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I can't think of a single time when a white man came to pitch me and I told him his fundraising plans weren't aggressive enough. Yesterday, I met with a founder with an interesting model who was raising $400k to bring the finishing touches to her product to make it customer-ready. Something else is at play. That is a fact.
It's kind of annoying because I write a personal blog. I'm not a journalist by trade so I'm really not an appropriate person to pitch in such an automated way. To deal with these pitches, I just created a Gmail canned response: "Hi, this is a canned response in response to your canned pitch. That's alright.
Keep reading for some more of the most common mistakes startups make when pitching and for Steve’s tips on how to fix them. Investors want to hear, “Our unique insight is __”… in your pitch 2. co-founder). End your pitch with something along the lines of, “So, is this something you feel you would like to get behind?”
This is part of my ongoing series “ Pitching a VC “ There’s a great meme developing this morning on the need to simplify funding terms and documents. The meme was kicked off by Chris Dixon with this post saying that term sheets need to be simplified and align investor / founder interests. I have this mentality, too.
If you’re a white professional in venture, you might feel uncomfortable tweeting or blogging about race. If you're in a more privileged position with lots of VC connections to pitch, you’ll either do one of the following things: You'll come right back at me, tell me why and how I'm wrong—because at this point you have nothing to lose.
“Personal Branding” The term is fingernails on a chalkboard-level cringe for many of the best founders—mostly because it feels most of the people who spend time building their personal brand don’t actually have much there there behind it. Unfortunately, this has real consequences for founders. So how can founders differentiate?
He has raised venture capital for his startups, helped hundreds of founders craft their pitch decks and fundraising strategy, and invested as a business angel. We asked him how founders can create the perfect pitch deck for their company. Some of these pitches were very informal, sitting at the bar or walking around.
Tim Berry , Founder, Palo Alto Software. Martin Zwilling , Founder and CEO, Startup Professionals. Power Pitches. If you’re doing investment pitches, you should read this book. If you’re doing a pitch I’m going to see, I want you to have read this book. Tim Berry , Founder, Palo Alto Software.
I want your pitch to be the one I say yes to--and I want you to solve the inherent problems in your business model. Take pitches? Perhaps this is why I see this behavior more in the junior folks who never have to pitch to LPs or who've never started a company. People thought I was crazier for having the chat widget on my blog.
On my blog I’ve been hesitant to take the topic head on. But last week I noticed a blog post by a woman, Tara Tiger Brown, that asked the question, “ Why Aren’t More Women Commenting on VC Blog Posts? In it she observes that only 3% of the comments on this blog are from women. Please watch this.
As the founder of a folder printing company, I often get asked how to design folders that effectively guide prospects through the buying journey. Keep these insights in mind as you design your next folder, and let me know how it impacts your sales pitches.
I texted the founder and got the following response: " Yeah. I was trying to help them get a top flight marketer and, as it turns out, the one I asked had already heard of them and wrote this back to me: "Funny cause I was one of the people who backed [their] kickstarter campaign and love the idea and what [the founder] has done.
It''s also not the best way to create a helpful syndicate of investors that share the founder''s vision for the company. If all my deals came as intros from trusted connections that I know for years versus at founderpitch events that''s interesting data. Fear not, founders. The first thing I did was trace my sources.
The press enhances this misconception around YCombinator demo days, where the 3-day pitch event is perceived like an auction, with investors fighting each other for the best deals. Many programs still put a lot of focus on demo day rehearsals, prep, and on getting the pitch deck just right. It did for me, at least.
Which is why I''m sure the dude who picked apart the physics of the latest round of UBeam will undoubtedly get eviscerated in the tweet and blog world. ".Here’s That doesn''t mean I have anything against the founder or the investors. But in the private markets, we''ve got "Yay, founders! Here’s the problem.
Advice for non-technical founders for finding a serious CTO for your startup Finding a co-founder is hard work. Finding a technical co-founder is even harder. Yet, the benefits of having a technical co-founder make it all worthwhile. A good co-founder will serve as a powerful force multiplier.
These are things that other VCs think about, but founders who come to pitch don''t think about too much. When you blog, tweet , Instagram , etc., How many more investments could I do? How where things going? That''s also why I''m finally launching a real website at brooklynbridge.vc.
It doesn't have to count as an official pitch of any kind. It's more just to understand the kinds of things VCs are going to ask and want to see when you are ready to pitch. In fact, more people e-mailed me boring powerpoints in the last week than signed up to actually pitch in person. So you'd think it would be sold out, right?
As part of our firm’s rebranding strategy for McKenzie Pitch Partners, which was anchored by the publication of founder Hamish McKenzie’s new book, we held an innovative event in New York City that showcased Hamish’s philosophy in action. Honing their strategies and stories with Hamish, both got their best pitches together.
The frantic pace of technology cycles, the amount of tech news, the blogs, the conferences, the demo days, the announcements, the fundings, the IPOs. Any longtime readers of this blog will know that I often try to simplify complex ideas into a simple parable that is easier to remember to set the tone of one’s behaviors.
What is it about me that makes you want to pitch me? When you're pitching for a million bucks "I've never heard of them" is not an acceptable answer for when I ask about the team that tried to do the same thing as you just two years ago. 5) Aim for me to hear about you before you pitch. 4) Do your homework. Getting quoted?
But the thing I am most proud of about Rob is that he has taken a company with a uniquely talented founder & CTO – Nick Halstead – and managed to build a very tight working relationship with Nick where we drive world-class product development without having the usual founder / CEO conflicts. Email updates frequently.
Sometimes it means establishing founder credibility over time to prospective future investors or to potential employees. And please, please, please don''t pitch VCs who blog to write about your company as if we were tech journalists. That doesn''t always mean public press, nor does it mean telling everything about your product.
I always try hard to make this blog a place where you can learn lessons rather than an advertisement for portfolio companies. If you haven’t read the post the thesis was that I care way more about watching the trajectory of your performance as a team (or individual) than I do about how good you “pitch” on the first day you come to see me.
When pitching investors, remember that your ask is like porridge; it follows the goldilocks ratio and has to be just right. So the question remains: what is the appropriate amount of funding founders should request? This framework helps founders position their fundraising targets and avoid red flags with investors.
Video pitching. I see an uptick in pitching via pre-recorded video. We used Loom to pre-record our pitch and share it with potential investors. It’s a great way to personalize a pitch deck and share it with interested parties. Maureen Brown, EO Austin, co-founder and CEO, Mosie Baby. Here’s what they shared.
Everybody has a blog these days and there is much advice to be had. What is a founder to do? I am VERY careful in board meetings and in startup pitches to tell entrepreneurs, “I feel very strongly about my opinion on this topic. That’s why you’re a founder. Triangulate. Startup Lessons'
Ai-Ling Wong—founder at The Decorateur. Alex Louey—founder and managing director at Appscore . If you’re pitching, selling or proposing a partnership, you want to find out what will spark the other person’s interest so that they can’t help but want to work with you. Andrea Grisdale—founder and CEO at IC Bellagio.
In the startup world, it’s pitch decks, not business plans that get companies funded. Making a pitch deck is an art, a science, but most importantly, a story. We work with founders to help them tell their company stories, so we get to see hundreds of decks and talk to dozens of companies every month. Pitch deck + story.
They get pitched by so many blowhards that more genuine people who aren’t in it for just a story stand out from the crowd. Obviously you should have somebody that helps you research journalists, gets you meetings, pitches stories, helps prep you for interviews & helps make sure your writing is cogent.
Camilo Salinas of Colombia, founder of Residia , was awarded the 2021 GSEA third-place prize of US$5,000. However, I met and pitched my business to people that I follow on social media as business role models. How was your experience in GSEA different from other business pitch competitions you’ve participated in?
” The ultimate measure of success for a journalist is viewership so if nobody cares about your shitty little company and the story you’re trying to pitch then the journalist doesn’t want to publish. The major battle for press is a battle for “mindshare” and it’s exactly the reason I blog. I am a VC.
They get pitched by so many blowhards that more genuine people who aren’t in it for just a story stand out from the crowd. Obviously you should have somebody that helps you research journalists, gets you meetings, pitches stories, helps prep you for interviews & helps make sure your writing is cogent.
And in fact, it is ok--particularly when you're not a technical founder, it's not always clear what your next step is in the early going. I tried pitching business development ideas, coming up with marketing ploys. Ask them if they feel like they spend their time wisely and how they allocate tasks among the founding team.
That's how I met Michael Bryzek, CTO & Co-Founder at Gilt, who was enormously helpful to one of the new tech leads in our portfolio after I introduced the two of them. Dinner parties like the Ted & Amy Supper Club and CityGrit are often stocked with people from the digital world because of where their founders work.
Occasionally on this blog I break away from industry commentary and write more broadly. It’s why I still randomly meet up with people I’ve met on Twitter or this blog. Or riding a crazy party bus and sitting next to Aaron Batalion the co-founder & CTO of Living Social. Nom nom nom. Office Space. We’ll see.
Yet, everyone’s got an opinion about how a company measures up, especially the founder. ( The other day, I had a difficult conversation with a founder who clearly felt like VCs were the problem in her fundraising process. I don’t need to remind such a founder how the world is stacked against them. Then, there are nuances.
Sesie Bonsi is the founder and CEO of Bleu , a financial technology platform focused on enabling touchless payment experiences. As a Black fintech founder, I believe that venture investors are making safe bets and investing in late-stage founders instead of early or even pre-seed stages. Sesie Bonsi. Contributor. hit nearly $1.8
I have one failed attempt at a startup under my belt as a founder and I don't have any particularly usable skills that anyone would pay for like selling, designing, building, etc. Conferences, startup blogs, meetups--they're all filled with people telling you how to build your company. Why ever read another tech blog?
If I had to put a number on it I’d say 1 in 20 pitches – maybe 1 in 30 – are by an entrepreneur who comes across as truly passionate about her project. His blog is even called SaaStr (a bit too close to Suster if you ask me ;-)). But without a passion for what you do I am dubious about your chances for success.
Do you have a great idea that you're looking to bring to life, but you're still missing the perfect co-founder to make it happen? YC is excited to announce our first-ever generative AI themed co-founder meetup, happening virtually on Saturday, December 17th at 11am-1pm PST. Register to Attend.
If you read this blog often you'll know that I'm a huge fan of First Round Capital. They have totally changed the way you run a VC firm, investing heavily in systems & events for their founders that are pushing the boundaries of the way our industry works. What are the most common mistakes in first pitch? and Half.com.
My first pitch was not to investors or potential clients; it was to my fiancée, convincing her to delay our wedding plans until Equifund was up and running — a promise that took significantly longer than the anticipated six months to fulfill. and more articles from the EO blog. I also did not have a business partner.
Raising funding is no easy feat, especially for first-time founders. You need a solid business plan, traction to demonstrate market fit, and the skills to pitch effectively. Yet founders often trip up when it comes to investor relations — the ongoing communication and relationship building after that first check clears.
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