This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 16, 2023

Luckily for aspirational baseball players, pitch velocity, spin rate, and just about every other aspect of playing baseball are highly quantifiable in real-time. You throw a pitch and you don’t find out the speed for a year or even longer. That pitch you threw a year ago, that was 92. Actually, it’s even worse than that.

pitching 243

pitching peer-to-peer board VC 243

Dream It

MAY 19, 2021

In this Dreamit Dose, Managing Director Adam Dakin presents his view on the right way to answer it after hearing hundreds, if not thousands, of founder pitches. Make the specific amount you are raising and corresponding milestones clear at the beginning of the pitch, and do not give a range. The amount you're raising is your ask.

pitching 393

pitching board health VC 393

This is going to be BIG.

JULY 23, 2018

I've seen this so many times over: A founder pitches a VC, or several of them, and then they come back from that process with all sorts of new strategy goals or worries that they need to be doing something differently. So why is this feedback seemingly all over the board?

VC 170

VC advice pitching strategy 170

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 24, 2018

In order to understand how to “get to yes” with a VC you first need to understand how VC partnerships make decisions and then you can understand how to increase your odds of closing a deal. VC Partnerships Start by understanding how many partners are at the firm you are approaching. This is Sales 101.

VC 314

VC board investment investing 314

This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 25, 2023

Does the VC think that a designer needs to be on the team from day one if you’re going to build a better version of Instagram? Does the VC think that a machine learning engineer needs to be there to build a real version of Tony Stark’s Jarvis? That’s fair. Let’s first talk about the definition of a co-founder.

founder 368

founder VC board pitching 368

This is going to be BIG.

JULY 8, 2013

I usually direct people to this post --still hanging atop the search rankings for " How to be a VC analyst" years later. Since there''s no way to both make yourself accessible and not get a fire hose of inbound, most of the pitches you''re going to have are from perfectly nice, smart people who have perfectly horrific, unworkable ideas.

venture capital 419

venture capital VC advice capital 419

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 11, 2015

I realized that I judge a lot of hackathons, pitch competitions and other various things on the weekends, and felt like I was losing at least 2 out of my 8 weekend days--so I gave myself back those days. Out of those, I take about 150 new pitches a year--about 3 a week. There are weird parts, like board meetings being an hour a day.

VC 419

VC pitching board construction 419

TechCrunch

FEBRUARY 25, 2022

The VC fund provided the company with seed capital and office space. Greylock partner Saam Motamedi joined its board of directors following the Series A. . At Greylock, Motamedi focuses on enterprise companies, with investments and board seats at Abnormal, Apiiro, Utmost and others.

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pitching board VC financing 90

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2013

And I am often approached by entrepreneurs in cities which don’t have a vibrant VC community. If you don’t live in a major VC zone, I have some tips for how to make it easier to raise Venture Capital. ” Most VCs view it as their responsibility to mentor, debate, cajole and generally assist with investments they make.

VC 365

VC board communities pitching 365

This is going to be BIG.

JANUARY 17, 2016

Now that they have to go back into the market next year to pitch their own fund, they're going to have to answer some tough questions about valuations. They might be doing board meetings more frequently, coaching first time founders through layoffs and debating with their partners which companies they should bridge until things thaw out.

VC 253

VC pitching board capital 253

TechCrunch

MARCH 9, 2022

The VC fund provided the company with seed capital and office space. Greylock partner Saam Motamedi joined its board of directors following the Series A. . At Greylock, Motamedi focuses on enterprise companies, with investments and board seats at Abnormal, Apiiro, Utmost and others.

pitching 80

pitching board VC financing 80

TechCrunch

MARCH 21, 2023

SaaS is still open for business, but it’s going to take longer to buy and sell How to pitch CVCs Image Credits: Getty Images As individual VC firms pulled back and began amassing dry powder in 2022, corporate venture capital (CVC) funds stepped up. PitchBook found that CVCs played a part in 56.2%

pitching 86

pitching SaaS startup innovation 86

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 11, 2009

Many startup companies hire advisory boards. So do advisory boards really add value? In my experience most advisory boards under deliver relative to expectations. Advisory Board Problems : There are several problems that I have encountered myself and in my many discussions with CEO’s who have set up advisory boards.

board 306

board startup advice VC 306

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 25, 2009

Beware of VC Seagulls, who shit on you and then fly away (or worse yet leave you with Red Herrings). I write this post as a warning to pick your VC’s carefully. I like to say to first-time entrepreneurs, picking a VC is more permanent than marriage. I guarantee this is a bad VC. There are many great VCs.

VC 297

VC board consulting advice 297

TechCrunch

MARCH 10, 2023

” New wave of VC funds show it’s time to rethink how many LPs is ‘too many’ Pitch Deck Teardown: MiO Marketplace’s $550K angel deck Image Credits: MIO Marketplace (opens in a new window) Connecting media publishers with buyers, MiO Marketplace recently closed a $550,000 angel round that valued the company at $3.6

VC 91

VC SaaS pitching ventures 91

TechCrunch

APRIL 26, 2022

Why a16z pitched Deel to lead its Series A. To learn more about how large a role FOMO plays in VC, Managing Editor Matt Burns spoke to a16z Partner Anish Acharya and Alex Bouaziz, CEO of payroll and compliance platform Deel on a recent episode of TechCrunch Live. Why a16z pitched Deel to lead its Series A.

pitching 90

pitching mix-use advice ventures 90

This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 27, 2022

Besides, there were a limited number of places where I could do my job in venture capital anyway—and while I might be a go to for a pitch from super early stage pre-seed and seed founders looking for quick answers and decisive term sheets in New York City, the reality is that I would be pretty far down the list in the Valley. Plenty of bros.

culture 390

culture VC communities education 390

This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 8, 2011

How about as a VC? Fred has basically always been a VC, Mike was a reporter, and Jim worked in product marketing and management consulting. Surely--but then I realize how difficult it is to be an early stage VC in NYC. Really never managed anything of significant or built anything major.". what has this guy done? What did I do?

VC 275

VC peer-to-peer board advice 275

Dream It

MAY 4, 2021

In this Dreamit Dose, Managing Director Adam Dakin reveals the right approach on how to answer the valuation question when pitching VCs. Valuation is not set by you, your team, your investors, or your board. It’s important to understand VC Math 101. Most early-stage VC’s are aiming for a 5-10x return.

VC 300

VC board pitching health 300

This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 28, 2021

Over the last two and a half months in the hospital, I’ve actually been fairly productive—no doubt setting the record for VC term sheets offered literally from inside the NICU (three). She’s even been on several board calls already and last week showed up on her first pitch call. Home is a different story.

hospitality 480

hospitality board energy pitching 480

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 9, 2018

This is a very common scenario when entrepreneurs pitch VCs and frankly is a very common scenario when VCs try to raise money from LPs. When you pitched me I really did love you. I left the meeting and had to attend a 3-hour board meeting where two founders have been fighting and each want the other one fired.

pitching 381

pitching board funders entrepreneurs 381

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 13, 2011

I recently filmed a show for This Week in Venture Capital in which I talked about how to prepare for a VC meeting: whom you’ll meet, who should attend from your side, what materials you should bring and how you should run the meeting. The “Triple Play&# of VC Presentations. But take prompts from the VC.

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VC board pitching venture capital 299

Dream It

FEBRUARY 5, 2021

Keep reading for some more of the most common mistakes startups make when pitching and for Steve’s tips on how to fix them. Investors want to hear, “Our unique insight is __”… in your pitch 2. VCs are judging your ability to sell If you are running a B2B company, investors know that you need to “sell” to potential early adopters.

startup founder 397

startup founder founder startup pitching 397

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.

VC 69

VC investment investing venture capital 69

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 17, 2009

A few years ago it became fashionable for large VC’s to do seed funding. If the large VC doesn’t agree to do your A round then you’re in a bit of trouble. But I’m no longer an entrepreneur – I’m a VC at a $200 million fund called GRP Ventures , the largest active fund in Southern California.

VC 283

VC real estate advice venture capital 283

TechCrunch

FEBRUARY 19, 2021

“You have to wonder if every VC worth a damn in the future will have their own raft of SPAC offerings,” says Alex. From dorm rooms to board rooms: How universities are promoting entrepreneurship. ” From dorm rooms to board rooms: How universities are promoting entrepreneurship. I, II and III. Fifteen U.S.-based

SaaS 73

SaaS VC transportation pitching 73

TechCrunch

JANUARY 21, 2022

“If you believe VR and immersive computing is the future — whether for consumer or business use cases — Activision helps Microsoft build a flywheel of content and technology that gets more users on board to this future.”. 500 Global’s Christine Tsai shares her 2022 VC predictions. Image Credits: Bryce Durbin/TechCrunch.

VC 80

VC incubation angel investing investment 80

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 24, 2014

Not every potentially good VC previously worked for Fred Wilson and Josh Kopelman. Not every VC used to get pitched by VC funds for a living and has seen hundreds and hundreds of VC pitch decks. So what about a Techstars-like program for new VCs? But what about investors?

accelerator 388

accelerator mentorship VC incubation 388

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. At the same time, they are submitting 30% more pitch decks, but VC engagement has fallen 23%.

pitching 76

pitching VC board founder 76

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 4, 2022

I’m the on-paper poster child for “who can get VC dollars”. What’s that investor going to be like in a board meeting when you as a female founder need their support or worse, actually their vote? I’d argue that the answer is no, but that’s easy for me to say, right? I’m a straight white dude who grew up in NYC and worked in finance.

financing 417

financing finance board VC 417

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 8, 2014

What is a principal at a VC firm and how does it work at Upfront Ventures? ” Associates have different functions at different VCs. VC firm admin. VC firm policy or fund analysis. Helping be the VC “presence” at key events. inside insight into VC decision-making. Industry reviews.

investment 365

investment investing VC board 365

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 23, 2017

The perverse nature of raising capital is that “no’s” almost always precede “yeses” because it’s very easy for a VC to tell you that you’re not a good fit without doing any real work to evaluate your company so you hear “no” far before others start doing more work. By the end the buyer forgets why they loved your presentation.

pitching 238

pitching VC mix-use entrepreneurs 238

David Teten VC

AUGUST 20, 2019

You’re working on launching a new VC fund; congratulations! I’ve been a traditional equity VC for 8 years, and I’m now researching Revenue-Based Investing and other new approaches to VC. Revenue-Based Investing (“RBI”) is a new form of VC financing, distinct from the preferred equity structure most VCs use.

VC 65

VC investment investing venture capital 65

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.

VC 94

VC real estate venture capital pitching 94

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 29, 2011

I had an interesting conversation with an entrepreneur last week about how he decided which VCs he was going to pitch. Then I realized that it's probably not obvious what the dynamics are around how VCs tend to get introduced to companies and what works best for people, so I figured I'd blog about it. The Cold Intro. If I don't.

VC 303

VC pitching entrepreneurs networking 303

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 11, 2009

This is part of my ongoing series “ Pitching a VC.&#. The “Triple Play&# of VC Presentations. A large part of my series has been outlining what the typical VC PowerPoint presentation should look like. You want to build a dialogue where you get to know the VC with whom you’re meeting.

VC 238

VC advice pitching venture capital 238

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

These range from companies pitching me to portfolio companies presenting at board meetings. So part of seeing you with a team is to get a read on team dynamics and believe me all VCs discuss the team dynamics after you leave as in. Here are some guidelines for you – particularly for VC pitch meetings.

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pitching VC leadership advice 377