Revolution

JANUARY 27, 2025

Reflections on Georgetowns 2025 pitch competition from TedLeonsis Last week, Georgetown Universitys McDonough School of Business once again became a launchpad for the next generation of bold thinkers and doers. Chef, entrepreneur, humanitarian, and my friend Jos Andres put it well: investing in young entrepreneurs is investing in solutions.

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This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 18, 2019

Brooklyn Bridge Ventures , the pre-seed and seed stage VC fund I run in NYC, has invested in 64 companies in the last six and a half years. The diversity is the direct result of our mission—to build the most accessible venture capital fund in NY. Twenty-five of them have at least one female co-founder. Fifteen had co-founders over 40.

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Revolution

FEBRUARY 13, 2023

Since the beginning of modern venture capital investing — a relatively nascent asset class — the industry has been biased toward funding what it knows best: founders with familiar demographics (white, male) in familiar geographies (Silicon Valley).

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This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 14, 2014

Last week, there was a Business Insider article measuring the percent of female founded companies that NYC seed funds invest in. Most companies don''t ever raise venture capital and they do just fine. That''s a much better picture of female entrepreneurship than the 2-4% of venture capital dollars going to women.

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Dream It

SEPTEMBER 25, 2020

Many of these new red flags that occur during virtual pitching are easy to fix. In this Dreamit Dose, Healthtech MD Adam Dakin provides 5 simple rules to avoid giving investors the wrong impression when pitching remotely. We hear startups pitch everyday and far too often founders end up joining the meeting late.

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This is going to be BIG.

JUNE 22, 2020

Pitch deck outlines are ok, but they don’t say much about what you’re trying to convey besides particular categories that may or may not be relevant. Too often people only pitch what they have, not where they’re going—and they forget that fundraising is selling tickets to the future, not asking for rewards for the past.

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This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 21, 2021

She was pitching for a pre-seed round of $400k. Founders hit the street with their pitch deck, some make it, and some don’t, but nearly all of them ascribe a lot more human influence over the process than there probably is. Or that venture capital is a meritocracy? I’m a female founder. I don’t have a technical co-founder.

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Dream It

FEBRUARY 27, 2020

Getting investors excited about your product is a critical part of raising capital. But founders are often so consumed with talking metrics, milestones achieved, or the capital they need that they sometimes forget to talk about their overarching vision for their startups. It’s not about the slide deck.

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This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 16, 2015

I was working for the GM pension fund, an institutional LP, as an analyst, doing a research project on consumer private equity and venture capital investing. Jerry was a great guy and his love of retail investing kind of stuck with me. Leading an investment into an ice cream chain, however, that's another beast.

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venture capital ventures capital consumer retail 378

This is going to be BIG.

OCTOBER 1, 2014

We all have our inherent biases and what I am not arguing here is that the venture capital world is a fair playing field for anyone. I repeat: I AM NOT ARGUING THAT VENTURE CAPITAL IS FAIR TO ANYONE. We really don''t know, because we''re missing some critical information: HOW MANY WOMEN ARE SEEKING VENTURE CAPITAL?

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venture capital capital ventures founder 328

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 2, 2023

The venture asset class seems to have already decided that AI is the next great investment opportunity, but I’m not so sure it’s going to disrupt business and create the across-the-board wealth that has been predicted. I got to see all of the top VCs pitching their funds.

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opportunity investment investing disruption 269

This is going to be BIG.

JUNE 23, 2014

When I turn down the opportunity to invest in a startup, I really turn it down. It doesn''t help them improve their pitch or adjust their model. This way, they know there''s a low chance of investment, and they can choose whether or not they want to spend their time educating you. Venture Capital & Technology'

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Entrepreneurs' Organization

DECEMBER 15, 2021

He has raised venture capital for his startups, helped hundreds of founders craft their pitch decks and fundraising strategy, and invested as a business angel. We asked him how founders can create the perfect pitch deck for their company. Some of these pitches were very informal, sitting at the bar or walking around.

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Dream It

JANUARY 8, 2020

In the episode, Steve asked Ron about his “five slide pitch deck.” Ron says, “The number one thing I am evaluating as a seed investor is: Will institutional investors be beating down our door to invest in this company at a higher price before these funds run out?” Read Ron’s article on his five slide pitch deck here.

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Paul G. Silva

MARCH 26, 2020

This is the 3rd post in the “Startup Pitching” series. These are the projections for a royalty-based investment fund. Bad example: “This round of financing will be used primarily on working capital to keep us alive until we’re ready for the next stage.”. View all posts in the “Startup Pitching” series.

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pitching startup hospitality funders 162

This is going to be BIG.

OCTOBER 7, 2013

In many cases, I got to know the entrepreneur before they were pitching or even had a deck. Venture Capital & Technology' That''s the difference between fulltime investors, angels who focus on particular areas of expertise, and "drop-ins". Tell me how I''m being unreasonable.

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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2016

There was an explosion in number of startups both because it was cheap and there was tons of available capital. The other major trend of 2012–2015 was the entrance of “non VCs” into late-stages of venture capital , which mostly consisted of hedge funds, mutual funds, corporate investors, sovereign wealth funds and even LPs doing direct deals.

venture capital 271

venture capital capital ventures VC 271

This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

I’ve made over 100 investments in my career and nearly half of those went into diverse teams. A founder who has a handful of venture-backed friends—successful ones who have raised multiple rounds of capital and who have grown their companies through different stages—has a huge advantage over one that doesn’t.

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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.

NOVEMBER 17, 2014

Takes an hour or an hour and a half at most and everyone gets the benefit of a public conversation--versus three or four hours of pitches. Those kinds of requests feel desperate and not only undermine their pitch, but it''s still real time that adds up. Venture Capital & Technology' Panel prep calls. That makes no sense to me.

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pitching financing finance incubation 369

This is going to be BIG.

JUNE 15, 2020

It would be a directive to literally invest in the talent base—to create a path for influence and economic mobility within a firm. Lots of the data is skewed toward later stage rounds and I’ve never ever seen stats on who is pitching. It also broadens the pool of who can attempt to raise a fund.

venture capital 327

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Dream It

OCTOBER 1, 2019

With that momentum, TrekIT Health was able to secure foundational investment from Ben Franklin Technology Partners last year. Dreamit invests in startups with demonstrable traction that are looking to rapidly gain customers, initiate new partnerships and to raise additional capital. For more info, visit www.dreamit.com.

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health investment investing hospitality 34

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 31, 2014

Even if you haven''t gotten offers yet, your time is valuable and you can''t pitch everyone. You feel like you have a decent shot of successfully raising, so you want to prioritize who to pitch to first. When you pitch, tell a firm how they can be helpful. How did you pick who to pitch? Venture Capital & Technology'

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VC pitching venture capital capital 393

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 1, 2013

Not only has the NYC ecosystem changed, but the whole ecosystem around early and seed investing has innovated. Secondly, it was easier for the entrepreneurs to pitch in front of a roomful of a lot of money than one at a time. I'm peripherally more aware of more sources of capital and what they like then I ever have been.

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pitching entrepreneurs board networking 365

This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 19, 2014

Go pitch a VC with an idea, and they''ll tell you to build it. If someone actually did check all these boxes, it would be a Series B deal, not a seed investment. Venture Capital & Technology' Go to them with a prototype and they''ll tell you to launch it. Launch it, and they''ll tell you to get more users. No risk, no return.

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venture capital pitching health VC 400

American Entrepreneurship

MARCH 5, 2024

Three finalists received training via workshops and coaching from business advisors, fine-tuning their business plans and pitches for the showcase and pitch competition. In addition to its classroom curriculum, NFTE hosts the Founders Forum Pitch Competition.

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pitching founder entrepreneurship education 111

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 11, 2015

That's one thing you have to realize about venture capital. As a single GP (a firm with one investment decision making professional), I get asked a lot of questions about how I manage my time considering the number of investments I make. Out of those, I take about 150 new pitches a year--about 3 a week.

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VC pitching board construction 419

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2014

We’ve been dying to tell you all for a while that we had raised a new venture capital fund and of course given SEC filing requirements the story was somewhat already scooped by the always-in-the-know Dan Primack a few weeks ago. Our last fund we raised was in 2012 and we began investing it in April of 2012.

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ventures VC venture capital real estate 396

This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 12, 2014

I''ve closed three investments in the first Brooklyn Bridge Ventures fund that haven''t quite been made public yet, bringing the total to 13 companies. For example, if it''s to get on the radar for future investors, use the investment announcement to plan a tour of future potential investors. Venture Capital & Technology'

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This is going to be BIG.

JUNE 16, 2014

If all my deals came as intros from trusted connections that I know for years versus at founder pitch events that''s interesting data. If you meet someone at a pitch event, they''ve already got a company and they''re looking to close as quickly as possible. In fact, that''s what I tend to do--at least, what I say that I do.

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Entrepreneurs' Organization

AUGUST 5, 2022

The first two MyEO DealExchange conferences in 2018 and 2019 made a significant impact on the members who attended—including a 7-figure investment in Scott Mesh (EO New York)’s company. Each person gets 90 seconds to share the details of the investment opportunity or the “deal need” they’re presenting or seeking.

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David Teten VC

MAY 26, 2021

How do you raise money for your venture capital or private equity fund from family offices and high net worths? . I see five innovative new methods for raising capital which emerging managers such as Versatile VC are using, which I’ve ranked in roughly descending order of popularity: . The costs are highly dependent on the platform.

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venture capital capital ventures innovation 136

This is going to be BIG.

DECEMBER 24, 2018

If you’re going that route—here are a couple of things I would suggest: Have at least six months of personal expenses in the bank —and that’s only if you know you can at least get some angel capital based around your connections to investors, friends, family, etc. Sometimes it’s shorter, but you always want to be conservative in this case.

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pitching angel capital consulting enablement 358

Entrepreneurs' Organization

JUNE 19, 2024

Instead, it began with 15 years of hands-on learning in capital markets, working closely with entrepreneurs, investors, and bankers. This experience allowed me to identify a critical void in financing companies: building healthy capital stacks and navigating the public offering process. I also did not have a business partner.

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American Entrepreneurship

DECEMBER 4, 2024

Recognizing this, The Veteran Fund announced the winner of its $100,000 Veteran Pitch Competition and the recent closing of its inaugural oversubscribed investment Fund I. With one click of a smartphone’s camera, building owners and service providers gain much-needed insight in 50 to 80% less time and cash invested.

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leadership startup accelerator mentorship entrepreneurship 98

This is going to be BIG.

DECEMBER 10, 2012

You pitch me on some product that. Ok, so it wouldn't be that bad, but the point is: Never let an investor do your pitch for you to stakeholders. We do a quick hacky check with people we know if it seems interesting, and because we don't know how to pitch it as well as you do, they don't get excited, so we don't. oh, I dunno.

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This is going to be BIG.

DECEMBER 21, 2017

Nothing seems to apply--you're not a tech company, you bootstrapped your way to millions in revenues before taking on capital, and you sell mostly through brick and mortar. What we found is that while most of the people turned down the invite, most of the people who showed up invested. Would we pitch Series A players?

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