Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 5, 2014

For me, after nearly a decade in the trenches of being an entrepreneur I felt I was un-brainwashed from trying to pretend I had all the answers. The more self-assured the VC is and the more impressionable the entrepreneur is the worse the outcome. And I encourage entrepreneurs to triangulate as well. It is unknowable.

peer-to-peer 337

peer-to-peer entrepreneurs consulting VC 337

The Seraf Compass

JUNE 19, 2024

We sent out a survey to our Seraf Compass subscribers to ask for tips and advice for first-time entrepreneurs. We asked the question: "What advice do you have for entrepreneurs seeking angel investment and how can they best prepare for pitching investors?” Here are some answers we found to be helpful!

angel investing 279

angel investing entrepreneurs investment investing 279

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.

pitching 285

pitching advice health founder 285

Dream It

FEBRUARY 27, 2020

Selling a compelling vision is so critical that some investors weigh it more heavily than the pitch deck itself. Strategies for crafting a strong and compelling vision for your startup: Towards the end of your pitch, tell investors that “this is just the beginning” for your startup. It’s not about the slide deck.

pitching 286

pitching incumbents transportation strategy 286

Entrepreneurs' Organization

DECEMBER 15, 2021

Maximilian Fleitmann , an Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) member primarily based in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, is the CEO of BaseTemplates and Partner at Richmond View Ventures. 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.

pitching 256

pitching entrepreneurs venture capital ventures 256

American Entrepreneurship

MARCH 21, 2025

Entrepreneurs and changemakers from across the country will gather in Dallas June 12-14, 2025, for the return of the Good Soil Forum, presented by Wells Fargo. Known for igniting purpose-driven business growth, this years event will feature none other than media icon, philanthropist, and entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey , who will join T.D.

entrepreneurs 75

entrepreneurs mentorship entrepreneurial ecosystem pitching 75

Paul G. Silva

MARCH 26, 2020

At the regional syndication meetings (think of it as the All-Stars of angel-backed companies), the #1 Mistake Entrepreneurs Make Is…. Multi-person pitches add complexity that almost always leads to people going over time, stepping on each other, or confusing the audience. View all posts in the “Startup Pitching” series.

pitching 162

pitching startup culture opportunity 162

Dream It

MAY 29, 2019

Startup pitch meetings are pretty predictable. You walk into a venture fund’s conference room or Zoom room (if they’re progressive), pitch the partners, offer to answer their questions, maybe ask them a bland question or two, and then leave the meeting to await a response. Steve Barsh.

pitching 284

pitching VC investing investment 284

Paul G. Silva

MARCH 26, 2020

This is the 3rd post in the “Startup Pitching” series. Entrepreneurs tend to explain to funders how they will spend money. View all posts in the “Startup Pitching” series. In this post we’ll go over advanced-level (301) techniques. The one (maybe two) number rule. Risk reduction not line items.

pitching 162

pitching startup hospitality funders 162

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 14, 2014

The main driver of the skew towards men getting venture capital, statistically, is that far more men are pitching. That means you actually have a *better* shot, statistically, of getting VC investment at these firms, statistically, once you actually pitch. Once again, that''s all stats and doesn''t really explain anything.

founder 392

founder pitching venture capital mix-use 392

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. For all we know, white men make 99% of the pitches. I’m a female founder. I don’t have enough traction.

advice 450

advice pitching venture capital VC 450

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 22, 2015

After seeing Chamillionaire interact with several entrepreneurs both at events and as an investor I started introducing him to startups in an advisory capacity. It always started the same way – a founder would ask for an intro because they figured he could help with promotion.

ventures 420

ventures pitching entrepreneurship advice 420

Dream It

JANUARY 8, 2020

In the episode, Steve asked Ron about his “five slide pitch deck.” This is what each of the five slides may include: First Slide: The “What” The first slide answers the question that puts entrepreneurs in action: What problem does your solution solve? Read Ron’s article on his five slide pitch deck here.

pitching 195

pitching opportunity board founder 195

This is going to be BIG.

JUNE 23, 2014

Sugarcoating isn''t helpful to entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are sending me back notes saying "They turned it down, but I''m not sure why." It doesn''t help them improve their pitch or adjust their model. What I never say is "I love what you''re doing, but.". At the end of the day, my bet is that you''d rather get that.

pitching 367

pitching VC venture capital opportunity 367

Entrepreneurs' Organization

AUGUST 19, 2021

Manage All of Your Crazy Ideas and Review Them Each Quarter Like most entrepreneurs, I have no shortage of ideas. It’s frustrating when I see entrepreneurs jump on the same old business bandwagon with no real positioning as to how their company is different from the rest. For entrepreneurs, a shortage of ideas is never the problem.

entrepreneurs 243

entrepreneurs opportunity entrepreneurship culture 243

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. At Revolution, Ive seen what backing entrepreneurs with big ideas can breed. startup ecosystem.

entrepreneurship 100

entrepreneurship capital pitching startup ecosystem 100

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. At night I had a group dinner where I met 6 new entrepreneurs and hung out with some old friends from law firms, banks and other VC funds.

pitching 381

pitching board funders entrepreneurs 381

Dream It

DECEMBER 19, 2019

Avoiding 5 Common Cyber Entrepreneur Pitfalls In this #DreamitLive, Ron Gula , president of Gula Tech Ventures , joins Steve Barsh to talk about the 5 most common mistakes cyber entrepreneurs make and how to avoid them. 15:00 - What does you Gula Five Slide Pitch Deck look like? 21:00 - Does the best tech always win?

entrepreneurs 195

entrepreneurs pitching venture capital investing 195

Entrepreneurs' Organization

JANUARY 4, 2023

We asked EO members to look ahead in 2023 and identify trends they see for entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship overall. We asked them to share the skills, mindset or tools that entrepreneurs would be wise to adopt to meet the moment. Video pitching. I see an uptick in pitching via pre-recorded video. Temptation to regress.

ecology 252

ecology entrepreneurship pitching entrepreneurs 252

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.

pitching 111

pitching founder entrepreneurship education 111

This is going to be BIG.

JULY 8, 2013

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. 2) People pitch you. Sometimes, you get contacted by certifiably crazy people who have perfectly legitimate ideas.

venture capital 419

venture capital VC advice capital 419

Entrepreneurs' Organization

OCTOBER 23, 2024

As entrepreneurs, we know these presentations can be deal-makers or deal-breakers. Keep these insights in mind as you design your next folder, and let me know how it impacts your sales pitches. The following folder tips will help you to finalize that next contract.

creativity 267

creativity sustainability pitching entrepreneurs 267

Entrepreneurs' Organization

JUNE 12, 2024

Photo caption: EO members who volunteered to coach GSEA student entrepreneurs include: Divek Barathamanickam, Kate Hancock, Iffat Grecht, Marcelo Bernartt, and Kate Morgan (with Brent Wardrop on the far left behind Divek). Mentoring GSEA student entrepreneurs was one of the most rewarding experiences in my EO journey.

mentorship 233

mentorship peer-to-peer leadership entrepreneurs 233

This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 1, 2016

I can't think of a single time when a white man came to pitch me and I told him his fundraising plans weren't aggressive enough. Yet, for some reason, the goals for her pitch were incremental--despite being in an extremely hot space. So why are so many diverse entrepreneurs shortchanging themselves? Something else is at play.

advice 419

advice founder pitching VC 419

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 9, 2014

I often talk about what I’m looking for when I meet with an entrepreneur. Above all else I’m looking for a genuine passion for what the entrepreneur is doing. You can sense when it is a “mission” for this entrepreneur to succeed and she will continue the journey even if success isn’t easy or immediate.

peer-to-peer 373

peer-to-peer VC pitching entrepreneurs 373

Entrepreneurs' Organization

AUGUST 5, 2022

Some MyEO DX members are angel investors and serial entrepreneurs with deep knowledge about the process and strategy behind buying and selling companies. There’s a lengthy application and vetting process for EO members or Accelerators to qualify to pitch. and more articles from the EO blog. .

accelerator 273

accelerator networking pitching real estate 273

Dream It

JULY 31, 2019

The press enhances this misconception around YCombinator demo days, where the 3-day pitch event is perceived like an auction, with investors fighting each other for the best deals. Many programs still put a lot of focus on demo day rehearsals, prep, and on getting the pitch deck just right. It did for me, at least.

startup 334

startup accelerator pitching venture capital 334

This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 14, 2015

We refer to people as "great entrepreneurs" in the startup community all the time--but are they? It was like someone gave him the instruction manual on how to pitch and no one else had it. Sure enough, the very next pitch sent a screamer his way. That brought up the question of what makes someone truly great at something.

pitching 411

pitching consulting entrepreneurs communities 411

American Entrepreneurship

SEPTEMBER 15, 2024

This annual gathering brings together a dynamic mix of entrepreneurs, angel investors, and venture capitalists from the surrounding states, creating a fertile ground for innovation, networking, and investment opportunities. With a rigorous selection process, only the most promising tech-enabled companies get the chance to pitch.

entrepreneurs 98

entrepreneurs ventures pitching mentorship 98

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. 3) Talk to entrepreneurs they''ve backed before to see who really adds value. How did you pick who to pitch?

VC 379

VC pitching venture capital capital 379

Revolution

FEBRUARY 13, 2023

We sourced and received applications from hundreds of Black, high-growth startup founders from all over the country and held workshops and discussions about the challenges they face, all of which culminated in a virtual pitch competition.

innovation 264

innovation investment investing pitching 264

Both Sides of the Table

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

Now, I’m pretty on the record that being an entrepreneur is about being great at The Do. I have written about the need for entrepreneurs to take inventory in themselves before deciding whom to hire as the rest of the team. Board Meetings. Conferences. I get sucked up in “Do” mode. Startups Are for Doers.

creativity 400

creativity venture capital entrepreneurs board 400

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. So many entrepreneurs beg for just a few minutes of my time. Those kinds of requests feel desperate and not only undermine their pitch, but it''s still real time that adds up.

pitching 344

pitching financing finance incubation 344

Paul G. Silva

FEBRUARY 25, 2025

Startups pitched for 10 minutes each. Mentors and entrepreneurs alike were bored. pitches , back-to-back, with no Q&A. Evolved how we selected companies eventually involving the mentor community, ensuring entrepreneurs were evaluated based on how well they responded to feedback. It wasn’t scalable.

energy 130

energy mentorship pitching entrepreneurship 130

This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 20, 2012

Most entrepreneurs aren't qualified for their jobs--including about 100% of the first timers. I was talking to an entrepreneur the other day, and I asked, "Do you feel like you have a good idea of how you should be spending your time?". I tried pitching business development ideas, coming up with marketing ploys.

peer-to-peer 402

peer-to-peer pitching consulting creativity 402

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 11, 2016

Over the weekend, Rent the Runway held an event for its Project Entrepreneur initiative, which brought together over 100 female entrepreneurs looking to get education and advice on how to take their businesses to the next step. Yes, straight white males are getting most of the funding, but they're also most of the pitches.

pitching 285

pitching financing finance entrepreneurship 285

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.

VC 417

VC pitching networking venture capital 417