Cube provides a mobile point of sale system that aims to disrupt the slow-moving point of sale market. It offers an iPad point of sale runner, iPhone credit card terminal, and back-office management software. The founders were motivated to build Cube due to their shared vision of improving an outdated industry. They advise entrepreneurs to thoroughly understand their business idea, costs, competitors, and exit strategy before launching. Cube promotes a healthy work environment for employees through flexible schedules, unlimited vacation, and on-site fitness activities.

2. Cube is Salesforce for Point of Sale
Building a point of sale is hard.
We’ve done it. We’ve done it right. And we’ve done it mobile.
What is Cube?

3. iPad Point of Sale Runner and Kitchen Display System
iPhone / iPod Credit Card Terminal Back-Office and Management
Modern, Beautiful, Mobile Point of Sale

4. How We Got Started…
• One shared vision: disrupt a big, bloated, slow-moving,
non-innovative market – point of sale
• Funded by angels and YCombinator (incubator)

5. Helpful Tips on Getting Started…
• Three pieces of advice for starting any business:
o Know what, why, for whom, know your competitors, and segment / differentiate
o Know how much it will cost – employees, capital, operational
o Know where – your exit strategy
• The most successful people are those that are “all-in”
o Quit your job
o Fund if necessary – banks, angel investor groups, VCs, incubators
• The “Nathan” strategy
o If you can’t go full-time, bootstrap it yourself part-time
o Be patient! Results are commensurate with effort, and focus
• One final thought on getting started
o It’s better to make decisions NOW than to wait
o Does not mean you shouldn’t plan or be thoughtful
o In most cases, it’s easier to correct a bad decision than to not do anything
• When is the best time to plant a tree?

6. Technology in Wellness
• Wellness technology is highly fragmented, and it takes
decades for highly fragmented markets to evolve (which
is why people use 10-year old point of sale products)
• Some disruption caused by changes in user behavior
that solve specific problems
o “Track My Workouts” -> Fitocracy
o “Analyze My Workouts” -> RunKeeper
o “Monitor My Progress” -> Fitbit, LoseIt!
• Others leverage technology that may not be in the palm
of the hand of the user
o Logging programs and applications for trainers
o “90-day challenge” programs with forums, social media
• If you’re building a wellness technology company, try to
integrate into existing behavior rather than disrupt

7. Guidance on Technology Wellness
• For entrepreneurs:
o Don’t disturb user behavior – “gaming” in Fitocracy (great app!)
is helpful but it’s still disturbing the user behavior
o Leverage social media – results of your product/program depend
on people sticking to them -> social media = accountability to
peers
o Leverage social media – it’s also the best viral marketing
mechanism – but you need results first!
• For employers:
o Leave the choice to your employees
o Encourage health and wellness
o Subsidize when possible, find discounts at a minimum

8. Cube’s Approach to Employee Wellness
• Like many of our Silicon Valley peers, we encourage
wellness and offer benefits in support of that:
o Reimbursement for gym memberships
o Workout equipment at the office (powerlifting rack, wrestling mats,
kettlebells)
• And, we share activities as teambuilding exercises
o Jiu jitsu, grappling, judo
o Tough Mudder!!
• Lower-cost options are available that make it possible for
*anyone* to do similar things:
o Ask nearby gyms about special rates
o Find public activities (yoga in the park, bike rides)
o Discount programs – I highly recommend AnyPerk

9. Shameless Plug
(small sample)

10. Maintaining a Healthy Startup Environment
• Startups are notoriously unhealthy – long hours, stress,
no “shock absorbers” like big companies
• Cube encourages a healthy startup environment:
o Work when you want – no set schedule
o Manage expectations as a team and agree to them – accountability
o Work where you want – home, coffee shop, office, park
o Take off time when you want – infinite vacation days – see item 2
o Encourages consistent productivity and “spikes” after some downtime
o Gym and fitness activities together
• Give employees space they need and freedom they
desire, and either:
o They will find balance and meet/exceed their expectations, or
o The group will make it abundantly clear that they aren’t

11. Approaching Startups as a Client
• Cold calls do not work. We are too busy. It will do
nothing but upset a person that is engrained in an
engineering-dominated business
• Use the network to get introductions and warm leads –
engineers do not like meeting new people that are
“pitching” them
• Use an indirect method: friends and family. I didn’t start
using a specific brand of health/protein powder until my
wife started selling it (and I was hesitant even then)
• Startups have limited budgets. If you want to sell to
them, you have to show not only value, but also ROI
o How will this make your business better
o How will this lead to happier employees
o How long will it take to recuperate startup costs, or
o Do like law firms do – first $1000 is free, and deferred costs for 3 months (trial)

12. Summary
• If you need a point of sale or credit card processing,
remember me! https://www.getcube.com
• Success is easier if your plan is thought out end-to-end –
funding makes a difference but isn’t an indicator
• If you build a wellness technology startup, start with the
use case and try to remain minimally disruptive to user
behavior
• Encouraging wellness in employees doesn’t cost a lot –
gym memberships are cheap, and discount programs
exist for those that can’t fully subsidize
• Employee freedom translates to health which translates
to wellness which translates to productivity

13. Final Thought for Entrepeneurs
• Advice we received from Paul Graham (YCombinator,
very famous angel investor) – applicable to any
entrepeneur:
“Don’t get distracted. Right now you should
only be writing code and talking to users.” ~Paul Graham

14. Translated for Clarity and Understanding
“Don’t get distracted. Right now you should
only be writing code and talking to users.” ~Paul Graham
Stay focused,
build your product, make it better,
and get people using it!
live in the moment, (you) take action,