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Here is How to Make Sense of Conflicting Startup Advice

Both Sides of the Table

When I meet other VCs I’m constantly asking how they decide which investments to make, when to pass, when to do follow-on rounds, when to sell a company vs. when to go long, etc. Draw from Frameworks. The most helpful type of advice in my mind are frameworks for how to solve a problem. For example: 1.

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How entrepreneurs benefit from ‘Alien Thinking’

Entrepreneurs' Organization

But the alien metaphor serves as a neat acronym for the five dimensions of our ALIEN thinking framework: A for Attention. Current innovation frameworks–think lean startup or design sprint–emphasize speed and action over reflection and strategic breaks. L for Levitation (meaning reflection). I for Imagination.

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What's your hero story?

This is going to be BIG.

His story of overcoming child abuse, a missing arm ligament, a decade in the minors and going on to reinvent himself in his mid-30's using a pitch few have mastered is nothing short of inspirational. Oh, did I mention it turns out he's been pitching with a torn abdominal muscle all season?

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How to Objectively Measure the "Fundability" of Your Startup

This is going to be BIG.

Founders need to shift their thinking to an assumption of understanding—that investors who see thousands of pitches per year probably do understand what a founder is doing the vast majority of the time, and have simply decided that the risk/reward for investing in their company simply isn’t as good of a deal as others they’re currently looking at.

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How Much Money Should You Raise From Venture Investors?

Dream It

When pitching investors, remember that your ask is like porridge; it follows the goldilocks ratio and has to be just right. This framework helps founders position their fundraising targets and avoid red flags with investors. Asking for too much or too little funding will raise red flags with investors and cause you to lose credibility.

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How Many Investors are Too Many?

Both Sides of the Table

While there is no right or wrong answer, having seen the extremes I’d like to offer you a framework for considering the right answer for yourselves. So why else would they invest if not as an option to re-up in the next round? These are all dumb reason to invest – of course. I love that. And it’s kind of true.

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How to pitch me: 5 investors discuss what they’re looking for in April 2023

TechCrunch

But dealmaking is idiosyncratic: a few investors might be content to make a deal over coffee, but early-stage teams still need a sturdy pitch deck or memo they can leave behind. I’m going to save you some time: many (if not most) of you are not yet ready to pitch an investor. Thanks very much to everyone who took the time to respond!