone, it's a mindset. The earlier you embrace the reality that people buy solutions to their own problems, not your idea, the more likely your business will survive. 'Always remember that when it comes to raising capital,' Jones said, 'you also hold power.'
Kyodo News
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Pioneering women's sports bar draws crowds, eyes path to equality
By George Galer, KYODO NEWS - 1 hour ago - 14:11 | Sports, All, World A rare sports bar dedicated to showing women's sports has built a loyal following in the northwestern United States, with the founder and many patrons hoping progress toward equality for female athletes will come with the growing popularity of such establishments. The Sports Bra in Portland, Oregon, opened its doors in 2022 to great community reception. "The line was four blocks long the entire weekend when we first opened. It was mayhem," said Jenny Nguyen, the founder of what is believed to be the country's first women's sports bar. Of the gender-based wordplay in the name, created by inverting two letters, Nguyen, 45, called it "a tiny change that makes a dramatic difference." She said the bar is a place where she imagined women's sports would not only be shown in a corner on the smallest TV, as at other venues, but instead on every screen and with the whole crowd invested in the games. But what really convinced Nguyen to open the business is what she thought it could mean for young girls just beginning to take an interest in sports. "If we opened the door for six months and only one girl came in, looked at the TV, and felt like she belonged in sports, that moment would be worth it," she said. On a day in April, as patrons watched the semifinal games of the U.S. women's college basketball tournament, their cheers could be heard from the line outside as people waited to get a seat in the packed bar. Christi Smith-Ryan, 48, a regular of the bar, praised it for making women's sports "accessible for everyone." Her 44-year-old wife Nicole said, "You can go to another sports bar" to see a women's sporting event, "but nine times out of 10, all the guys in the bar are not going to get excited about the game you're watching." According to a 2024 survey conducted in the United States, Canada, Australia and four European countries, 73 percent of those polled said they watch women's sports at least a few times a year, close to the 81 percent who view men's sports with the same frequency. Moreover, the level of interest appears to be growing, as over half of those who watch women's sports said they only began doing so within the last three years, according to the survey by sports marketing platform Parity and online polling firm SurveyMonkey. "Gender equality and the popularity of women's sports are deeply connected," Nguyen said, noting that if more women are in positions of power, more money will be spent on advertising and TV deals for women's sports, allowing the industry to grow. Bree Edwards, 47, a Sports Bra patron who played college soccer at the University of California, Los Angeles, said she was grateful for the progress that has been made toward equality for female athletes. She recalled that the first broadcast of women's soccer she ever saw was from the inaugural Women's World Cup in 1991 -- but because the tournament was not aired widely in the United States at the time, she only saw it years later on a videotape. Although viewership for women's sports has been increasing, there are still major inequalities between male and female athletes. A World Athletics study showed that 87 percent of the online abuse before and during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics was directed at women. According to sports media outlet Sportico, no women were among the 100 highest-paid athletes in the world last year. But as audiences continue to grow, an NBC News analysis found that the number of women's sports bars in the United States is expected to quadruple to two dozen by the end of this year. "There's still so much more work to do for the fight toward is just the beginning," Nguyen said.
Kyodo News
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Pioneering women's sports bar draws crowds, eyes path to equality
By George Galer, KYODO NEWS - 8 minutes ago - 14:11 | Sports, All, World A rare sports bar dedicated to showing women's sports has built a loyal following in the northwestern United States, with the founder and many patrons hoping progress toward equality for female athletes will come with the growing popularity of such establishments. The Sports Bra in Portland, Oregon, opened its doors in 2022 to great community reception. "The line was four blocks long the entire weekend when we first opened. It was mayhem," said Jenny Nguyen, the founder of what is believed to be the country's first women's sports bar. Of the gender-based wordplay in the name, created by inverting two letters, Nguyen, 45, called it "a tiny change that makes a dramatic difference." She said the bar is a place where she imagined women's sports would not only be shown in a corner on the smallest TV, as at other venues, but instead on every screen and with the whole crowd invested in the games. But what really convinced Nguyen to open the business is what she thought it could mean for young girls just beginning to take an interest in sports. "If we opened the door for six months and only one girl came in, looked at the TV, and felt like she belonged in sports, that moment would be worth it," she said. On a day in April, as patrons watched the semifinal games of the U.S. women's college basketball tournament, their cheers could be heard from the line outside as people waited to get a seat in the packed bar. Christi Smith-Ryan, 48, a regular of the bar, praised it for making women's sports "accessible for everyone." Her 44-year-old wife Nicole said, "You can go to another sports bar" to see a women's sporting event, "but nine times out of 10, all the guys in the bar are not going to get excited about the game you're watching." According to a 2024 survey conducted in the United States, Canada, Australia and four European countries, 73 percent of those polled said they watch women's sports at least a few times a year, close to the 81 percent who view men's sports with the same frequency. Moreover, the level of interest appears to be growing, as over half of those who watch women's sports said they only began doing so within the last three years, according to the survey by sports marketing platform Parity and online polling firm SurveyMonkey. "Gender equality and the popularity of women's sports are deeply connected," Nguyen said, noting that if more women are in positions of power, more money will be spent on advertising and TV deals for women's sports, allowing the industry to grow. Bree Edwards, 47, a Sports Bra patron who played college soccer at the University of California, Los Angeles, said she was grateful for the progress that has been made toward equality for female athletes. She recalled that the first broadcast of women's soccer she ever saw was from the inaugural Women's World Cup in 1991 -- but because the tournament was not aired widely in the United States at the time, she only saw it years later on a videotape. Although viewership for women's sports has been increasing, there are still major inequalities between male and female athletes. A World Athletics study showed that 87 percent of the online abuse before and during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics was directed at women. According to sports media outlet Sportico, no women were among the 100 highest-paid athletes in the world last year. But as audiences continue to grow, an NBC News analysis found that the number of women's sports bars in the United States is expected to quadruple to two dozen by the end of this year. "There's still so much more work to do for the fight toward is just the beginning," Nguyen said.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
BondLink Launches Parity Plus to Modernize Competitive Bond Sales
New offering builds on the S&P Global Market Intelligence Parity Platform to deliver enhanced insights and pre-sale investor outreach capabilities to municipal finance teams BOSTON, April 03, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BondLink, the leading cloud-based investor relations and debt management platform for the municipal bond market, is excited to announce the launch of Parity Plus in collaboration with S&P Global Market Intelligence. The new tool provides municipal bond issuers with greater transparency and resources to harness market demand before a bond sale. Municipal finance teams can now upgrade to Parity Plus to access a suite of advanced pre-sale tools. These include dedicated deal pages that centralize and distribute key financing details to maximize investor awareness, along with a customizable dashboard that provides real-time visibility into bidder activity. Parity Plus also provides sophisticated reporting capabilities so government borrowers and their advisors can assess demand and refine their strategies ahead of bond auctions. This latest enhancement of Parity initiates a larger, dynamic approach that will bring efficiencies to numerous aspects of the new-issue process. Issuers and Municipal Advisors rely on S&P Global Market Intelligence's Parity bidding platform for close to 4,000 bond auctions each year, making it one of the most important services in the bond market. Colin MacNaught, CEO & co-founder of BondLink, expressed his enthusiasm for the launch, stating, "We're thrilled to introduce Parity Plus to the muni bond market. This new platform will not only streamline the pre-sale market outreach process but also facilitate more credit evaluations for potential bidders and investors, fostering the opportunity for broader deal participation. Our collaboration with S&P Global Market Intelligence demonstrates the trust vested in us to develop solutions that empower municipal market participants to excel in an increasingly crowded environment." Fully integrated into the existing Parity workflow, Parity Plus ensures a user-friendly transition for market participants. Those interested in exploring the potential of Parity Plus are encouraged to visit this page for further information. ABOUT BONDLINKBondLink, the premiere cloud-based investor relations and debt management platform for the municipal bond market, provides state and local governments with the tools needed to more efficiently finance the public infrastructure that their constituents rely on. Founded by CEO Colin MacNaught, a former Assistant State Treasurer & debt manager for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and CTO Carl Query, BondLink went live in 2016. BondLink clients issued more than $70 billion in bonds in 2024, and the company is backed by top investors, including Intercontinental Exchange and Franklin Templeton. Headquartered in Boston, BondLink was recently named to the 2025 GovTech 100, marking its seventh consecutive appearance on the annual list. For more information, visit and connect on LinkedIn and X. View source version on Contacts Colin Jacobinfo@ Sign in to access your portfolio
