This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 3, 2014

I think it''s likely that it will unfocus the company and what it definitely does is eliminate the possibility of exiting for anything less than two and a half billion dollars. For the most part, journalists give startups a free pass when venture capital money is raised or when companies that clearly seem to have failed get "acquired".

venture capital 396

venture capital capital ventures entrepreneurship 396

This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

How would they know unless they surveyed a critical mass of startups all at the same stage now and then three years ago or so to compare? David's firm most recently participated in the $77 million second round financing of SoFi, a one year old startup focusing on student loans. Needless to say, he's having some trouble raising.

ventures 293

ventures venture capital disruption pitching 293

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 6, 2010

Everyone has their own definition of momentum (user numbers, revenue, channel partners, biz dev deals, whatever). Imagine the “typical&# deal – somebody comes into a VC’s office, they’ve never met, they’re highly referred by a friend and they’re pitching a product demo and a PPT.

startup 360

startup VC advice entrepreneurs 360

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 27, 2010

Business plan competitions are the air guitar championships of the startup world. Not only that, there’s a hugely disproportionate amount of time spent on pitching for money for these paper ideas. It’s as if the plan for creating a startup is: Step #1: Come up with an idea. Step #2: Pitch investors.

education 297

education innovation entrepreneurship peer-to-peer 297

Entrepreneurs' Organization

AUGUST 5, 2022

It’s an incredibly valuable event for both EO Accelerators and EO members with startups that want to attract investments in addition to EO members who are looking for the right investment opportunity. There’s a lengthy application and vetting process for EO members or Accelerators to qualify to pitch.

accelerator 273

accelerator networking pitching real estate 273

This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 25, 2023

Let’s first talk about the definition of a co-founder. Going from zero to one at a startup is incredibly difficult, so in order to find success, you’ve got to have an early team of very committed people. If you hire these types of people from the startup, it really shouldn’t matter what titles they have.

founder 364

founder VC board pitching 364

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 21, 2010

If you’re a startup and you don’t have a close relationship with a few law firms you’re really missing one of the most important relationships that any entrepreneur can have. I write about some of the lessons in my post on Startup Mistakes. Every town has firms that focus on startups – find them.

startup 318

startup advice entrepreneurs VC 318

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 25, 2011

bre.ad , a new startup launching whose founder has perfected the art of the conference pitch. The guy leans in and says, "Hey Charlie, sorry to interrupt, my name is Alan, I'm with bre.ad, I'm going to follow up with an e-mail to you about our startup. No pitch, nothing more. One last thing about the quick pitch.

pitching 284

pitching disruption entrepreneurs enablement 284

Dream It

APRIL 12, 2020

Martino founded Bullpen in 2010 with a focus on post-seed, pre-Series A startups, and he led the fund’s investments in companies like FanDuel, Namely, Ipsy, SpotHero, Classy, and Airmap. Startups should know how VCs work. startup) per month. Do startups need to conduct due diligence on a venture fund’s LPs?

ventures 334

ventures startup capital board 334

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 2, 2023

I got to see all of the top VCs pitching their funds. What was notable was how similar they all sounded—that is, until I got the pitch from Brad and Fred at Union Square Ventures. USV came in pitching digitally native businesses models that could not exist until the internet connected everyone.

opportunity 250

opportunity investing investment disruption 250

TechCrunch

SEPTEMBER 1, 2022

The crew here at TechCrunch has done a lot of writing about making amazing pitch decks over the years, and I figured it was time that I put together a collection of all of it in one handy spot. Perhaps I’m just a teensy bit biased over here, but I’d say it’s definitely worth subscribing to get access to all of this content.

pitching 102

pitching startup venture capital ventures 102

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 22, 2011

By definition each of those VCs (unless they are a micro VC – and one who doesn’t mind 5% ownership) will view you as a sort of “option&# where they might get to fund the next round if you do well. Always Pitch Outsiders for Follow Ons. You simply can’t drive good returns that way.

VC 314

VC advice pitching investing 314

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 25, 2013

Anyone who was doing something new and cutting edge should feel connected to each other--whether or not they are building a venture backed startup. The definitive article about 33 Flatbush--the kind of commercial building you would drive by a million times without thinking twice-- was written in the NY Times a few years ago.

communities 290

communities innovation creativity real estate 290

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 28, 2010

That’s the classic definition of Grin Fucking. All startups are hard. I found that most VC’s never gave me any feedback when I was pitching. Tags: Entrepreneur Advice Start-up Advice Startup Advice. Unsurprisingly, this one way best. The title IS the post. Don’t be a grin fucker. Me: “LOL.

frameworks 378

frameworks consulting advice strategy 378

This is going to be BIG.

OCTOBER 22, 2017

There are a lot of ways the startup world describes venture capitalists that portrays a certain power dynamic, real or perceived, that I believe is at the heart of so many of the industry's problems. We can debate whether they're sociopaths, but we definitely shouldn't assume that every "great investor" is "great" at being human.

VC 332

VC advice pitching opportunity 332

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

Today Upfront Ventures is announcing that we’ve backed Rebecca Kantar ’s startup Imbellus , a company designed to assess human potential and ultimately change the way we teach children. I know that “mission driven” sounds nebulous or some convenient definition of anything we want to fund. But really it’s something I look for.

incumbents 270

incumbents entrepreneurs education pitching 270

Gust

JULY 22, 2012

I hear lots of excuses from startup founders, like “I’m too busy,” concern over IP security, can’t afford an agency, and it’s too early. I’m definitely not lobbying here for promising things you can’t deliver, or hiring a publicist before your first programmer. In a startup, you are the brand. Start building it now.

startup 158

startup pitching networking entrepreneurs 158

Entrepreneurs' Organization

JUNE 12, 2024

These EOers work with the students to refine their pitches and provide insights and tips to help them succeed in the high-level competition. Although every student had their pitch honed to perfection, there is always the extra mile to explore deeper meaning. Get involved!

mentorship 233

mentorship peer-to-peer leadership entrepreneurs 233

Gust

NOVEMBER 28, 2011

Fortune 1000 CEOs usually don’t make good startup CEOs, and vice versa. The startup road is guaranteed to be long and hard. Being relentlessly resourceful is definitely not what you learn in big companies, or in most schools. The size of the race is also important. Experience and expertise in this business area.

startup 147

startup networking energy entrepreneurs 147

This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 29, 2016

Assuming they weren't unethical and they met your character standard, you went into a pitch with the goal of getting money from this person, and they didn't get there. It doesn't pay to look at it any other way--and I think too many founders focus on the investor as the problem versus their pitch or their company. Same with pitching.

founder 206

founder pitching board investing 206

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

And we all know that Ron Conway is considered the savviest of angel investors and yet by definition not all of his investments succeed. Tags: Startup Advice Tech Market Analysis VC Industry. Just ask the people who poured money into once “hot&# companies like RazorGator or Friendster. I don’t believe these times will last.

angel investing 288

angel investing investing investment advice 288

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 25, 2010

Quite honestly I see way too many company pitches that are designed for Techies but I only want to invest in products designed for Normals. Start by defining the problem you’re solving – I see way too many early-stage entrepreneurs who start their companies with a product definition rather than a market problem.

advice 348

advice entrepreneurs sustainability pitching 348

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 1, 2012

Well, I get nothing out of seeing how well a bunch of people can pitch their businesses on stage. Leadership, Teams, Success & Happiness (Tiger Moms & the true definition of success). We’ll see. TechStars Interactions. I refuse to go to demo days. Not just TechStars but any demo day, really. Yet I love TechStars.

pitching 319

pitching culture entrepreneurs mentorship 319

Onevest

APRIL 30, 2015

By definition Angel Investors are individual investors. This is something that we have experience at 1000 Angels , the private investor network that connects startups with investors. Just 2% of startup financing actually comes from venture capital firms. Invest in startups. By Tim Hoghten. Try it out… .

investment 116

investment investing coworking spaces startup 116

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 17, 2019

I don’t feel like canceling LinkedIn just because occasionally a well-meaning but slightly not-clued-in person from a faraway place wants me to be their personal mentor, answer 3-questions for their high-school entrepreneurship project or take a sales pitch for their recruiting services. He has a startup you’re going to love.

advice 250

advice board pitching startup accelerator 250

Gust

JANUARY 4, 2012

Last month we covered the basics of intellectual property (IP) for startups, including a simple taxonomy, some common issues and related documents for entrepreneurs to use when forming a new startup. The amount of investment in IP in any direct sense is generally small for early stage startups. In practice, this leads many U.S.

startup 143

startup entrepreneurs development media 143

TechCrunch

MAY 20, 2021

Now, a startup out of Berlin called Pitch has just picked up a substantial Series B of $85 million to take it on with what it believes is a more dynamic approach. We understand from sources close to the company that the valuation is now at $600 million for the Berlin-based startup.

pitching 98

pitching real estate collaboration leadership 98

Gust

DECEMBER 27, 2012

It sounds obvious, but the majority of entrepreneurs who pitch me have obviously never thought through many of the major issues surrounding their companies. A good beginning would be Bill Payne’s The Definitive Guide to Raising Money from Angels, available as a free download from [link]. Understand your business.

investing 164

investing investment pitching mix-use 164

TechCrunch

NOVEMBER 16, 2022

David Smith is VP of data and analytics at TheVentureCity , a global early-stage venture fund investing in product-centric startups across the U.S., Given the downturn in the markets leading to a startup funding squeeze, getting through the door is a critical first step. Europe, and Latin America. But then what?

pitching 87

pitching SaaS sustainability VC 87

TechCrunch

OCTOBER 14, 2020

“Every developer that uses our platform may or may not care about sustainability, but they definitely save on cost,” said Ahuja. ” United Dwelling is one startup building something to solve California’s housing crisis. . “There’s a lot of product databases, but no one can analyze it,” said Chopson.

sustainability 101

sustainability pitching construction energy 101

TechCrunch

JANUARY 28, 2023

Welcome to Startups Weekly, a nuanced take on this week’s startup news and trends by Senior Reporter and Equity co-host Natasha Mascarenhas. Sometimes, due to the nature of the startup game, we over index on “the new.” It just made me think about that larger comprehension coupled with the nimbleness of a startup.

startup 107

startup entrepreneurship accelerator mentorship 107

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 11, 2011

The best ones are visual, high-level, have a narrative, move swiftly, are designed to prompt questions as much as “pitch&# your company and importantly have a narrative. Problem definition (with the market … it’s why you exist). What should be in the deck? Some variation of the following (this is a suggested order).

VC 340

VC venture capital leadership pitching 340

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 31, 2010

This was evident at the Twiistup pre-event company pitch last week at UCLA. It definitely is an IQ test thing for me. Tags: Entrepreneur Advice Start-up Advice Startup Advice. I can then change my focus based on the results. But ONLY do this if you plan to adjust your approach. People say this all the time.

advice 362

advice VC entrepreneurs education 362

TechCrunch

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

Last year was a good 12 months of firsts for African tech startups. This shows that Africa’s investment landscape is still very promising because it continues to grow, and there’s increasing interest in multiple startup ecosystems, including nascent ecosystems. billion, according to data from Partech.

startup ecosystem 96

startup ecosystem startup incubation VC 96

This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 8, 2011

For every 5 haters on Business Insider, there's one startup out there that doesn't spend all their time reading the same stuff we do, and just happens to notice that video. They feel like I might be a reasonable guy to talk to about startups and decide to get an intro to someone at First Round because of it.

VC 275

VC peer-to-peer board advice 275

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 27, 2010

No startup on the face of the earth has ever gotten so much free PR in the history of entrepreneurship. Momentum at the right time paves the way for startup success. I remember one day last summer when Dennis Crowley and I both went to pitch the same biz dev partner—me with Path 101 and him with Foursquare.

VC 186

VC venture capital media board 186

StartupNation

SEPTEMBER 26, 2021

Now imagine if you were given 10 minutes to pitch the potential of your business? It can take years to dream up an exciting startup, and even longer to turn it into something substantial, but a strongly crafted sales pitch can propel your business in the right direction. How exactly can startups launch themselves toward success.

pitching 76

pitching advice venture capital entrepreneurs 76