Niv Dror currently runs social at Product Hunt and does their daily newsletter featuring the latest and coolest products. Prior to tech, Niv shifted from soccer to academics, majored in Finance, and worked for some of top hedge funds and VC firms. It wasn’t until witnessing the power of Twitter and getting inspired by the investor Chris Sacca, did Niv decide to get off the finance path and break into tech.
In this episode, Niv talks about how he leveraged blog posts to meet the Who’s Who of Silicon Valley, how to craft powerful cold emails, and a brief walk-through of his journey into tech, guided by his north star of offering value without expecting anything in return.
About:
| Years in Tech | 5 |
| Home Town | Israel |
| Current Job | Community |
| Date Recorded | 8/2/2016 |
Show Notes:
[01:50] Niv talks about moving from Israel to California at 10 years old and the wake up call that shifted his focus from soccer to academics
[05:45] Niv talks about not getting a full-time offer at Deloitte that led him to Rothstein Kass, which was the closest thing to what he wanted to do.
[10:11] Niv talks about working with hedge funds and VC clients, using Uber for the first time, and how he actually witnessed the power of Twitter.
[15:25] How he finally got off the finance path and what he actually did for 6 months
[19:30] Niv explains how he basically leveraged blogging to get his name out there and reaching out to people offering to work for free that landed him various jobs.
[27:08] Niv’s advice to people interested in blogging and some tips to make your blog posts become more interesting to readers.
[29:26] How you can use Twitter to reach out to people and add value to Twitter conversations
[39:38] Niv talks about landing a job at Product Hunt as well as the difference between a Community Manager role and a Social role
[45:35] Niv shares some great tips in crafting powerful cold emails and sending follow-ups.
[51:20] Niv discusses the power of finding a mentor that is within reach and being comfortable with uncertainty
Contact Info:
Niv Dror
Medium: https://medium.com/@nivo0o0
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nivdror
Twitter: @Nivo0o0 and @ProductHunt
Articles & Mentioned Resources:
Learning Resources
Ray Kurzweil’s videos on exponential progress
Harry Stebbings podcast, The Twenty Minute VC
Articles:
When Exponential Progress Becomes Reality
DataFox blog, The Current State of Startups
Niv guest post on Pando, “Peter Thiel: The US as we know it depends on us rediscovering our innovation”
The 3 Year Job Search and How I Got Into Tech
