Both Sides of the Table

JULY 7, 2015

They now have a strong VC lead from Foundry Group and from experience when you get advice from Foundry it comes with authority, experience, empathy and the right amount of straight talk. Another founder … “When I pitched the idea to Adam, he was super on board,” Mr. Sloyan said. All of my partners at Upfront do. ” Uhhuh.

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startup advice pitching VC 323

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

JULY 21, 2014

It’s when the noise stops and you can actually get customer attention, press articles and VC meetings. Every consultant was pitching a process for reinventing your organization through BI. It’s where the truly innovative separate themselves from the pack. It’s when the game slows.

incubation 354

incubation board VC innovation 354

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 21, 2011

This article first appeared on TechCrunch. 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? Not every problem has to be a huge VC-fundable business. They pitch me features, not value. But what does this all mean?

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transportation VC networking energy 309

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 14, 2013

This article originally appeared on TechCrunch. ” The ultimate measure of success for a journalist is viewership so if nobody cares about your shitty little company and the story you’re trying to pitch then the journalist doesn’t want to publish. I am a VC. I hand out money. How differentiated is that?

mix-use 389

mix-use advice VC technology 389

This is going to be BIG.

DECEMBER 21, 2017

Would we pitch Series A players? It's too easy to think that if you tilt the pitch just a little one way or the other, that's going to make the difference, but that's Monday morning quarterbacking. What we found is that while most of the people turned down the invite, most of the people who showed up invested. 3) Find a flexible lead.

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pitching VC strategy investing 255

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 23, 2011

They get pitched by so many blowhards that more genuine people who aren’t in it for just a story stand out from the crowd. Obviously you should have somebody that helps you research journalists, gets you meetings, pitches stories, helps prep you for interviews & helps make sure your writing is cogent.

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startup pitching advice consulting 349

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

This is the second article in a series on what it takes to be a great angel investor (and why this should matter to entrepreneurs). Tags: Startup Advice Tech Market Analysis VC Industry. Part 1 – Access to Great Deal Flow – is here. I have talked extensively about “social proof&# in fund raising in the past.

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angel investing investing investment advice 288

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 22, 2010

Robert’s article is worth reading. Use the fact that you were on an anointed list to build credibility when you eventually approach journalists (and VC’s, customers, employees). I wasn’t trying to pitch a tightly controlled message about my company. Oh, and Demo charges the startups $18,000.

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advice media startup SaaS 307

Entrepreneurs' Organization

JULY 16, 2021

Jan contributed this article with help from Rhonda Suttle, EO Atlanta executive director, and Thamara Ataide, EO Atlanta marketing manager. Use these resources to understand how your company will look when you pitch a VC or angel. The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) exists to help entrepreneurs achieve their full potential.

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SaaS leadership accelerator entrepreneurs 294

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2011

This article originally appeared on TechCrunch. I acknowledged this in the article. I said both in the article but felt compelled to provide a statement up front for the skimmers. I have conversations with entrepreneurs and other VCs on a daily basis about fund raising, the prices of deals, how much companies should raise, etc.

startup 336

startup advice pitching investing 336

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. A lot of these articles are part of TechCrunch+ — TechCrunch’s premium subscription product. Are you VC-investable?

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pitching startup venture capital ventures 102

TechCrunch

JULY 16, 2021

Full Extra Crunch articles are only available to members. India poised for record VC year as unicorns head for decisive IPOs. India poised for record VC year as unicorns head for decisive IPOs. How do you go beyond the names and numbers with your startup pitch deck? Would you tell me more about the EB-1A?

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VC pitching venture capital consulting 99

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).

VC 364

VC pitching founder strategy 364

This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 18, 2010

On the heels of ReadWriteWeb's glowing article about the NYC tech startup scene and Open Angel Forum coming to NYC , Ms. On top of that, since First Round did it's first Open Hours in NYC last year, a number of firms have followed suit and simply opened their doors wide open to entrepreneurs who wanted to come in and pitch.

innovation 273

innovation real estate communities entrepreneurship 273

TechCrunch

MARCH 17, 2023

I shy away from sharing hot takes, but here’s one: With contagion contained, the VC community feels good about writing smallish checks for pre-revenue startups, but Series A and up? If you’re an investor who wants to be included in future columns, email guestcolumns@techcrunch.com with “How to pitch me” in the subject line.

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pitching frameworks advice strategy 92

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 25, 2013

The definitive article about 33 Flatbush--the kind of commercial building you would drive by a million times without thinking twice-- was written in the NY Times a few years ago. Three companies from the Studiomates community-- Sherpaa , Tinybop , and Editorially --received VC dollars in 2012. 33 Flatbush. via Brownstoner.

communities 315

communities innovation creativity real estate 315

This is going to be BIG.

OCTOBER 12, 2011

My first article for the monthly edition was on AOL. When someone comes in to pitch me, I always ask them to tell me the "origin story". I followed her writing and bought her AOL book back in 1999. She helped inspire me to start writing about business and form a business newspaper on my college campus. Are there examples of that?

data analysis 298

data analysis venture capital communities entrepreneurs 298

TechCrunch

APRIL 26, 2022

Full TechCrunch+ articles are only available to members. ” This week, we’re running several articles on entrepreneurship as TechCrunch staffers recap their conversations and panel discussions from our Early Stage event earlier this month. Why a16z pitched Deel to lead its Series A. Stay tuned!

pitching 90

pitching mix-use advice ventures 90

TechCrunch

JULY 6, 2021

According to DocSend, the average pitch deck is reviewed for just three minutes. And if you think a senior VC is studying the presentation your team crafted for months as if it were a Fabergé egg — well, you might be disappointed. Full Extra Crunch articles are only available to members. Walter Thompson. yourprotagonist.

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pitching VC venture capital consulting 78

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. Let’s gooooo.

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Entrepreneurs' Organization

DECEMBER 15, 2023

You need a solid business plan, traction to demonstrate market fit, and the skills to pitch effectively. Don’t neglect ongoing investor relations “A lot of startup founders think that the only way investors will respond favorably is if they provide their best pitch on first contact,” said Mohammadi.

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pitching consulting advice communities 213

TechCrunch

MARCH 21, 2023

Full TechCrunch+ articles are only available to members. In his latest article, he explains why copying your rivals’ most successful marketing strategies can be one of the fastest ways to get traction with new customers. Use discount code TCPLUSROUNDUP to save 20% off a one- or two-year subscription.

pitching 86

pitching SaaS startup innovation 86

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 18, 2009

Journalists have just written an article that wasn’t favorable. You’ve got to be able to come out of unsuccessful VC meetings, pull your socks up, and go into the next pitch. As a VC if I can tell that you’ve survived tough times and you don’t appear beaten down that’s a huge plus.

entrepreneurs 298

entrepreneurs advice VC SaaS 298

TechCrunch

MARCH 15, 2023

Walter Thompson Contributor Share on Twitter Editorial Manager Walter Thompson edits staff and guest articles for TechCrunch+ and manages TechCrunch's guest contributor program. My hot take: With contagion contained, the VC community feels good about writing smallish checks for pre-revenue startups, but Series A and up? Más o menos.

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pitching VC advice venture capital 97

TechCrunch

AUGUST 4, 2022

million at a $12 million valuation , and I managed to talk it into letting me share its pitch deck with you to see how the company wove its story to its investors. 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. . The company recently raised $2.5

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pitching disruption opportunity VC 96

David Teten VC

AUGUST 21, 2019

Most founders who are raising capital look first to traditional equity VCs. Revenue-Based Investing (“RBI”) is a new form of VC financing, distinct from the preferred equity structure most VCs use. Who are the major Revenue-Based Investing VCs? Should your new VC fund use Revenue-Based Investing? Optionality.

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Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 31, 2012

I got an email recently from my friend & fellow VC, Jeff Bussgang from Flybridge Capital Partners in Boston. That said, I think it is written without taking the full extent of my sales articles into account. And finally a reminder: Selling is about listening & reacting and not “pitching.”

startup 319

startup consulting pitching support 319

This is going to be BIG.

JULY 8, 2019

But if you have to start your VC list from scratch when you’re thinking of who will fund you next and all of your PR outreach is just a bunch fo cold e-mails, you’re starting from behind the eight ball in a way you wouldn’t have had to had you just participated in the public square that is social media in small amounts daily.

media 284

media leadership founder opportunity 284

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 31, 2010

TechCrunch ran my article yesterday as a guest post but I wanted to have a copy here for anybody who missed it and for future readers of this blog. I had finally appeared on the front cover of a magazine (TornadoInsider – then the top European VC magazine) but I felt so fat in the picture I never sent it to anybody.

entrepreneurs 308

entrepreneurs advice real estate venture capital 308

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

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 16, 2017

My job as a VC isn’t to beat myself up or any other partner up for the one deal we didn’t do. If you swing at every pitch you’ll end up with a lot more losers. That’s a benefit for us as a local VC. MANY create consumer apps pitch me. But local VCs don’t deserve to get beat up for not investing.

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investing investment VC pitching 214

TechCrunch

JANUARY 20, 2023

” Teach yourself growth marketing: How to boot up an email marketing campaign Putting numbers on the global venture slowdown Image Credits: Nigel Sussman/TechCrunch According to CB Insights’ State of Venture report, VC funding fell 35% in 2022. . “How many of these will stay unicorns through this calendar year?”

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VC pitching ventures collaboration 84

TechCrunch

FEBRUARY 18, 2022

Full TechCrunch+ articles are only available to members. 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. Walter Thompson.

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TechCrunch

OCTOBER 8, 2021

Full TechCrunch+ articles are only available to members. I’ve seen some founders — as a VC, this is gonna sound self-serving me saying this — but I’ve seen some founders that raise way too little capital in their pre-seed round or their seed round. Stephanie Zhan walks through the Rec Room pitch deck that won Sequoia’s investment.

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pitching disruption venture capital social gaming 72

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. So let me walk you through the discussion points I have with founders.

startup 212

startup venture capital capital VC 212

TechCrunch

MAY 3, 2022

” Full TechCrunch+ articles are only available to members. In a comprehensive TC+ article, Slidebean co-founder and CEO Jose Cayasso shows how to create spreadsheets that will help scale teams, track expenses, identify KPIs and “understand how fast your company can grow.”

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