Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 9, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series, “ Pitching a VC.&#. I recently wrote a blog post here in which I argued that the best VC meetings are discussions and not sales pitches. Many people agreed and added that even the best sales meetings are also discussions and not pitches. A Tale of Two Pitches.

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Jason Malki

AUGUST 3, 2023

Andres, an Industrial Engineer by training, was previously investing in the B2B vSaaS space and comes from a background of strategy consulting. When I launched WePrep in college, I was researching key drivers for startup success and was introduced to the world of VC. He is also an angel investor and former EdTech entrepreneur.

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Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 26, 2010

With VCs my strong suggestion is that you be open & realistic. Leaving your real competitors off of you presentation to a VC is not recommended. Think back to the slides in the VC deck where you define the customer problem you’re solving and what your solution does. Two-by-two matrix. “Our competition sucks&#.

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VC education strategy opportunity 313

This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 8, 2011

How about as a VC? Fred has basically always been a VC, Mike was a reporter, and Jim worked in product marketing and management consulting. Surely--but then I realize how difficult it is to be an early stage VC in NYC. Really never managed anything of significant or built anything major.". what has this guy done?

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VC peer-to-peer board advice 275

David Teten VC

JULY 27, 2021

We have collected a wide range of freebies, contests, accelerators, online communities, and VCs designed for student tech founders. I have been researching this both to support Versatile VC ’s portfolio companies and also as part of research for my new book, To University and Beyond: Launch Your Career in High Gear. 1) Your school.

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founder mentorship peer-to-peer pitching 144

TechCrunch

MAY 17, 2022

TechCrunch is excited to announce the six companies pitching in person and onstage at TC Sessions Mobility 2022. Hailing from around the United States and the globe, founders will pitch on the main stage, for four minutes, followed by an intense Q&A with our expert panel of judges. Startups pitching on the main stage.

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pitching energy startup consulting 76

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 17, 2014

The first pitch I got was from someone who didn''t intend on staying with the business as an employee. Everyone I''ve ever gotten pitched from can''t wait to quit their other jobs to work on what''s being pitched. Hiring a consultant who always intends to be a consultant isn''t a failure.

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TechCrunch

DECEMBER 2, 2022

Move over, operators — consultants are the new nontraditional VC. Nevertheless, Rebecca Szkutak found that several consulting firms that help early-stage startups get to the next level are now launching their own VC funds. ” Move over, operators — consultants are the new nontraditional VC. .”

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TechCrunch

NOVEMBER 9, 2020

There has been little movement in the amount of VC dollars going to women-founded companies since 2012. Though by no means does this mean that women aren’t doing incredible work in the field and it’s only right that women founders receive their fair share of VC investment. Venture capital is far from a level playing field.

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Entrepreneurs' Organization

JULY 16, 2021

Dan’s professional IT services consultancy developed a SaaS product and now wants to grow and scale the product—but has little experience in marketing or selling SaaS products. Use these resources to understand how your company will look when you pitch a VC or angel. and see how your company compares.

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SaaS leadership accelerator entrepreneurs 297

David Teten VC

APRIL 1, 2021

I’ve recently advised a number of emerging private equity and VC funds who are wrestling with the question: What are the highest impact steps they can take to support their portfolio companies? . VC Platform community has grown approximately 120% in the last 3 years. Alpaca VC shares their Master Agency List.

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venture capital accelerator capital ventures 81

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 5, 2014

” I said I learned this 15 years ago because that is when I stopped being a consultant. I enjoyed the first half of my time at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) because I was a computer programmer and had to build stuff that actually worked. Consultants spend all of their time pretending to know these answers.

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peer-to-peer entrepreneurs consulting VC 337

David Teten VC

NOVEMBER 18, 2021

One of the first decisions we had to make in setting up our new VC fund, Versatile Venture Capital , was our CRM and marketing technology infrastructure. . I’m very interested in the tech stack of private equity/VC firms , both to improve the efficiency of Versatile VC and also as a focus area for our investing.

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venture capital capital ventures VC 123

David Teten VC

APRIL 1, 2021

I’ve recently advised a number of emerging private equity and VC funds who are wrestling with the question: What are the highest impact steps they can take to support their portfolio companies? . VC Platform community has grown approximately 120% in the last 3 years. Alpaca VC shares their Master Agency List.

venture capital 56

venture capital accelerator capital ventures 56

TechCrunch

MARCH 2, 2023

Startups and VC Former Facebook exec turned VC Chamath Palihapitiya has long been a controversial figure in the investing world. Next slide, please : Haje ’s Pitch Deck Teardown this week is of Gable’s $12 million Series A deck. “To find your path, talk to your clients and understand their goals and pains.”

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startup consulting VC pitching 98

This is going to be BIG.

OCTOBER 16, 2012

His story of overcoming child abuse, a missing arm ligament, a decade in the minors and going on to reinvent himself in his mid-30's using a pitch few have mastered is nothing short of inspirational. Oh, did I mention it turns out he's been pitching with a torn abdominal muscle all season?

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pitching frameworks construction consulting 259

TechCrunch

JUNE 8, 2021

There will be merchandise, according to the former business management consultant. Certainly, their pitch — that men need more ways through unconventional men’s products to express themselves — is a smart one.

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mentorship VC consulting creativity 99

TechCrunch

MARCH 31, 2021

She’s been an entrepreneur, served on plenty of boards, is a contributing author at Marie Clare, has been a senior advisor to Bumble and worked as a consultant in marketing, business development and more. With all that experience, she knows all too well that the process of fundraising starts well before your first pitch meeting.

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pitching venture capital consulting leadership 85

TechCrunch

FEBRUARY 25, 2023

Also, Ehab Bandar, founder at design consultancy Bigtable.co, told TechCrunch back in September that “designers, and especially cross-functional teams, hate to switch software. Think 150 of the brightest VC and founder minds in the space coming together within walking distance of Dumpling Home.

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construction VC consulting creativity 125

TechCrunch

FEBRUARY 4, 2023

Kruze Consulting, an accounting firm for startups, mined through over 750 companies’ finances, which includes upward of $300 million in quarterly revenue and over $750 million in quarterly spend. But one could argue that new VC fund announcement dates, much like the phrase “oversubscribed,” don’t mean much in practice.

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founder consulting VC construction 92

TechCrunch

JANUARY 16, 2023

Occasionally, in my role as a consultant, I am approached by companies that have a plan in place for their fundraising that doesn’t involve the CEO or a member of the founding team running point on the fundraising process. The majority of early-stage VC deals fall apart in due diligence.

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pitching VC consulting startup 76

David Teten VC

MAY 16, 2017

Matthew Craig-Greene of consultancy MJ Hudson points out, “Most public plans publish meeting minutes, and these can be a very interesting place to find information on manager selection. Limited partner due diligence on VC and private equity funds. I’ve collected several lists of limited partners focused on VC.

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TechCrunch

MARCH 5, 2021

There, they share pitch materials and information about their business. The founder gets a detailed assessment with feedback on their pitch materials, the underlying metrics that they can use to develop their business and, their ability to raise capital down the line. A three-way marketplace. ” It doesn’t end there.

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capital founder startup ecosystem peer-to-peer 100

David Teten VC

AUGUST 20, 2019

A new wave of Revenue-Based Investors are emerging who are using creative investing structures with some of the upside of traditional VC, but some of the downside protection of debt. In addition, their portfolios look far more diverse than VC industry norms. Who are the major Revenue-Based Investing VCs?

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founder investing investment venture capital 74

Berkonomics

AUGUST 3, 2023

Yet, professional angels are usually willing to take active board seats in a young enterprise and act as cost-free consultants to the CEO-entrepreneur, giving freely of their individual and collective years of experience, often in the same industry as the investment target. Many accelerators have come and gone during these past five years.

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accelerator mix-use financing finance 118

TechCrunch

OCTOBER 6, 2022

billion), funding to VC-backed cybersecurity startups isn’t on pace to hit last year’s high (over $23 billion). But in the subsequent years, the company Wolf pitching its products in larger enterprise markets, rolling out security awareness and training programs and launching a restructured partner program with tiered support services.

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economic environments VC consulting pitching 89

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 14, 2014

Throughout all of these years I was a full-time VC so Launchpad really came out of evenings and weekends for me. Adam had a full time startup and then was doing consulting (he later raised a VC fund). By this time many accelerators were being created nationally and a few were getting off the grounds in LA, too.

accelerator 290

accelerator mentorship peer-to-peer VC 290

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 21, 2014

It’s when the noise stops and you can actually get customer attention, press articles and VC meetings. Every consultant was pitching a process for reinventing your organization through BI. It’s where the truly innovative separate themselves from the pack. It’s when the game slows.

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incubation board VC innovation 354

This is going to be BIG.

JUNE 13, 2012

He oozed a quiet confidence--like a baseball pitcher who had all his stuff working and knew exactly in his head the pitch he was going to finish you off with. No need to get worked up about it--it was just about executing what you had in your head, like he had done on each pitch before during this game. (A The answer: it wasn't.

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TechCrunch

FEBRUARY 24, 2023

A 60-minute briefing with a consultant who told me I’d be fine if I stuck to the script. 7 investors explain why they’re all in Pitch Deck Teardown: Uber’s $200K pre-seed deck from 2008 Image Credits: Uber (opens in a new window) The word “disruptive” gets thrown around so much, it’s lost much of its impact.

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TechCrunch

DECEMBER 11, 2022

Then the configuration and control is easy — something that previously would have required more technical expertise or outside consultants.” All of that spells more prudent, and perhaps less exuberant, investing, which likely means more strict adherence to theses around making returns and less about exploring interesting ideas.

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pitching VC consulting investing 102

This is going to be BIG.

OCTOBER 12, 2020

Singleplatform was a referral from an IT consultant who was trying to sell me stuff—which was pretty much the most random source ever, and Backupify was actually my own idea built by someone far more capable than I was to see it through. I was there for the first Etsy VC pitch meeting in a Fort Greene apartment.

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VC hospitality investing investment 340

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2014

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. Some final thoughts on PR.

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pitching media advice venture capital 319

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 23, 2011

I took the opportunity this past week to publish summary notes of some of the VCs and entrepreneurs I had interviewed on This Week in VC. One of my goals in doing the show was not only to educate entrepreneurs but also to put a human face on many of the VCs in our industry as VCs can be hard to get to know. (if

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capital VC consumer retail entrepreneurs 265

TechCrunch

OCTOBER 16, 2020

I began my career at Oracle in the mid-1980s and have since been around the proverbial block, particularly in Silicon Valley working for and with companies ranging from the Fortune 50 to global consulting companies to leading a number of startups, including the SaaS company I presently lead. Wait ‘til we go public!”. How has this happened?

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Startup Blogpost

DECEMBER 29, 2023

We helped them refine their pitch to emphasize not only the innovation but also the market potential, scalability, and revenue model. We tackled it by emphasizing a tangible prototype over traditional pitches. This shift in focus made their proposition more attractive to investors.

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AsiaTechDaily

MAY 17, 2023

Moreover, founders must learn to embrace the challenges of fundraising, honing their pitching and networking skills in the process. I got into VC serendipitously, having spent the first 8 years of my career as an operator working in growth in startups and larger companies. And when did you first think about starting a fund?

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