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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pitching advice sustainability entrepreneurs 246

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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ventures pitching entrepreneurship advice 420

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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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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innovation investing investment pitching 264

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. Brooklyn Bridge Ventures came in first, with a whopping 61%. Lerer Ventures was second, with just under 20%. Most companies don''t ever raise venture capital and they do just fine.

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Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 8, 2014

And there’s none that makes me happier than to announce that Jordan Hudson has been promoted to a Principal at Upfront Ventures. What is a principal at a VC firm and how does it work at Upfront Ventures? Most associates need some entrepreneurial experience before actually making investments.

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investing investment VC board 365

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. Five have LGBTQ+ founders.

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venture capital capital ventures peer-to-peer 413

This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 16, 2015

It's a story that just hit a milestone--a $4mm round of venture funding that I'm ecstatic to say Brooklyn Bridge Ventures just led. But just because you could see them everywhere doesn't make them an obvious venture bet--nor does it tell the story of how the round even came to be. Still, I followed the space closely.

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venture capital ventures capital consumer retail 359

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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pitching advice health founder 285

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

FEBRUARY 27, 2020

“VCs are looking for a grand slam,” according to Steve Barsh, Managing Partner at Dreamit Ventures. Selling a compelling vision is so critical that some investors weigh it more heavily than the pitch deck itself. By Charles LaCalle Director of Sourcing at Dreamit Ventures. It’s not about the slide deck.

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pitching incumbents transportation strategy 286

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.

pitching 322

pitching VC peer-to-peer founder 322

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 investing investment disruption 253

Dream It

APRIL 21, 2020

When pitching investors, remember that your ask is like porridge; it follows the goldilocks ratio and has to be just right. Here are some common red flags for venture investors: Red Flag #1 : Ask isn’t tied to specific fundable milestones. So the question remains: what is the appropriate amount of funding founders should request?

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ventures pitching frameworks founder 351

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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advice pitching venture capital VC 446

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

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. billion went to women-led ventures.". I AM NOT ARGUING THAT WOMEN AREN''T SEEKING VENTURE CAPITAL. Sounds awful, right?

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venture capital capital ventures founder 302

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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pitching VC venture capital opportunity 364

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. Spell out for people why your team is right for your venture. View all posts in the “Startup Pitching” series. In this post we’ll go over advanced-level (301) techniques.

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pitching startup hospitality funders 162

Dream It

APRIL 12, 2020

Martino founded Bullpen in 2010 with a focus on post-seed, pre-Series A startups, and he led the fund’s investments in companies like FanDuel, Namely, Ipsy, SpotHero, Classy, and Airmap. This geographic distinction is now less about actual geography and more about mentality and style of investing of these types of firms.

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ventures startup capital board 334

This is going to be BIG.

JUNE 15, 2020

In venture, it’s all about getting an opportunity to make partner and being included in the carry—the economic upside of a fund. It would be a directive to literally invest in the talent base—to create a path for influence and economic mobility within a firm. Not all hires, however, are made equally.

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venture capital ventures capital mentorship 311

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.

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. We stayed in touch, doing a couple of tris together, chatting about startups, and venture, life, etc. Even potential employees are excited.

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pitching construction development communities 331

Dream It

OCTOBER 1, 2019

and Dreamit Ventures. The support of IP Group and DreamIt Ventures is further evidence we’re solving a widely recognized problem that is ubiquitous within the healthcare industry,” Airan-Javia said. With that momentum, TrekIT Health was able to secure foundational investment from Ben Franklin Technology Partners last year.

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health investing investment hospitality 34

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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investing investment construction venture capital 335

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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entrepreneurship capital pitching startup ecosystem 100

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2016

I remember when seed funds first started (they were being incorrectly called “super angels” and then Micro VCs before Seed Funds stuck) and every LP (who invest in VCs) told me they weren’t convinced about Seed Funds (too small, too hard to pick winners, would they be able to follow on?). Explosion in Seed Funds. I Leaderless Rounds.

venture capital 271

venture capital capital ventures VC 271

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 finance financing incubation 341

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

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. First off, the vast majority of venture dollars goes to white men. Something else is at play.

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advice founder pitching VC 419

Dream It

FEBRUARY 1, 2022

When pitching a potential investor or customer, time is of the essence. While politicians may be masters at deflecting away from questions they are asked, that is not productive for a founder pitching. By Elliot Levy , Healthtech Associate at Dreamit Ventures Book Office Hours with me.

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VC pitching health founder 513

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.

VC 419

VC pitching board construction 419

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 14, 2019

If you’re lacking for track record as a firm, here’s three exercises you should walk through to help turn your pitch and due diligence meetings from guesswork into something more substantive. How will you provide it across 30 investments? You take your investment model and run it against the past to see if it would have worked.

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ventures angel investing board advice 255

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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angel investing investing investment networking 221

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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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 22, 2021

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of talking to Samir Kaji on the Venture Unlocked podcast about a wide range of topics that we as venture capitalists think about everyday, including: How to build a generational firm?—?retaining OK, so you’ve found your target LPs who invest in funds at your stage. Let me explain. Why Buy Me?

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investing investment ventures pitching 375

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

As VCs we’re inundated with emails from founders, friends, colleagues, angels, seed investors, VCs, law firms, venture banks, corporates and so forth with their favorite deals. I don’t want any formal pitches. And when I’m asked – as I invariably am every time – “What are you looking to invest in?”

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