Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

This is an updated post from my ongoing series on Startup Advice that I learned from founding two companies. . It’s when the people who are part of the decision making process who don’t support the decision seek ways to undermine you. We had made the decision that we would no longer be supporting IE v 5.5 (we

consulting 328

consulting advice collaboration VC 328

This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 2, 2010

Too many entrepreneurs start out their business endeavors with an investment pitch. That’s the thing—startups in the initial stages need advice, feedback, and guidence a lot more than they need money upfront. Step one: Ask for money. That’s why participating in programs like TechStars make so much sense.

startup 253

startup entrepreneurship venture capital mentorship 253

This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

Back when I was pitching my previous startup to investors, it had never really dawned on me that they had experienced what I was going through--and that a VC firm was essentially a startup. VCs pitch for money, too. No one ever thinks about VCs having to pitch, who they pitch to, or how it works.

ventures 280

ventures pitching VC startup ecosystem 280

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 15, 2010

As a former entrepreneur, I’m a big supporter of Jason’s goals. Tags: Entrepreneur Advice Pitching VCs Start-up Advice Startup Advice VC Industry. He wrote an excellent blog post on this topic. Asking young companies with limited capital to pay to present to a group of potential investors is insane.

advice 254

advice angel investing entrepreneurs pitching 254

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 26, 2014

So my simple advice is to start PR as early as possible (and certainly earlier than most of your investors will advise) when you have your head around your product plans and are well into execution (or ready to launch) precisely because your recruiting, seed funding and initial user base may depend on it. In a startup this is a mistake.

pitching 319

pitching media advice venture capital 319

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 25, 2010

This is an updated post from my ongoing series on Startup Advice that I learned from founding two companies. . It’s when the people who are part of the decision making process who don’t support the decision seek ways to undermine you. We had made the decision that we would no longer be supporting IE v 5.5 (we

consulting 333

consulting advice collaboration VC 333

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 27, 2012

This lesson on NINAs applies to VC pitches as well as any sale. The most obvious way to know about your contact’s influence is to network with portfolio companies or other entrepreneurs that have pitched this VC before and get their insights. And get advice from them on how to best manage the approval process.

VC 308

VC pitching entrepreneurs advice 308

Entrepreneurs' Organization

AUGUST 16, 2024

At EO, we celebrate and support entrepreneurs on World Entrepreneurs’ Day—and every day! EO supports entrepreneurs at every age and stage. EOA supports growth through direct learning, access to mentors, leaders, peers, and experts. As a mostly freelance firm with contractors, it was very difficult to scale.

accelerator 227

accelerator peer-to-peer leadership entrepreneurs 227

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 27, 2011

I was meeting regularly with entrepreneurs and offering (for better or for worse) advice on how to run a startup and how to raise venture capital from my experience in doing so at two companies. Or “I’m a new entrepreneur, why would I offer advice on how to run a startup?&#. People often ask me why I started blogging.

startup 373

startup advice communities VC 373

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 28, 2010

In small meetings they’d tell the senior management that they were happy Accenture was finally creating some original thought and that they supported it. I found that most VC’s never gave me any feedback when I was pitching. Tags: Entrepreneur Advice Start-up Advice Startup Advice.

frameworks 378

frameworks consulting advice strategy 378

TechCrunch

DECEMBER 3, 2020

The European startup’s flagship claim for the data-ingesting bot-builder platform is it’s capable of automating up to 80% of customer support interactions. will hand-hold you through the process of building a super savvy customer service robot, is the pitch.

support 109

support consulting accelerator pitching 109

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 14, 2024

We made connections, hopefully made a good impression, and potentially helped founders along their journeys with some advice or connections. I’m not sure we backed any of the founders—but that wasn’t the point.

communities 350

communities consulting creativity advice 350

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

I think the issue I have always had with investment bank pitches was best summed up in this article about Y Combinator in which Paul Graham apparently made the following quotes. They know how to build pitch decks. Might there even be some selection bias in the companies in which you’re pitching me? International money.

VC 347

VC advice pitching entrepreneurs 347

This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 8, 2011

I'm sure each of those guys got questioned by entrepreneurs as to why they should accept advice from them as opposed to the entrepreneurial veterans of the days who worked in VC. Facing live pitching is a new thing, but that's no excuse for not having an approach to hitting and studying up to face this particular pitcher.

VC 275

VC peer-to-peer board advice 275

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 12, 2010

But assuming that you do have a good starting point for sales, you’ll need to hire somebody to expand your pipeline of leads, help build customer relations and to allow you also to have some time for the hundred other things you’re responsible for like fund raising, recruiting, products, customer support, etc.

startup 346

startup consulting advice construction 346

Hunter Walk

AUGUST 1, 2022

Some entrepreneurs are born salespeople, others find it more awkward but ultimately realize getting comfortable pitching — to investors, to the team, to potential employees, and so on — is part of the job. Then support this with how long you think it’ll take and why this capital is 100–125% of what you’ll need to get there.

pitching 113

pitching ventures startup culture 113

Entrepreneurs' Organization

DECEMBER 15, 2023

You need a solid business plan, traction to demonstrate market fit, and the skills to pitch effectively. Evaluate investors thoroughly, not just based on the size of their check, but whether they can provide strategic advice and introductions that support your vision. Seek investor advice to strengthen your business model.

pitching 213

pitching consulting advice communities 213

Entrepreneur's Handbook

APRIL 13, 2022

A Very Honest Guide to Writing Your Fundraise Pitch Deck How to optimise yours for success Congratulations! You know you need a pitch deck to do this and so fire up your slide software of choice and crack your knuckles, ready to wow. I often see pitch decks positioning themselves as a Seed raise but realistically are at Pre-Seed.

pitching 79

pitching advice accelerator investing 79

TechCrunch

FEBRUARY 14, 2023

I surveyed six seed- and early-stage investors to get their tactical advice for laid-off tech workers who are thinking about starting up. Most of them were so open to receiving pitches, they said we could include their contact information. “All that begs for more defined team structures.” How should we plan our spending?

advice 82

advice pitching strategy SaaS 82

Y Combinator

AUGUST 6, 2020

The library consolidates the knowledge and advice we’ve previously published and provides a central location for new content. We strive to make entrepreneurship more accessible, and hope that by sharing our knowledge publicly, we can support the founder community more broadly.

startup 145

startup entrepreneurship advice pitching 145

NZ Entrepreneur

MARCH 16, 2025

James covers the genesis of Ministry of Awesome following the Christchurch earthquakes in 2011, and provides updates on Ministry of Awesome approaches to startup founder support and programming. We’ve got some really incredible people that have joined our team to provide that one-to-one mentorship and advice.

startup ecosystem 52

startup ecosystem mix-use advice incubation 52

David Teten VC

JULY 27, 2021

How can you get free money and other support for your business idea? . I have been researching this both to support Versatile VC ’s portfolio companies and also as part of research for my new book, To University and Beyond: Launch Your Career in High Gear. Participants have a chance to win more than $250,000 in cash and other support.

founder 144

founder mentorship peer-to-peer pitching 144

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 21, 2011

Will you get the TechCrunch bump, the tier-1 VC anointment, followed by great PR firm support and then the NY Times or WSJ story that follows? They pitch me features, not value. The challenge that many startups face today is: Are you really providing enough value? I play with features. I’m a tech junkie as much as the next guy.

transportation 309

transportation VC networking energy 309

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 1, 2009

There have also been many high profile financings of infrastructure players to support these gaming platforms including Offerpal Media, SuperRewards (bought by AdKnowledge), Gambit and more recently LA-based Sometrics. Tags: Pitching VCs Start-up Advice VC Industry startup technology vc venture capital.

VC 255

VC venture capital networking innovation 255

NZ Entrepreneur

JULY 19, 2022

Want to tap in to the best startup advice from entrepreneurs who are out there doing it? Use the information you learn to refine your product, approach, and pitch. The best advice I can give is to dive in with the mindset that done is better than perfect.” Rick Kiessig – Cofounder. Fabulous ideas are a dime a dozen.

founder 119

founder advice incubation networking 119

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 20, 2011

This becomes a support group and allows them to help each other succeed. These partners travel to a city and take ten minute pitches from the entrepreneurs. What are the most common mistakes in first pitch? They have sixteen people on staff. CEO Network – CEO’s from the portfolio companies are introduced to each other.

capital 284

capital board VC pitching 284

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 28, 2013

They weren’t with you when you did the VC pitch where you looked them in the eyes 9 months ago and said, “I see only one outcome, we want to build something really big. I wasn’t in favor but when the CEO decides it’s the right thing to do you support him. Startup Advice' ” So to an actual story. .”

startup 417

startup peer-to-peer VC culture 417

StartupNation

JUNE 1, 2021

Oftentimes, I read articles offering tips for entrepreneurs that revolve around generic advice on getting started. 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. Keep it simple, stupid (KISS). Franklin D.

entrepreneurs 109

entrepreneurs pitching construction accelerator 109

NZ Entrepreneur

JULY 5, 2022

Want to tap in to the best startup advice from entrepreneurs who are out there doing it? My best piece of advice for founders is to keep in mind that they can’t do it alone. A strong support network of partner, family and good friends is tantamount to making it through your startup journey in one piece. BrakeAce. “My

founder 105

founder advice pitching startup founder 105

Entrepreneur's Handbook

DECEMBER 24, 2021

Otherwise, you lose sales even before you start Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash Do not mistake the perfect pitch for the well-rehearsed (read: memorized) presentation. The cookie-cutter pitch presentation kills your sales pipeline before you actually have one. My team members call it the Pitch Perfect experience.

pitching 72

pitching consulting creativity board 72

TechCrunch

NOVEMBER 22, 2022

Pitching a startup to investors without a personal recommendation isn’t a terrible idea — as long as you’ve done your research first. Rigopoulos and Bamberger shared their cold-calling advice with TC+, along with the full text of one of their winning emails and a detailed breakdown of the three-step process they used.

advice 88

advice venture capital pitching strategy 88

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 21, 2010

does that qualify for the discount on my last engagement with you guys ] I like the WYSIWYG approach to working with lawyers – I don’t want the partners pitching the work and it gets completed behind the scenese by somebody I’ve never met. Lawyers are your support staff not your brain. Get to know them.

startup 318

startup advice entrepreneurs VC 318

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 13, 2011

The value of Pitch Decks; Brad’s personal preferences on deal presentation; and Brad’s practice of accepting cold approaches via email. Are Pitch Decks becoming obsolete? It’s interesting that the question is pitch deck’s being obsolete versus business plans being obsolete. Aren’t pitch decks still the norm? “I

venture capital 288

venture capital pitching communities entrepreneurs 288

NZ Entrepreneur

SEPTEMBER 7, 2022

Want to tap in to the best startup advice from entrepreneurs who are out there doing it? Founders a few steps ahead of you will give you the most valuable advice you have ever received because they were in your shoes not too long ago. Surround yourself with people and things that lift you up and support you. Never give up.”

founder 120

founder peer-to-peer advice entrepreneurship 120

Entrepreneurs' Organization

JANUARY 5, 2024

My advice to all entrepreneurs: Don’t shy away from hard conversations. Eden shares how entrepreneurs can use AI apps such as ChatGPT to support decision-making while still exercising innate expertise and judgment. Look at them as catalysts for growth, enhancing both your business and your personal development,” Shawn explains.

consulting 211

consulting real estate entrepreneurial ecosystem entrepreneurs 211

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 31, 2010

Our existing investors supported us and a new lead came in. I stopped doing conferences, traveling or pitching to VCs. Tags: Start-up Advice Startup Advice. We found a way to get a round of venture capital closed after all of this. I somehow never really felt stressed during all of this. At least not externally.

entrepreneurs 308

entrepreneurs advice real estate venture capital 308

TechCrunch

JANUARY 24, 2022

The demand for a platform to make the art of advice more accessible is thus easy for entrepreneurs to identify then pitch, but the serendipity — or the chasm between what makes someone an effective mentor versus just a speed dial for questions — is harder for them to scale.

support 76

support mentorship education advice 76