Gust

OCTOBER 11, 2012

While you will definitely need to be a corporate entity before you can accept funding from any investor (or issue stock options to any employees), the specific corporate status of the venture at this stage is much less important to investors than its functional status.

pitching 122

pitching investing investment founder 122

This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 25, 2023

Let’s first talk about the definition of a co-founder. Given the fact that the money you raise will mostly go to making hires, by definition, all teams are incomplete. It’s a perfectly legitimate pitch to say, “This would be my team the day we close on the money, but they have day jobs because costs.” Technically, it’s a title.

founder 367

founder VC board pitching 367

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 25, 2011

bre.ad , a new startup launching whose founder has perfected the art of the conference pitch. No pitch, nothing more. You see, we hear a lot about elevator pitches, but to be honest, most short pitches really don't do your company justice. Can you really pitch a company in one sentence? No, not bread.

pitching 284

pitching disruption entrepreneurs enablement 284

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 2, 2023

I got to see all of the top VCs pitching their funds. What was notable was how similar they all sounded—that is, until I got the pitch from Brad and Fred at Union Square Ventures. USV came in pitching digitally native businesses models that could not exist until the internet connected everyone.

opportunity 253

opportunity investing investment disruption 253

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 27, 2010

Not only that, there’s a hugely disproportionate amount of time spent on pitching for money for these paper ideas. Step #2: Pitch investors. Event and meeting space is tough to come by, but it definitely exists in universities. Most B-school pitches I see involve “Step 1, hire a tech guy to build it.”

education 304

education innovation entrepreneurship peer-to-peer 304

This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 29, 2016

Assuming they weren't unethical and they met your character standard, you went into a pitch with the goal of getting money from this person, and they didn't get there. It doesn't pay to look at it any other way--and I think too many founders focus on the investor as the problem versus their pitch or their company. Same with pitching.

founder 219

founder pitching board investing 219

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 22, 2011

By definition each of those VCs (unless they are a micro VC – and one who doesn’t mind 5% ownership) will view you as a sort of “option&# where they might get to fund the next round if you do well. Always Pitch Outsiders for Follow Ons. So it will be an internal fight over allocations.

VC 314

VC advice pitching investing 314

Entrepreneurs' Organization

JUNE 12, 2024

These EOers work with the students to refine their pitches and provide insights and tips to help them succeed in the high-level competition. Although every student had their pitch honed to perfection, there is always the extra mile to explore deeper meaning.

mentorship 233

mentorship peer-to-peer leadership entrepreneurs 233

This is going to be BIG.

OCTOBER 22, 2017

We can debate whether they're sociopaths, but we definitely shouldn't assume that every "great investor" is "great" at being human. If you go into your next pitch meeting and the VC seems cut down a notch, you can thank me after. ;) Some people are complete scumbags, make a fortune, and karma just never catches up with them.

VC 333

VC advice pitching opportunity 333

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 28, 2010

That’s the classic definition of Grin Fucking. I found that most VC’s never gave me any feedback when I was pitching. Unsurprisingly, this one way best. The title IS the post. Don’t be a grin fucker. You know our employees are our most important asset.&#. I’m OK with that.

frameworks 378

frameworks consulting advice strategy 378

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 1, 2012

Well, I get nothing out of seeing how well a bunch of people can pitch their businesses on stage. Leadership, Teams, Success & Happiness (Tiger Moms & the true definition of success). We’ll see. TechStars Interactions. I refuse to go to demo days. Not just TechStars but any demo day, really. Yet I love TechStars.

pitching 319

pitching culture entrepreneurs mentorship 319

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. Perhaps I’m just a teensy bit biased over here, but I’d say it’s definitely worth subscribing to get access to all of this content.

pitching 102

pitching startup venture capital ventures 102

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010

And we all know that Ron Conway is considered the savviest of angel investors and yet by definition not all of his investments succeed. Just ask the people who poured money into once “hot&# companies like RazorGator or Friendster. So being buddies with “all the right people&# clearly isn’t enough to be successful.

angel investing 288

angel investing investing investment advice 288

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

I know that “mission driven” sounds nebulous or some convenient definition of anything we want to fund. Truly, in many ways, my concern was the inverse of normal business pitches. Mission Driven I also am looking for founders that are on a personal mission to solve a big problem. But really it’s something I look for.

incumbents 270

incumbents entrepreneurs education pitching 270

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 25, 2013

They pitched on a Wednesday. In the most perfect sense of the definition. It’s not much different than having Dave Morin, Dick Costolo or Sheryl Sandberg sitting next to you at lunch. Turns out Punky was a childhood hero for Tasha. That’s cute. I had them at my partners’ meeting the next Monday. That happens, right?

startup 398

startup creativity advice entrepreneurs 398

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. It's the kind of place you just don't find in Manhattan, and definitely don't find in Silicon Valley. 33 Flatbush. 10 Jay Street.

communities 294

communities innovation creativity real estate 294

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 25, 2010

Quite honestly I see way too many company pitches that are designed for Techies but I only want to invest in products designed for Normals. Start by defining the problem you’re solving – I see way too many early-stage entrepreneurs who start their companies with a product definition rather than a market problem.

advice 348

advice entrepreneurs sustainability pitching 348

TechCrunch

OCTOBER 14, 2020

“Every developer that uses our platform may or may not care about sustainability, but they definitely save on cost,” said Ahuja. Companies like Procore have become billion-dollar businesses on the back of their pitch to simplify the construction management process.

sustainability 101

sustainability pitching construction energy 101

TechCrunch

MAY 20, 2021

Now, a startup out of Berlin called Pitch has just picked up a substantial Series B of $85 million to take it on with what it believes is a more dynamic approach. Pitch, a presentation startup from Wunderlist’s founders, raises $30M more to take on PowerPoint. The startup has already seen good progress on the latter front.

pitching 98

pitching real estate collaboration leadership 98

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2011

Prices have definitely gone up in 2011 as depicted in the anecdotal chart below. So in 2011 as a startup company if you can generate lots of demand you can definitely raise an A round of capital (say $3 million) at a $7 or 8 million pre-money valuation or slightly higher whereas just two years ago you would have struggled.

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startup advice pitching investment 336

TechCrunch

NOVEMBER 16, 2022

Visualizing and communicating this data can definitively power up a pitch deck. If you haven’t been thinking about product-market fit, you don’t have a pitch. Building up all that evidence through data helps bolster a pitch and increases your odds of landing an investment.

pitching 87

pitching SaaS sustainability VC 87

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 17, 2019

I don’t feel like canceling LinkedIn just because occasionally a well-meaning but slightly not-clued-in person from a faraway place wants me to be their personal mentor, answer 3-questions for their high-school entrepreneurship project or take a sales pitch for their recruiting services. In Adam’s world, I’m rude. You two should meet.”

advice 250

advice board pitching startup accelerator 250

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 11, 2011

The best ones are visual, high-level, have a narrative, move swiftly, are designed to prompt questions as much as “pitch&# your company and importantly have a narrative. Problem definition (with the market … it’s why you exist). What should be in the deck? Some variation of the following (this is a suggested order).

VC 340

VC venture capital leadership pitching 340

Gust

DECEMBER 27, 2012

It sounds obvious, but the majority of entrepreneurs who pitch me have obviously never thought through many of the major issues surrounding their companies. A good beginning would be Bill Payne’s The Definitive Guide to Raising Money from Angels, available as a free download from [link]. Understand your business.

investing 164

investing investment pitching mix-use 164

This is going to be BIG.

JANUARY 3, 2021

For example, for me, I didn’t just put in “e-mail time”, I divided up the amount of time I spend responding to entrepreneur pitches in e-mail vs other types of e-mail, which I labeled “correspondence”. I wanted to keep an eye on the overall work hour tally because I definitely have a tendency to bite off more than I can chew.

pitching 300

pitching board media consulting 300

Both Sides of the Table

MARCH 31, 2012

Her post is short & well written so definitely worth a read if you’re a startup person and want to hear some sensible views on sales. And finally a reminder: Selling is about listening & reacting and not “pitching.” ” I encapsulate that in an analogy I heard years ago.

startup 319

startup consulting pitching support 319

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. I try and respond to pitches right away. If you went to college with Phin, but only kind of knew him, and you wind up meeting me at a pitch event, don't show up at our office without giving me or Phin the heads up.

VC 291

VC pitching entrepreneurs networking 291

StartupNation

SEPTEMBER 26, 2021

Now imagine if you were given 10 minutes to pitch the potential of your business? It can take years to dream up an exciting startup, and even longer to turn it into something substantial, but a strongly crafted sales pitch can propel your business in the right direction. Related: 5 Terms That are Killing Your Startup’s Pitch.

pitching 76

pitching advice venture capital entrepreneurs 76

Gust

JULY 22, 2012

I’m definitely not lobbying here for promising things you can’t deliver, or hiring a publicist before your first programmer. I’m talking about doing some real networking to test your elevator pitch, and get to know some potential investors before you ask them for money. Practice your message.

startup 158

startup pitching networking entrepreneurs 158

Entrepreneur's Handbook

NOVEMBER 28, 2022

The average new business pitch costs $450,000. You can’t afford to lose a pitch or (even worse) win a pitch that’s not the right fit for your business. So lets start with these six elements of a pitch response: Values: Your team aligns with the Brand’s value system. Process: Leading a pitch from end to end.

pitching 59

pitching consulting creativity construction 59

This is going to be BIG.

DECEMBER 3, 2019

I’ve made a bet that if a founder pitches me, whether or not I fund them, if I make the process worthwhile by telling them exactly why I couldn’t get there, they’re likely to recommend that other founders do the same. Is this pay to pitch? Time/Effort As investors, we offer money as our product—and the demand for it is high.

pitching 158

pitching communities VC founder 158

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 10, 2018

Sure, you need to learn what the common theme of the no’s are and be willing to make adjustments to your pitch. The “sure, let’s continue the process” by definition are not yeses so the no’s rack up and the yeses stay stuck at zero. It is CRITICAL that you not let this get inside your head. Just remind yourself of lemons.

pitching 232

pitching VC consulting creativity 232

This is going to be BIG.

DECEMBER 5, 2019

It’s not actually surprising that investors bought into it, considering that for a long time, VCs have focused on one particular archtype of leader as being more worthy of venture investment than others—the bold, confident visionary who will talk big in the pitch meeting. that same founder will give the most unequivocal, most confident “Yes!”

founder 158

founder pitching leadership culture 158

David Teten VC

MAY 2, 2020

But on the other side, I definitely recommend seeing what information others have made public. for their pitch deck. . Run the following searches on Google or another search engine: [company name] pitch deck. company name] pitch video. For each competitor, I suggest you do the following: Look on Angel.co

pitching 59

pitching VC capital ventures 59

TechCrunch

MAY 11, 2021

As the company’s CEO and co-founder Shail Mehta explained in a TC Early Stage pitch-off earlier this year, The Last Gameboard is a 16-inch square touchscreen device with a custom OS and a sophisticated method of tracking game pieces and hand movements. If the pitch sounds familiar… it’s been attempted once or twice before.

social gaming 136

social gaming pitching VC innovation 136

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 6, 2010

Everyone has their own definition of momentum (user numbers, revenue, channel partners, biz dev deals, whatever). Imagine the “typical&# deal – somebody comes into a VC’s office, they’ve never met, they’re highly referred by a friend and they’re pitching a product demo and a PPT.

startup 360

startup VC advice entrepreneurs 360

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 3, 2019

We do the work of sorting through the pitch decks of everyone and their mother, finding the diamonds in the rough, helping them turn an idea into something that looks like a company—and we do it for a fraction of the management fees of our later stage counterparts. That’s not what seed funds are doing.

mix-use 276

mix-use pitching investment investing 276