The Seraf Compass

JUNE 19, 2024

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

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Paul G. Silva

NOVEMBER 7, 2024

Practice Your Pitch and Save Your Social Capital Entrepreneurs benefit tremendously from practicing their pitch and Q&A. Using ChatGPT (version 4o), you can simulate an investor and practice your pitch – out loud! Instead, it asked: Your revenue-sharing model is somewhat unconventional in the startup investment space.

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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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The Seraf Compass

APRIL 24, 2024

The toughest moment in a new angel’s investing career: a very large round has lots of momentum – it has been expanded and is still over-subscribed.

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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. What metrics do you need to see to invest in my company?

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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.

FEBRUARY 21, 2019

While most of the money that goes into VC funds comes from institutions that are highly experienced in the asset class, some family offices and high net worth individuals also invest in VC. They’re trying to get exposure and diversification at the same time, while potentially seeing co-investment deal flow.

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Dream It

DECEMBER 10, 2020

In this guest Dreamit Dose, Jason Calacanis (@jason), a technology entrepreneur, angel investor, and the host of the popular podcasts This Week in Startups and Angel, answers the top 5 questions he gets about angel investing. Jason says, “Investing is about the long game.” We hope we could answer your questions about angel investing.

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The Seraf Compass

NOVEMBER 27, 2019

How many times have you sat through an entrepreneur’s pitch and learned practically every detail about the product, but almost nothing about the business opportunity. It’s no surprise… their product is their idea and as they nurture it, it becomes like a child to them, and who doesn’t love their child!?

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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. The main driver of the skew towards men getting venture capital, statistically, is that far more men are pitching. In truth, that''s what''s actually driving my investments.

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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.

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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.

APRIL 11, 2022

What Alan recognized was that most IRL forums and networking events are absolutely awful places to pitch and here’s why: 1) When a VC shows up in person, they’re looking to replicate the kind of top of the funnel they would get in an hour or two’s worth of e-mail, and that’s not going to happen if you corral them into a corner for 30 minutes.

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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.

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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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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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This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 1, 2018

Today, I can finally announce Brooklyn Bridge Ventures' investment in The Financial Gym 's $1.8mm seed round, which I led, alongside Alpine Meridian, Secocha Ventures and several high ranking execs from the finance world. They told her to play down the brick and mortar in her pitch. What's the Financial Gym?

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Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 22, 2015

What Cham rarely tells people – he’s both private and humble – is that he started making some small co-investments with me in tech firms starting with Maker Studios where he was one of the earliest investors. We started hanging out a bit and discussing technology and entrepreneurship. They make a great pair.

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

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The Seraf Compass

NOVEMBER 13, 2019

Deciding whether to invest in a good idea is hard. I’ve talked about the role of a compelling executive summary to get an investor's initial attention and secure their agreement to take a pitch meeting. But what should that investor expect out of the ensuing pitch deck? Even when its potential is clearly explained.

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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. In VC, no one''s investment gets bought on the first day, or the second day, or the third day.

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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 think you’d really enjoy meeting her wether you decide to invest or not. And you get to demonstrate your skill sets without even pitching.

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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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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.

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This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 3, 2014

The fact is, it''s just not cool to criticize the investing side of the venture capital market. But can''t I disagree with him on an investment? Why does it seem to automatically make someone an a **e to be critical of an investment? They seemed annoyed that I said anything in the first place. What was said, who''s right, etc.,

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This is going to be BIG.

MAY 11, 2015

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. Actually, I don't do as many of these bike rides as I put down here.

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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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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. Panel prep calls. There''s a special place in hell for panel prep calls.

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This is going to be BIG.

JULY 22, 2015

I'm excited to be able to finally announce Brooklyn Bridge Ventures ' investment in Clubhouse , a company I agreed to back before I even knew what it was. In 2010, a bunch of techies got together to do the next year's NYC Triathlon. I had already done two and was looking forward to joining people from the tech community.

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American Entrepreneurship

AUGUST 6, 2024

The inaugural competition will culminate with finalists doing a live pitch at its upcoming Conference. Identify and access management company Okta will award up to $500K as an investment to the winner of its inaugural SaaS startup competition.

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Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 9, 2014

If I had to put a number on it I’d say 1 in 20 pitches – maybe 1 in 30 – are by an entrepreneur who comes across as truly passionate about her project. I have placed a much bigger emphasis on falling in love as a criterion for my making an investment. Does your investor eat, sleep, breath your industry or product?

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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. Venture investing is hard. Something else is at play. Ask them for an intro to a VC.

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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2021

Whilst there are a wide range of LPs and you could have first meetings for months (and many VCs do), there is probably a much smaller number of LPs who want to invest in a fund your size, with your focus, and whose minimum or maximum check size lines up with what you’re seeking. We invest 40% of our dollars in Southern California firms?—?and

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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. End your pitch with something along the lines of, “So, is this something you feel you would like to get behind?” co-founder).

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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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Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 16, 2014

The speaks to the continued confidence in the venture capital markets and as I had predicted some time ago the VC markets right now are a great place to invest – especially relative to other places to put one’s money. Our last fund we raised was in 2012 and we began investing it in April of 2012. But that’s it.

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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. I’ll be the first to back up the notion that diverse founders have just as much ambition, drive, intellectual horsepower, creativity—you name it—than anyone else.

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