Understanding the  project

Strategic goals

1. Combat the isolation of remote LGBTQ entrepreneurs who need assistance building their businesses and do not have access to remote professional resources.
2. Create a new “mobile first” website with high speed connectivity that StartOUT can manage themselves, using PHP for speed and Wordpress plugin functionality for flexibility.
3. Provide a back-end database that would allow the management of the StartOUT Community, including financial reporting, integration with Eventbrite for events and provide quality member service.
4. Create interactive applications that would provide additional value to incentivize Free Members to purchase a Premium Membership and enable StartOUT to become a membership supported community.
5. Provide an integrated toolset for best conversion practices using a multivariate landing page application for testing, adjustable sales funnels and a segmentation management application to micro-target members for effective personal communication.

Strategic solutions:

1. Develop automation scripts, so moving from a brick-and-mortar organization to a large online community could manage large numbers of new members.
2. Develop animated input screens to enable members, who primarily use mobile devices to input data and eliminate tedious scrolling, which is often abandoned.
3. Develop animated onramps for member input of profiles; build separate portals for entrepreneurs raising funds and investors who had to be accredited, portals for mentor and mentee applications and a private in-mail system that supported the member directory.
4. Program searchable databases with flexible queries for the member directory, which includes service providers, and for accredited investors looking for companies to fund.
5. Add a public forum to allow for 24/7 open discussions between members for support, collaboration and to discuss business topics.

The Result

• StartOUT is engaging individuals throughout the U.S. and abroad
• Membership is increasing rapidly and easily serviced by the StartOut team
• Hundreds of Mentors and Mentees are matched and working together
• Fundraising entrepreneurs and Investors are online and communicating
• The public forum is active, enjoying and learning from new connections

Traffic over six months increased exponentially.

Site page: www.startout.org