Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 10, 2011

A perfect round number is ten slides, with the right content, that can be covered in ten minutes. Here are the ten slides you need: Problem and market need. Here is how and why it works, including a customer-centric quantification of the benefits. Describe your technology patents and “secret sauce”. Opportunity sizing.

Slides 93

Slides Competition Sample Sales 93

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2016

As a startup advisor and investor, I recommend a pitch deck with about 10 slides backed up with a written business plan of approximately 20 pages, both containing quantified answers to the following key questions. Investors want to hear about customers with money who have a painful problem that you can solve now.

Invest 108

Invest Startup Slides Equity 108

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2015

Passionate entrepreneurs tend to talk on and on about their disruptive technology, their intent to change the world and free services, but if a business can’t provide quantifiable value to real customers, the dream will likely turn into a nightmare. Investors worry about competitors more than customer features.

Startup 104

Startup Summary Patents Examples 104

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 27, 2018

Unfortunately, customers look for value in solving their problem, and new technologies alone scare them, so these solutions don’t get bought by customers, or funded. Certainly a slide or two needs to carry over describing the product and features at a high level. Intellectual property and sustainable competitive advantage.

Product 58

Product Slides Entrepreneur Invest 58

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

You’ll learn about competitive products that exist or are being built. Beyond that, I want lots of conversations with experts, users, customers, VCs, partners, etc. Someone Stole My Startup Idea – Part 2: They Raised Money With My Slides?! You’ll get suggestions for improvements. You’ll discover flaws and hopefully correct them.

Startup 211

Startup IP Ideas Patents 211

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2009

It included one firm who I asked not to call Salesforce.com as a reference (they were our largest pilot customer) and in their kindness they called Marc Benioff (the CEO) and asked his opinion. I started by trying to think I could explain my concept without having to patronize everybody with artificial PowerPoint slides. I was wrong.

Venture Capital 274

Venture Capital Blogging Startup Slides 274

SoCal CTO

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

You’ll learn about competitive products that exist or are being built. Beyond that, I want lots of conversations with experts, users, customers, VCs, partners, etc. Someone Stole My Startup Idea – Part 2: They Raised Money With My Slides?! You’ll get suggestions for improvements. You’ll discover flaws and hopefully correct them.

Startup 198

Startup IP Ideas Patents 198

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 24, 2012

File a patent and trademarks to show real intellectual property. Having a defensible competitive advantage or “barrier to entry” is another critical step to funding, and another common stumbling block during all phases of the funding process. Remember to aim the content of both of these at investors, not customers.

Angel 104

Angel Screening Summary Startup 104

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

File a patent and trademarks to show real intellectual property. Having a defensible competitive advantage or “barrier to entry” is another critical step to funding, and another common stumbling block during all phases of the funding process. Remember to aim the content of both of these at investors, not customers.

Invest 99

Invest Angel Technical Review Summary 99

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

File a patent and trademarks to show real intellectual property. Having a defensible competitive advantage or “barrier to entry” is another critical step to funding, and another common stumbling block during all phases of the funding process. Remember to aim the content of both of these at investors, not customers.

Angel 89

Angel Funding Technical Review Startup 89

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

A business plan is the outward facing definition of the business you hope to drive with your hardware solution, with a hardware overview in the intro to highlight customer value and competitiveness. Use non-fuzzy terms to quantify customer value. Provide specifics on the customer business model. and trademarks.

Product 169

Product Summary Startup Examples 169

SoCal CTO

JULY 13, 2010

Just because a product has a patent, deep complexity and an obvious competitive advantage does not mean that it can fly by itself into the market. Personally, I don't like weighty board packs and I do not wish to inflict slide preparation upon anyone. gave him my favorite, "keep it to six slides." Twittering.

Startup 175

Startup Venture Capital Slides Blogging 175