Clarity, the Moncton startup that connects experts with people who need their advice, yesterday launched a new video product called Clarity Live, which lets users attend video-based seminars with some of the world’s leading experts.
Clarity Founder and CEO Dan Martell said in an interview users can join Clarity Live for $97 a month, and that will allow them to join video-seminars, which will be held six times each month. Only eight people can join each seminar live and ask the experts questions in the online Q&A session. All the sessions will be taped and can be viewed online at any time by Clarity Live subscribers.
“The cost structure is ridiculously cheap,” said Martell, just before he delivered the keynote speech at the Knowledge Summit hosted Wednesday by the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Technical Industries. “It’s nothing compared with the $500 or whatever you would pay for a call with these experts.”
In the past two-plus years, Clarity has amassed a network of more than 30,000 experts that people can call to discuss business problems for a set per-hour price. (The price depends on the expert.) Martell said Clarity Live lets viewers benefit from other people’s questions, and requires no preparation time.
“We’re adding another layer of service to Clarity to bring in more people,” he said, adding the company would continue with its phone service.
The lineup for May and June features: Eric Ries, author of The Lean Startup; Brian Wong, Founder at Kiip; Hiten Shah, Co-Founder at KISSMetrics; Brad Feld, Co-Founder at TechStars; Mark Organ, Founder at Influitive (and previous founder at Eloqua); Justin Kan, Co-Founder at Exec and Justin.tv; Ron Gutman, Founder at HealthTap; Tim Sykes, Stock Trader and Entrepreneur; Maren Kate Donovan, Founder at Zirtual; Jeremy Schoemaker, Founder at PAR Program at ShoeMoney; Prerna Gupta, Co-Founder at Khush; and Alicia Navarro, Founder at Skimlinks.
Martell, a Moncton native who returned to his home town a few years ago after several years in Silicon Valley, formed Clarity almost as an offshoot of his own personality. He lives and breathes entrepreneurship and is rabid in the advice he dispenses on developing tech businesses. With Clarity, he’s allowing other experts to offer advice to businesses.
In December 2012, Clarity landed a $1.6 million round of investment from such noted investors as San Francisco area venture capital funds Baseline Ventures and Freestyle Capital and Mark Cuban, the flamboyant owner of the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA.