Profile: Jack Sadler and Part3

What does your company do?

Part3 helps Architects and Engineers manage construction through automation, collaboration, and insightful analytics.

What was the insight/inspiration that led you to launch it?

My wife worked in construction and architecture, and together we noticed a problem in how firms managed their projects and felt we could team up to make a change.

How has it been received by the market? Why do you think it has been so well received?

We're growing fast with Architecture firms across North America. Having a modern solution that is "for Architects, by Architects" has helped us establish ourselves in a very tight community of designers.

How did you know you were ready to found a company?

I'd had a few side hustles before but it was clear this one was different. Part3 was not like other side projects, this was solving a real problem and real people needed it.

How did you meet your founders/know they were the right people to start a company with?

My CTO and I had been co-workers twice before, and I'm married to the other one!

What has been the hardest thing on your journey so far?

When you start a company the phone isn't ringing, you're not making money and the pressure is high. Those first few months were lonely and mentally challenging. This probably didn't change until we'd reached about 10 customers and started to close our Pre-Seed round

What has been the most pleasant surprise?

I never dread work. The Sunday blues are a thing of the past, and I never find work a chore.

What is your super strength?

It's either my ability to learn or my perseverance. I think they're related so will say both.

Who is the unsung hero on the team? Why?

This is tough to answer. We have built a world-class team and every single member punches above their weight. We give everyone generalist roles and ask them to embrace entrepreneurship, and step outside their comfort zone on a regular basis.

What are you trying to achieve over the next 12 months?

We have set a goal to become a leader in our market and become the #1 choice for Architects in North America. To do this, we're aiming for 100 Weekly Active Architecture firms in Part3 this year. This would lead us above $1m in ARR and with around 4000 active users on the app.

What advice do you wish you had been given prior to launching?

In B2B SaaS especially there is so much more to it, especially when you're a small team with no credibility. The Go-to-market engine should be designed and tested just as often as the product is.

What is your proudest accomplishment outside of your startup?

I'm a Dad to 2 incredible boys. They keep me going on hard days and are there to bring the energy on the great days.

Who are the 5 Canadian startups you like in your market?

Our niche is a little short on those. If I broaden it to ConstructionTech, I would say;

• Bridgit

• Ratio.City

• Brokrete

• Tread

• SoftDrive

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*NEW SECTION*

Founder FAQs: How to get coverage for your Fundraising Announcement

Welcome to our newest newsletter section, Founder FAQs.

Every month, we are going to share answers to the frequently asked questions founders bring to us.

A couple of asks before we dive in:

1. Please fill out the poll at the end of this section, and tell us what you think

2. Reply to this email with suggestions on how to improve this or suggestions for future founder FAQs

Today's Founder FAQ

TechTO's Answer:

Many companies successfully close rounds, even in the current environment, so the round itself is usually not going to get many journalists, blogs, or media excited.

So, the first question you should consider is; why do you want to announce your round to the world? 

If you don't have an explicit goal, hold off on the announcement. You can always announce it at a more opportune time in the future with an explicit goal or when you have other news to bundle it with (e.g. a large partnership, or a new product release).

What are the reasons to seek coverage of your funding?

1. Build credibility with potential employees or customers. 

2. Build awareness within your ecosystem in part to accelerate marketing efforts with customers and partners.

3. Motivate your current team - it is always exciting to see the company you work for positively covered by the media.

4. Signal to other investors that you are a leader and they should avoid investing in competitors. *Note: this is very hard to pull off and actually may encourage venture capitalists to seek out and finance competitors.

So you have a valid goal, what should you do to get coverage?

There are a few things:

Build a list of targeted media and people based on your objectives and industry and determine the strategy you want to pursue.

For the list, in some cases, this may be large media outlets like the Globe and Mail and Betakit but in most cases, this list will be filled with niche bloggers and podcasts.

Another question to ask yourself when determining your strategy:

Do you want to maximize the number of outlets covering the announcement or do you want to target one or two people and get more in-depth coverage in exchange for an exclusive?

Once you have the list, prepare for the reach out.

This means preparing materials to make it easy for people to cover the announcement.

These materials should include:

• The write-up of the announcement

• Quotes from investors, founders, and customers that you can share

• A list of related trends, other media (e.g. logo, pictures)

• A calendar link that reporters can use to schedule time with the appropriate people

For the individual reach outs, you should approach each person with a reason as to why they should cover the announcement. This may mean providing them context of a wider trend that your announcement fits into or a reference to past work that they have done and how you are similar to it.

Once everything is prepared, execute your strategy and iterate based on feedback.

More Recommendations:

Betakit, Editor in Chief, Douglas Soltys

• Founders should focus less on the press release (it could honestly be a bulleted list with all the important dates numbers names etc.) and more on building pitch/relationship with journalists so that when a publication writes about you, it's from experience/interview and not a press release.

Ventres Principal, Samantha Ventresca

• After that story runs, post a press release to your website to live as a news item–not over the wire, which is a better tool for public companies, otherwise looks dated, IMO.

• The PR or news item would thread past activity, if any, describe the topics above, and importantly include implications/impact in the form of stats, graphics, and/or quotes.

• Keep it short (one page max, including boilerplate and contact) if you can and include a CTA that allows stakeholders to follow the journey.

OMERS Ventures, Director of Communications, Jennifer Janson

Switchboard PR, Founder & CCO, Kathleen Reid

• Clear heading and sub-head where readers receive all the pertinent information required such as funding number, key investors, where the funds will be used (R&D, talent etc.), etc. Remember not everyone reads past the heading and sub-head.

• Additional sources are important for the media, so highlight the investors and if they are available for comment as they can provide an additional source to the story.

• Ensure your numbers are consistent with a capital raise, watch for USD/CAD conversions.

• Always have an image and some assets available to make it easier for members of the media to cover the piece (Google Drive, Dropbox etc. work well)

• Reminder for exclusives - media need five to seven business days in the current market

• It’s a good idea to send info under embargo so they have time to digest/process

• Think of angles for specific media trades, for example, if you are cleantech leverage climate journos as well when pitching

Taplytics Co-Founder & CEO, Aaron Glazer

• If shared via embargo, the best reporters can easily turn it into an article. Have a clear description of the innovation and intended audience, some stats, and a customer quote. The more name brand the investor, the higher up that info should go

*Reply to this email and let us know your FAQs - you might see them answered in a future newsletter

Quick Takes returns February 9

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Episodes dropping every other Thursday all year long!

Catch up on past episodes here, while you wait.

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Headlines and Content

• #ICYMI - Catch up on past newsletters if you hadn't yet subscribed!

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• What the f*** is happening in tech right now? Amber Mac explains - LISTEN HERE

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• Canada invests $40m into Xanadu - READ HERE

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