Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2016

Either of these qualms can ultimately sidetrack your startup as not worthy of investment, so it pays to do your homework on what you say and how to communicate effectively. Investors will be looking for a sizing validated by industry analysts large enough for good investment returns. Investors invest in people more than the idea.

Invest 108

Invest Startup Slides Equity 108

Berkonomics

APRIL 11, 2019

An entrepreneur pitches using a deck with no slide for competition. That statement has killed more investment deals than almost any other. If you are raising funds, list “do nothing” as a viable competitor in your slide deck. We investors see this all the time. When asked (as we always do,) the response is “This is new.

Competition 120

Competition Slides Sales Research 120

InfoChachkie

JULY 1, 2013

If you are forced to display financial data, ensure that the slides are unintelligible. Make it clear you do not know their investment focus (e.g., nor did you take the time to research the investor''s investment portfolios. An effective method to incite Death By PowerPoint is to deploy an extraordinary number of slides.

Slides 220

Slides Tips Startup RSS 220

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 22, 2017

In my activities as an angel investor, and my work with new ventures seeking investment, I find the “due diligence” stage to be fraught with the most risk. Usually this stage only really starts after an investor has expressed serious interest, or already informally agreed to invest. Update reference customers, partners, and vendors.

Invest 59

Invest Startup Doc Slides 59

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 12, 2020

For example, he continues to invest in space travel and energy harvesting ( Blue Origin ), even though we haven’t yet run out of energy, and we still have space for growth. Avoid PowerPoint and graphic slide presentations. It allows investors to come into alignment with customers. Focus on the big decisions that are irrevocable.

Slides 137

Slides Custom Customer Satisfaction 137

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 6, 2013

I am fond of quoting that about 70% of my investment decision of an early-stage company is the team. So I naturally spend much time with the companies in which I invest helping them: recruit. Ok, well not that pretty since I do my own slides and often at 1am. Final startup grind from msuster. figure out roles. identify gaps.

Startup 388

Startup Slides Outsource Development Sales 388

InfoChachkie

JULY 1, 2013

If you are forced to display financial data, ensure that the slides are unintelligible. Make it clear you do not know their investment focus (e.g., nor did you take the time to research the investor''s investment portfolios. An effective method to incite Death By PowerPoint is to deploy an extraordinary number of slides.

Slides 154

Slides Tips Startup Research 154

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 17, 2011

I am a big believer in VC pitches that the bio slide should come up front. I know it’s incredibly important to me in my investment decisions. I wanted to write a quick post on a pet peeve that I have when teams present “who they are” whether in a bio slide or just in the up front introductions.

Slides 296

Slides GRP Partners Venture Capital Writing 296

Xconomy

OCTOBER 16, 2017

Along the way, Khosla has invested in a range of startup companies—including several tackling radiology, cardiology, and mental health (see slide and list at bottom)—that are. It’s been quite a ride since then. Read more » Reprints | Share: UNDERWRITERS AND PARTNERS.

Artificial Inteligence 98

Artificial Inteligence Slides Blogging Entrepreneur 98

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2018

Some firms are trickier since they artificially call everybody “partner” but they’re not all “investment partners.” Find a portfolio company or two that they’ve invested in. How does the partnership typically make its final investment decisions? It’s pretty easy since nearly every VC lists its partners on the website.

Venture Capital 314

Venture Capital Technical Review Invest Slides 314

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 26, 2010

The “competition slide&# of your investment deck is such a great opportunity to talk about how you’re positioned (premium product vs. economical product? where do you need to make investments to make up ground and therefore need capital?). The Harvey Ball slide should in a way just be a depiction of this strategy.

Venture Capital 313

Venture Capital Slides Competition Education 313

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 15, 2011

. - A tale of two pitches (I eventually invested in the first company that pitched). It’s any meeting where you are in a small room and are being called on to present on some form of overhead slides. The worst behaved will literally never be on the slide you’re presenting. In slides, less is almost always more.

Tips 392

Tips Screening Slides Venture Capital 392

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 13, 2011

I believe in this so much that, despite my post advising you to be prepared for the *norm* in VC, I wrote a post about a company that came in for a presentation and never even got the slides out or presented a demo. I think the norm in the industry is still to see Powerpoint slides and I wouldn’t hold this against anybody.

Venture Capital 299

Venture Capital Slides Technical Advisors Startup 299

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 6, 2019

That’s a reason why some are quick to portend “a new bubble” but this post sets out to show that would be a misunderstanding of the market and in fact by historic levels this may be amongst the best times to invest in seed and early-stage funds. Here are some simple slides that outline the point: a. More on that later. Still reading?

Venture Capital 292

Venture Capital Capital Startup Funding 292

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 11, 2009

I also recently wrote a post about a company that came in for a presentation and never even got the slides out or presented a demo. You should do enough research about the VC to sound like you know a bit about their investments and find some that are related to you in some way as a means of trying to engage the VC in a dialog.

Venture Capital 238

Venture Capital Slides Startup Sales 238

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

A conundrum for many frustrated entrepreneurs is that they need money from investors to design and build a prototype product, yet most angel investors expect to see at least a prototype before they invest. Prepare an investment-grade business plan. Use your own money or friends and family to demonstrate progress early.

Invest 99

Invest Angel Technical Review Summary 99

SoCal Tech Calendar

AUGUST 29, 2011

Monday, August 29, 2011 -- Investor Pitch Essentials; 11 Key Slides Every Deck Must Have. Join Barbara and TCA member Ray Chan as we discuss the most important elements of building a winning investment pitch deck. Tech Coast Angels. Success or failure often hinges on your ability to clearly communicate your message to investors.

Tech Coast Angels 100

Tech Coast Angels Slides Invest Angel 100

Tech Zulu Event

FEBRUARY 19, 2013

Founded by Alessandro Petrucciani from Italy, Alex Napetschnig from Austria,Baris Tamer from Turkey, Emiliano Saurin from Argentina and Roland Heuger from Germany, Klash App recently closed its first ever investment round and revamped its iOS App which is now online. Dare Your Friends. Daring Inspiration. Its inspiration was daring too.

Invest 68

Invest Slides Ideas Mobile 68

Xconomy

AUGUST 30, 2019

But in Paris, this cardiologist will be in a conference center, walking an audience through a slide deck packed with Phase 3 data for a new cholesterol-lowering drug, inclisiran. You might be camping, barbecuing, or sleeping on Monday. It’s Labor Day, after all. Inclisiran’s owner, the Medicines Co.,

Slides 80

Slides Conference Venture Capital Study 80

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2010

For extroverted people I recommend that entrepreneurs have an “executive summary&# slide up front that cuts to the chase. Don’t dwell on this slide for ever. If I have an hour with you I want to maximise the time we have a discussion so I want to get through the slides quickly. It’s in their personality type.

Slides 358

Slides Venture Capital Startup Summary 358

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

I recommend a ten-slide pitch to start, reviewed by friends and advisors, to be expanded to a ten-to-twenty-page business plan with opportunity sizing, cost and price details, competitors, marketing and sales strategy, financial projections, and resources required. Reach out with creative videos to influencers in your domain.

Ideas 94

Ideas Slides Technical Review Patents 94

Berkonomics

APRIL 19, 2012

That statement has killed more investment deals than almost any other. If you are raising funds, list “do nothing” as a viable competitor in your slide deck. Professional investors laugh when they hear an entrepreneur state, “We have no competition.” Well, come to think of it, this is especially true in such an instance.

Competition 189

Competition Slides Sales Ideas 189

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 14, 2018

You’re adding unnecessary “purchase friction” If your deck is something I should open 3–4 times as I’m contemplating an investment, why add any consumption friction to the reader? There are a million ways to make graphics lighter or resize your file without a huge impact on the quality of the slides?—?after What should be in your deck?

Funding 239

Funding Venture Capital IP Competition 239

Tech.Co

MAY 22, 2018

While it might be tempting to put everything you can into a slide presentation and tell the whole story, too much information could distract the investor and potentially lose your momentum. Try to keep the presentation tight, 10 slides is ideal,” Gruber said. Also keep the slides clean and easy to read.

Tips 70

Tips Help Slides Technical Review 70

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2022

They love the continuous hunt, for investment capital, resources, talent, and new markets. Only a few of these slide into farming, as the company grows in employees and products. Hunter franchisees move on quickly, or end up owning the entire franchise system. These are the ultimate hunters.

Entrepreneur 124

Entrepreneur Marketing News Slides 124

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 14, 2021

This raises a big red flag with potential investors, who conclude that no competitors means no market, or you haven’t looked, and the new startup is likely not investable. Non-specific terms, like better usability and low cost don’t incite customers to action these days.

Competition 166

Competition Funding Startup Patents 166

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 12, 2010

We led off with a discussion about Slide being acquired by Google, which was breaking news in the time slot where we filmed this episode. Specifically we talked about Slide having gotten a $550 million valuation before being sold to Google for $182 million. Is there a bubble going on in seed investing? Minutes 23 – 26.

Venture Capital 232

Venture Capital Slides Seed Funding Google 232

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2015

When pitching to investors, entrepreneurs always seem to start with a customer pitch, then add a slide or two about the business. In reality, they need a separate pitch about the business, carrying over only a slide or two about the solution. Immediate investment requirements and use of funds.

Product 103

Product Slides Customer Custom 103

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2020

Customers still buy from people, and investors invest in you and your team, more than the solution. You shouldn’t expect to get an investment commitment in the elevator, or close a customer deal in the first minute. Highlight the solution more than the team. Stay highly-focused and look for time limit cues.

Sample 127

Sample Summary Startup Slides 127

InfoChachkie

JULY 7, 2016

Note: I invest almost exclusively in b-to-b software companies. My “no demo” approach is clearly not appropriate when assessing the veracity of investments with a hardware component or with a consumer facing product. Fool A Fool – I sold surgical robots from PowerPoint slides in the early 1990’s, before the robots existed.

Venture Capital 176

Venture Capital Product Software Review Technical Review 176

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 16, 2016

If you have ten minutes, that means no more than ten slides. I’ve seen several presentations that never moved past the first slide before running out of time. I outlined what investors expect to see in an old article “ Adding Slides Does Not Enhance Your Investor Pitch. Then match your pace to cover all the material.

Startup 64

Startup Slides Technical Review Research 64

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 22, 2015

What Cham rarely tells people – he’s both private and humble – is that he started making some small co-investments with me in tech firms starting with Maker Studios where he was one of the earliest investors. We started hanging out a bit and discussing technology and entrepreneurship. They make a great pair.

Conference 150

Conference Slides Social Media Summary 150

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 15, 2017

Management teams whisk through slides trying to get through a presentation to share how great things are going and they are eager to get through the meeting so they can get back to their real jobs. Once you prepare the deck each department that contributed slides feels compelled to get it’s half hour of time presenting their progress.

Tips 212

Tips Slides Startup Technical Review 212

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. What equity is the company willing to give in return for the investment? What is the timeframe of return on investment? Give the “elevator pitch” for your startup.

Slides 93

Slides Competition Sample Sales 93

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

The size of the document should be based on your style, but 10-20 pages or slides are usually more than adequate to outline even a complex business. A business plan may be a small investment to get a shot at that opportunity. For the rest of you entrepreneurs, consider the value of a business plan when it is not required.

Technical Review 126

Technical Review Writing Entrepreneur Slides 126

The Quigley Report

MARCH 4, 2008

A growth fund wants to invest in a company that it can reasonably see going public in the next 12 to 24 months. These funds are being much more conservative in how they value the companies they invest in. No fund wants to face a situation in which the last private round valuation is ABOVE the expected IPO filing range.

Startup 40

Startup Slides Marketing Clearstone 40

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 19, 2009

I started by trying to think I could explain my concept without having to patronize everybody with artificial PowerPoint slides. This approach generally works well with customers because I find it much easier to build rapport when we talk like humans than when we all stare at the PowerPoint slides being projected on the wall.

Venture Capital 274

Venture Capital Blogging Startup Slides 274