Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 20, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series, “ Pitching a VC.&# Getting a meeting with a prominent angel or VC is difficult enough. Some advice on how to do that was covered in this link – Getting Access to a VC. If you haven’t read how to build VC relationships and demonstrate traction make sure to read it.

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Both Sides of the Table

JULY 19, 2011

And yes, VC’s, too. Often recruiters want to handle the final negotiations on package and/or do the reference calls. I’m also reluctant to hand over reference calling. But I doubt they’ll dig in as deep as you will in the reference checks. Unfortunately that’s how reference checking works.

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real estate VC pitching entrepreneurs 319

This is going to be BIG.

JULY 27, 2017

Make references to founders you've backed available upon request. Does the VC need to call a special partner meeting because you already have three term sheets or is this the beginning? I know you want to move fast, but don't make a VC prioritize your timing when I'm literally the first meeting.

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This is going to be BIG.

MAY 27, 2010

I even started referring to him as a podhead. 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. The trick is figuring out the timing. Back when I was at Union Square Ventures, Fred started to get really excited about podcasting.

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Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 1, 2010

In today’s post I want to talk about the concept of a VC flightpath. This is my description of a VC process, not one I’ve heard from other VCs so don’t expect it to be accepted nomenclature. Even when you’re getting the VC love this reality I imagined couldn’t be further from the truth.

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2015

It has become so synonymous with Internet companies that the French have invented a disdainful term including Amazon: “les GAFA,” which they refer to as Google-Apple-Facebook-Amazon to talk about American dominance of the Internet. ” Let’s start with some basics.

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real estate startup disruption incumbents 364

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 6, 2010

But in my experience as an entrepreneur and now spending my time amongst investors I can generalize that almost all VC investments in early stage technology & Internet investments come down to just four key factors. And VC’s are tough customers. I’ve talked before about how to build long-term relationships with VCs.

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startup VC advice entrepreneurs 360

StartupNation

JANUARY 6, 2022

Venture capital or VC. Taking a look at an investor’s portfolio in search of companies that are somehow similar to yours will make it easier to craft a good, eye-catching pitch. On one side, crypto lending refers to the process of borrowing or lending cryptocurrencies through a blockchain-based platform. Angel investment.

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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2016

Non VC Growth Rounds. The other major trend of 2012–2015 was the entrance of “non VCs” into late-stages of venture capital , which mostly consisted of hedge funds, mutual funds, corporate investors, sovereign wealth funds and even LPs doing direct deals. The fact that I still see it referred to in pitch decks is farcical.

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venture capital capital ventures VC 271

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 21, 2014

Who was willing to jump on a plan on a Sunday morning with a hang-over to make sure they were there the night before an important biz dev pitch on a Monday morning. When you’re hiring most reference checkers focus on the person’s former bosses. Who in stead said, “That’s what Skype is for?” ” Wowza.

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board VC construction opportunity 320

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 25, 2013

Back in 2006, when I started working on putting together some community groups for entrepreneurs and tech people, I looked for a better name to reference this collection of people. Three companies from the Studiomates community-- Sherpaa , Tinybop , and Editorially --received VC dollars in 2012. via Brownstoner.

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communities innovation creativity real estate 303

TechCrunch

APRIL 1, 2022

Perfect pitch, a singer’s ability to produce any given musical note without a reference tone, is a rare phenomenon — only 1-5 people out of every 10,000 have it. While your odds of creating a perfect pitch deck that captures coveted VC interest aren’t quite that dire, they’re not exactly in your favor, either.

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pitching VC construction venture capital 89

TechCrunch

APRIL 25, 2023

But dealmaking is idiosyncratic: a few investors might be content to make a deal over coffee, but early-stage teams still need a sturdy pitch deck or memo they can leave behind. Similarly, one VC may encourage newly minted CEOs to eat ramen and ride the bus, while another might suggest a salary in the low six-figures, depending on geography.

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pitching incubation board opportunity 98

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 3, 2009

This is part of my ongoing Raising Venture Capital (VC) series. When people refer to a strategic investor they are usually talking about an investor that comes from the industry you serve as opposed to an independent venture capital investor. OK, I know this is true with VC also, but to a lesser extent.

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advice venture capital frameworks entrepreneurs 279

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 27, 2010

I even started referring to him as a podhead. 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. The trick is figuring out the timing. Back when I was at Union Square Ventures, Fred started to get really excited about podcasting.

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VC venture capital media board 150

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

On Losing in VC. I know I won’t win every deal I want to in VC. There are other great VC’s in SoCal and there is always the allure of the NorCal guys flying down and talking about how they invested in Google, Facebook, Yahoo! I’m talking about the hard fought battle. The one that you thought you had.

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consulting advice collaboration VC 333

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

On Losing in VC. I know I won’t win every deal I want to in VC. There are other great VC’s in SoCal and there is always the allure of the NorCal guys flying down and talking about how they invested in Google, Facebook, Yahoo! I’m talking about the hard fought battle. The one that you thought you had.

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consulting advice collaboration VC 328

TechCrunch

AUGUST 11, 2022

Today, we’re taking a closer look at the pitch deck it used to raise its pre-seed round. We’re looking for more unique pitch decks to tear down, so if you want to submit your own, here’s how you can do that. . Well, that’s the world Five Flute wants to live in. The company raised a $1.2 Slides in this deck.

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pitching strategy development incumbents 89

Startup Catalyst

MARCH 27, 2018

The meetings included co-working spaces, accelerators, investor groups, tech giants, University startup hubs, maker groups, and pitch events. They collaborate and refer to those that play their specific role. People here are incredibly willing to help, to introduce and refer. Doing startups, Angel and VC investing is mainstream.

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communities startup incubation accelerator 140

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 27, 2011

But should you actually write one if you’re a startup, an industry figure (lawyer, banker) or VC? Within 2 years I was getting 400,000 views / month and had been voted the 2nd most respected VC in the country by an independent survey of entrepreneurs, The Funded and sentiment analysis. They’re mine because I’m a VC.

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startup advice communities VC 373

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 21, 2010

If you don’t follow the image reference above or the tag line, “ You don’t need double talk; you need Bob Loblaw “ (try saying it out loud) , and if you care! Founded it as a California LLC but your potential VC wants a Delaware C-Corp? the link is here. Shame about that pesky FAS 157 ruling. Get to know them.

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startup advice entrepreneurs VC 318

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 4, 2009

Incidentally, VC’s hate when they hear companies pitching who say, “ I don’t have real competitors &# as I outlined point three in the linked post). They like to feel like they compared your solution to something else on the market. Actually within a certain margin you can bring sales forward slightly.

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startup advice entrepreneurs networking 319

Gust

JULY 23, 2014

So even if my own mother asked me to meet with you, and you were pitching me a biotech opportunity for a $10 million investment at a $90 million valuation, I might take the meeting, but it wouldn’t be particularly useful for either of us. In this case, it’s not a lack of interest, just a lack of time and efficiency.

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Gust

SEPTEMBER 27, 2014

A typical VC might see 500 opportunities cross his or her desk every year; for larger, more prominent ones it could be 2,000. VCs therefore use whatever heuristics they can in order to triage the deal flow. That means they spend a lot less time actively seeking out new deals than they do responding to inbound deal flow.

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VC angel investing pitching entrepreneurs 159

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 19, 2017

As a VC, burn rate is one of the most discussed topics I have with teams who are pitching me for raising capital and it is one of the most common discussions points I have with founders in companies that I’ve backed. Usually when an investor is asking you your burn rate he or she is referring to net burn — what cash are you consuming.

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startup venture capital capital VC 212

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

And more recently he has turned that into a fund called CrossCulture VC such that many in Silicon Valley and beyond now know Troy as well. Influencers are inundated with requests for their time and have to develop filters of whom they trust and therefore who can refer them deals.

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venture capital communities VC entrepreneurs 228

TechCrunch

OCTOBER 25, 2022

I get a lot of pitch deck submissions for this TechCrunch Pitch Deck Teardown series from people who are raising friend and family rounds, and I mostly pass on them. It was against that backdrop that I received the pitch deck for the Palau Project. Its founder, Jerome Cloetens, is a professional kite surfer (!) Problem slide.

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StartupNation

JUNE 1, 2021

As part of my role as a partner of HealthInc, I sit on the jury for the startup competition in which 20 finalists pitch their ventures, with 10 then selected to enter the program. For example, remember to finish your point if you are interrupted during a pitch. We just need to want to do it and be willing to learn along the way.

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entrepreneurs pitching construction accelerator 111

TechCrunch

FEBRUARY 18, 2022

Each respondent was kind enough to let us know how they want to be pitched, and for grins, one shared an example of a cold e-mail that worked,” she writes. 10 fintech investors discuss what they’re looking for and how to pitch them in Q1 2022. How to find a job as a scout for a VC firm. Walter Thompson. yourprotagonist.

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VC culture hospitality mix-use 74

TechCrunch

MAY 11, 2021

As the company’s CEO and co-founder Shail Mehta explained in a TC Early Stage pitch-off earlier this year, The Last Gameboard is a 16-inch square touchscreen device with a custom OS and a sophisticated method of tracking game pieces and hand movements. If the pitch sounds familiar… it’s been attempted once or twice before.

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social gaming pitching VC innovation 136

David Teten VC

FEBRUARY 9, 2015

I’m surprised at how many funding pitches I get which lack some of the basic information which investors require before funding. 50% of these meetings led to pitches to individual partners. About 30% of partner pitches led to full partnership pitches. I suggest use the Founder Institute Mad Libs elevator pitch.

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pitching ventures VC capital 53

TechCrunch

APRIL 12, 2022

There’s not a lot new under the sun in the world of venture capital — look at 20 VC websites and they’re pretty much all indistinguishable. They’re closing a round next Monday and you have to meet them quickly and do all the references,” laments Rust. Yes, they invest in the best teams.

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TechCrunch

JANUARY 14, 2021

David Teten is founder of Versatile VC and writes periodically at teten.com and @dteten. Flexible VC: A new model for startups targeting profitability. Jamie Finney is a founding partner at Greater Colorado Venture Fund , where he blogs about his work on VC and small communities. More posts by this contributor. Jamie Finney.

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Tomasz Tunguz

APRIL 1, 2013

Pitch-it-myself test : I stop a few partners in the office and give them the pitch to test their reactions. In a sense, I’m getting their cursory opinions and some skewed market feedback, but I’m also testing the pitch, the go-to-market and the top level attractiveness of the company. How might a startup disrupt this market?

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VC startup pitching incumbents 49

David Teten VC

APRIL 13, 2021

They had 154 visits, 97 due diligence requests, 33 second visits, and 12 reference requests, to ultimately produce 9 institutional investors. We’ve been much more successful in pitching old rather than new relationships. Emerging managers are not a commodity, especially in VC. Two degrees of separation. . Opaque industry.

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peer-to-peer venture capital VC networking 98

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

TechCrunch

FEBRUARY 24, 2021

In 2011 he co-founded what is often referred to as the “first coding bootcamp,” with The Starter League, acquired by New York’s Fullstack Academy in 2016. In addition to leading the way at Techstars Chicago, he is also a venture partner at MATH Venture Partners, an early/middle-stage VC fund.

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accelerator pitching VC ventures 76