I arrived to the home of the NextUP series, 92Y, with fellow AMP3 co-hort @Termeh, where we proceeded to eat (delicious, mind you) hummus, chat with the ever-present Matt Caldecutt, and interview the Editor-In-Chief of Mashable, Adam Ostrow, you know–the usual pre event fare.

Moderated by mashable rep, Adam Hirsch, the talks got underway. And here is the run-down of what we learned:

Panelist(s) #1–Philip James (CEO) and Mark Angelillo (CTO) of Snooth.com:

Snooth.com is a comparison shopping engine for wine. Philip taught us that when dealing with a web startup, most negotiating is actually going to end up being compromise and that is just what you have to deal with in the beginning. His advice was to accept it, swallow your pride, and get your deals done. If you believe in the quality of your product and you know where it’s going, you will be able to revisit your business deals once you have bargaining power. CTO, Mark, gets a giggle out of the crowd after introducing himself as a techie, “I’m a tech guy, so I don’t really talk in front of people… but hey, they did stand me in front of a computer here, so maybe this will be ok.…!?” Turns out it was, as he offered feedback on open source rules and solutions. Mark’s moral of the story? Invent the racecar, not the wheel. The faster you move, the better your business is going to be. The two continued on with the perfect balance of a Tech VS. Business dynamic which is obviously what makes them so successful at what they do.

Panelist #2–Melanie Notkin, Founder & CEO of SavvyAuntie.com:

Melanie is a beam of positive, contagious energy who really keyed into WHY her business has been so successful, so quickly. I also enjoy her because she coined the phrase “PANK’s” (Professional Aunts, No Kids). Turns out, I am a “pank” myself; a very proud auntie at that, but not so savvy when it comes to what’s trendy for kids. That’s where Melanie’s service comes in.

Here is what Melanie identifies as her 3 secrets to success:

• Powerful Niche: Melanie identified a niche (herself included) of women who were unsavvy about Sponge Bob, The Jonas Brothers, and Hannah Montana, but who were passionate about kids and the kids in their life (even though they are not their own). Turns out, PANKs, are one of the most affluent demographic segments on the market!
• Strong Product: She introduced her website not just as a good idea, but with superior quality, and that is reflected by the fact that she is currently nominated for a WEBBY award.
• Social Influence: She is the face of the brand and she has a strong social presence. She represents the “SavvyAuntie” in everything that she does. Twitter has been a huge social referal for her from Advertisers (such as Playskool and Sephora) to Press Interviews/Coverage, noting that she “launched at the best time, [I] was on Twitter before it got Oprah’d“

Panelist #3–Michael Galpert, Co-Founder of Aviary.com:

Aviary is an accessible Photoshop-like platform that allows you to manipulate visual media with ease, in a manageable, sharable file-type/size. It allows users to be creators and offers a simpler version to the non-graphic-designers out there, similar to what Google Documents has done for those who do not have the Microsoft Suite.

What Michael says is the key to his web start-up is the community focused platform that allows users to share and see what others are doing in real time. He recommends open source, and reminds us that Aviary released an API so that 3rd Party users can use this platform on their own.

Ultimate message: be open, don’t try to control everything, and don’t try to do what has worked for others in the past; think ahead about what’s going to be happening next.

Panelist #4–Scott Belsky, Founder & CEO of Behance.com:

Letting us know that, no, he doesn’t work for Beyonce, Scott reminded us that most good ideas never happen. As such, Behance was born out of frustration as a platform to help creative professionals realize their goals by creating an organizational structure that keeps all project members looped in and accountable. His platform seeks to solve the problem of organizing creative work on a macro and a micro level and also *buzzword* encourages community where creatives can curate and “appreciate” art in one space.

Scott’s Tips for Best Practices:

• Hire based on Initiative, Not Experience [*IMHO--Someone that really wants something, will make it happen, regardless of experience]
• Solve a Frustration [What is your business seeking to achieve? Does it solve a current problem that exists?]
• Value the Experiential Education as Compensation [The old adage rings true: What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger, right!? You live, you learn.]

The evening closed with a multi-panelist group Q&A moderated by Mashable’s Editor In Chief, Adam Ostrow, where I captured the above panelists answering the following question: “What do you love about being a web/tech startup in New York City?”

This event was very relevantly sponsored by DubMeNow and SunStartUp Essentials, and rumor has it that the next event will be held on June 3rd regarding “Social Media Marketing,” followed-up by what I can only imagine as hilarious, “Tech Karaoke” in the space after-hours.

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]