Entrepreneur's Handbook

DECEMBER 13, 2020

The Future is Uncertain, Your Pitch Deck (and Profitability) Can’t be On the off chance you need to be reminded, factors that can make or break your business are unpredictable, and 2020 has reminded us in no uncertain terms how quickly market opportunities, customer demands, and institutions can change irrevocably at a moment’s notice.

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TechCrunch

JULY 16, 2021

Yet, that is what Spanish marketing expert and entrepreneur Alex Barrera often ends up doing with startup founders who hire him to help improve their pitch. They think they are going to get help convincing investors, and they do, but the byproduct of the process is that they reframe their startup’s vision.

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pitching startup consulting collaboration 107

TechCrunch

DECEMBER 16, 2022

If you’ve read anything about pitching your company, you’ve probably come across advice that says that you need a warm introduction to an investor. Without a doubt, a good, friendly introduction — ideally from a founder they’ve already invested in — is the best way to get on the radar of an investor.

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startup founder founder startup VC 105

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 26, 2010

Detail Orientation / Hands On – One of the easiest ways to rule out people who are pitching to me is when they don’t know the details of their business. I once had a startup team pitch me for an investment where the President of the company led the first call with me on his own. There are easy tell-tale signs.

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entrepreneurs advice pitching VC 286

Dream It

NOVEMBER 18, 2020

Most VC investors see hundreds, if not thousands, of startup decks and pitches each year. In this article, we’ll outline Managing Partner Steve Barsh’s top 5 things investors wish startup founders knew when reaching out, sending a deck, or pitching a VC. What’s Your Problem? direct, online, B2C, B2B).

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VC pitching founder strategy 364

TechCrunch

OCTOBER 4, 2022

Imagine a drumroll, folks, because we’re about to announce the last tranche of investors and thought leaders who will choose which outstanding startup takes the title of Startup Battlefield champion, along with the $100,000 prize and serious bragging rights. Mar Hershenson , co-founder and managing partner at Pear VC.

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TechCrunch

MAY 10, 2021

It is clear that Black, women, Latinx and LGBTQ+ startup founders face an uphill battle when it comes to getting a share of the VC investment pie in Silicon Valley. It’s working with another Indy based VC firm, Allos Ventures , and Paul Ehlinger from Allos will be a venture partner at Sixty8.

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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. Are you VC-investable? Before you start pitching. As a startup founder, you really need to understand how venture capital works.

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pitching startup venture capital ventures 102

TechCrunch

JULY 15, 2021

The overlapping in job roles is uncanny: The best investors and founders have to find focus through the noise, understand the weight of due diligence and pitch others with conviction. Pitch deck or pitch blurb? But, as the founder, I’ll probably tell you don’t do [the cold pitch deck].

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VC pitching advice ventures 102

TechCrunch

AUGUST 19, 2022

Essentially, VC is a high-stakes extreme sport in which top players can accumulate startling amounts of wealth and power. But where does all that money actually come from, and how do VCs actually make money? But where does all that money actually come from, and how do VCs actually make money? Pitch Deck Teardown: Mi Terro’s $1.5M

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TechCrunch

NOVEMBER 3, 2022

Over the last six months, I’ve written up 25 Pitch Deck Teardowns — the popular series of articles where I review a pitch deck in detail, celebrating the wins and gently (and sometimes not-so-gently) suggesting improvements. A pitch is a story, and stories have audiences. Suffice it to say: I have opinions about ’em.

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TechCrunch

OCTOBER 6, 2022

The company agreed to share the pitch deck it used to raise a $10 million Series A so I can take a closer look. (It 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. . Angel investors have very different expectations than VCs do). Clear market size.

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pitching VC SaaS opportunity 94

Entrepreneurs' Organization

DECEMBER 15, 2023

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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pitching consulting advice communities 213

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2013

” Your VC friends have been egging you on. The don’t understand VC liquidation preferences or multiple return expectations. And trust me when I tell you that 90%+ of the people can’t wake up every day with the uncertainties and insecurities that startup founders face. ” “True.

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Entrepreneur's Handbook

OCTOBER 25, 2022

In this week’s edition, we share: Why your pitch deck has one minute to sell investors on your startup The 7 types of startup founder, and why it matters to you Let’s do this. So how do you sell a VC in a minute (or less)? The pitch is an overview, similar to a resume. The Intentional Founder? —?You

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TechCrunch

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

But most venture-backed startups are “still overwhelmingly white, male, Ivy-League-educated and based in Silicon Valley,” according to a study conducted by RateMyInvestor and Diversity VC. Or will we have to repeat the same conversations about representation failings within VC funds? It is all possible, but patience is key.

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startup ecosystem ventures founder startup 129

Jason Malki

JULY 12, 2024

I had the pleasure of interviewing Rachel and Jordan, who are currently Venture Partners for GoAhead Ventures and Scouts for various VC funds. They are also startup consultants, helping startups scale and become more investable. Most notably, they were the Co-Founders of Qutie LGBTQ+ Social App.

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startup founder founder startup VC 40

TechCrunch

MAY 2, 2023

Steve Zalewski Contributor Share on Twitter Steve Zalewski is the former CISO of Levi Strauss and the founder of S3 Consulting, an executive advisory practice to security companies and VC firms on product-market-fit and go-to-market strategy for security startups. How does your solution help me sell more X?

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TechCrunch

JANUARY 21, 2022

500 Global’s Christine Tsai shares her 2022 VC predictions. 2021 was a year like no other when it came to venture investment, and this year is poised to tread a similar path, writes 500 Global’s CEO and co-founder, Christine Tsai. 500 Global’s Christine Tsai shares her 2022 VC predictions. Financial technology concept.

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TechCrunch

DECEMBER 16, 2020

In 20 years of working for startups, I’ve never seen as many plot twists and turns as I have in the last several months. But, from the perspective of raising capital, 2020 has not been an awful time to be a startup founder. Choosing the right VC is one of the most important decisions startup founders will make.

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TechCrunch

MAY 3, 2022

What most startup founders get wrong about financial projections. The pressures facing first-time founders are enormous. ” What most startup founders get wrong about financial projections. Pitch deck pro tips from a leading Silicon Valley venture capitalist. Walter Thompson. Senior Editor, TechCrunch+.

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pitching SaaS incumbents ventures 84

StartupNation

JUNE 1, 2021

The investment platform I founded and run, VenturePole, is the investment partner of HealthInc, the health tech accelerator of Startupbootcamp, the biggest startup accelerator organization in Europe. In my additional role as a mentor, I help these startups get investment-ready in the program. Keep it simple, stupid (KISS).

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entrepreneurs pitching construction accelerator 109

TechCrunch

APRIL 19, 2022

Farmers don’t get embarrassed when the price of corn drops; similarly, there’s no reason for startup founders to lose their joy because publicly traded tech stocks are undercutting their valuations. Baseball has come a long way since 1897, when a Princeton math professor designed a pitching machine that ran on gunpowder.

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VC venture capital technology ventures 86

StartupNation

FEBRUARY 14, 2021

The biggest challenge for a startup founder is knowing where to focus. You’ve got to pitch investors, target the right customer, hone your business model and raise critical funding just in time. We try to assess whether the founder is coachable or not,” Luigi Congedo of the VC firm BootstrapLabs , said. “We

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peer-to-peer startup pitching incubation 135

TechCrunch

MARCH 24, 2023

Budget-minded entrepreneurs and early-stage startup founders take heed — this is no time to procrastinate. Don’t wait…the early bird gets the…SAVINGS: Buy a $249 founder pass and save $200 before prices increase on April 1 — that’s no joke. Here are just a few examples of the topics we have on tap.

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incubation construction pitching accelerator 92

TechCrunch

SEPTEMBER 17, 2022

“As a startup founder, how do you prevent leakage after spending significant resources to acquire people at the top of the funnel?” Investors who have an entrepreneurial background possess unique insights into the fundraising process, so we have two posts by Gaetano Crupi, a partner at VC firm Prime Movers Lab.

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Startup Catalyst

MARCH 27, 2018

The meetings included co-working spaces, accelerators, investor groups, tech giants, University startup hubs, maker groups, and pitch events. We also had a number of group workshops and facilitated discussions on every aspect of startup community building and founder support. You need to be ready to follow up immediately.

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communities startup incubation accelerator 140

TechCrunch

MARCH 26, 2021

Pre-seed round funding is under scrutiny: Is VC pandemic posturing here to stay? Amid the pandemic, investors became laser-focused on sections of the pitch deck that address monetization and business viability — signs that founders need to come to the table with better-defined businesses in order to succeed.

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Entrepreneur's Handbook

FEBRUARY 4, 2021

An inside look at how successful VCs are courting the small world of big investors. Source: DocSend At DocSend , we spend a lot of time analyzing the data behind what it takes for startup founders to market their ideas, land meetings with VCs, and in turn source and close deals?—?from from pre-seed to Series A.

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peer-to-peer pitching VC strategy 114

Founders Coop

FEBRUARY 21, 2024

Not coincidentally, they also serve as training grounds for some of the world’s most successful startup founders. Although we haven’t been on the inside at Techstars for several years, we grew up with the program and have watched with growing dismay as it drifted away from its original focus on founders.

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startup ecosystem accelerator communities support 189

Hunter Walk

AUGUST 23, 2023

Our participation in Anchor ( later acquired by Spotify ) generated both a return and a friendship between us and the founders. Specifically I’ve had the chance to spend meaningful time over the years with Michael Mignano as he went from startup CEO to Executive/Angel Investor and now VC Partner at Lightspeed. Was I right?

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TechCrunch

MAY 14, 2021

When you’re head-down and nose to the grindstone — I’m looking at all you hard-working early-stage startup founders — it’s easy to miss a deadline for an outstanding opportunity. Case in point: competing in Startup Battlefield at TechCrunch Disrupt 2021 in September. 11 words and phrases to cut from your VC pitch deck.

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TechCrunch

NOVEMBER 29, 2022

As of September 2022, investors have amassed almost $300 billion in dry powder, and VC funds are still raising money by the boxcar. That’s because even during recessionary times, VC funds tend to outperform public markets. Which explains why I’ve never heard an investor say it’s a bad time to launch a startup.

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TechCrunch

FEBRUARY 15, 2021

We partnered with various founder organizations — who in turn nominated promising early-stage startup founders — and collectively provide educational resources and mentorship to help these young founders develop and succeed over the course of the year.

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TechCrunch

MAY 10, 2021

Startup Battlefield , the world’s preeminent pitch competition, has launched hundreds of startups over the years — 922 if you want to be a stickler about it. training with the TC Battlefield team to make sure they’re primed and ready to face a panel of expert VC judges. 11 words and phrases to cut from your VC pitch deck.

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TechCrunch

FEBRUARY 27, 2023

Boston offers a world of advantages for startup founders Boston’s university-to-startup pipeline defies downturn to grow and diversify Boston has had a thriving tech startup ecosystem for a while, but things can change fast. Boston remains a vibrant startup and VC market in 2023.

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TechCrunch

JANUARY 17, 2023

It’s rarer still that companies built on a feature make for VC-investable companies with the potential for VC-scale returns. Let’s explore the red flags investors will look for to determine which bucket your startup falls into. As a startup founder, you really need to understand how venture capital works.

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incumbents VC venture capital advice 98