Dream It

FEBRUARY 27, 2020

But founders are often so consumed with talking metrics, milestones achieved, or the capital they need that they sometimes forget to talk about their overarching vision for their startups. Selling a compelling vision is so critical that some investors weigh it more heavily than the pitch deck itself. 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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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.

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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.

JUNE 23, 2014

When I turn down the opportunity to invest in a startup, I really turn it down. If I don''t have clarity on something, it means that I don''t think the space and the opportunity size is big enough to get clarity. It doesn''t help them improve their pitch or adjust their model.

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This is going to be BIG.

JUNE 17, 2024

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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This is going to be BIG.

MAY 5, 2015

People always tell me how smart they are or how much experience they have--or why they have a passion for startups. I ask, " What could I do for iOS developers so that a bunch of them show up in a place and I can create an opportunity for this company to get in front of them?" mention about themselves. Generosity.

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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. Startup Lessons' It always started the same way – a founder would ask for an intro because they figured he could help with promotion. 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. The startup ecosystem is a terrific manufacturer of bad fundraising advice. 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. I’m a female founder.

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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. startup ecosystem. Take Hilda, this years grand prize winner.

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Both Sides of the Table

JULY 13, 2013

One of my favorite events last year was attending Startup Grind where I got to interview Clayton Christensen, author of The Innovator’s Dilemma. And of course we talked about many of my views of building startups. You didn’t join startups then. You joined a startup if you couldn’t get a real job.

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This is going to be BIG.

JULY 8, 2013

On top of that, anytime I talk to anyone who wants to get involved in startups but isn''t sure what they want to do, inevitably, I hear, "And then I was thinking maybe I should look into venture capital, too.". 2) People pitch you. I probably get around a dozen e-mails a week asking me how to get into venture capital.

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Dream It

APRIL 23, 2019

Dozens of healthcare-focused voice tech startups have popped up in the last few years which are backed by top tier venture funds. That’s why in this article, you’ll get a comprehensive look at the startups using voice technology to make healthcare better, along with some of the VC’s and accelerators that are backing them.

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This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 17, 2014

They just move too painfully slow to work with startups. 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.

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This is going to be BIG.

JANUARY 22, 2014

I''m not going to do too much of a victory lap, though, because it bugs me a little when startups do it, and I''m a startup, too. These are things that other VCs think about, but founders who come to pitch don''t think about too much. Fundraising is not the goal, it''s the means to an end. Was the fund enough to keep me going?

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Entrepreneurs' Organization

AUGUST 5, 2022

It’s an incredibly valuable event for both EO Accelerators and EO members with startups that want to attract investments in addition to EO members who are looking for the right investment opportunity. 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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Revolution

FEBRUARY 13, 2023

And while many venture capitalists rely on pattern recognition as a tried and true investment tactic that can and has delivered returns, it is also a model that perpetuates a history of opportunity gatekeeping. Ultimately, we were so impressed by the finalists’ pitches that Rise of the Rest invested in six of the companies.

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Dream It

JULY 20, 2020

When you’re raising a bridge round and pitching investors, their first reaction may be that you’re in trouble. In this #DreamitDose, Managing Partner Steve Barsh gives founders tips on how to frame their bridge round ask, overcome assumptions investors often make, and provides a general way to structure startup bridge round pitches.

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Hunter Walk

AUGUST 1, 2022

Despite the volume, each opportunity to hear or read more about someone’s idea is a privilege and I try to treat it respectfully, despite not being able to spend meaningful time on the majority of inbound we receive. Hopefully every startup finds the right investors! But as a venture investor, I hate it. Don’t try to reverse engineer.

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This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 17, 2014

Here are two contrasting startup stories I''ve seen firsthand. One of the big opportunities for them is audience development--driving event attendees to the content, events to the readers, and doing some low-hanging fruit upgrades to their social strategy. You could think of it as a spin on Thrillist.

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This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 3, 2014

I just respectfully don''t see the same opportunity as her investors do, and I reserve the right to be 100% wrong. For the most part, journalists give startups a free pass when venture capital money is raised or when companies that clearly seem to have failed get "acquired". I''ve been wrong many times before. We all have.

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This is going to be BIG.

MAY 11, 2015

I realized that I judge a lot of hackathons, pitch competitions and other various things on the weekends, and felt like I was losing at least 2 out of my 8 weekend days--so I gave myself back those days. Out of those, I take about 150 new pitches a year--about 3 a week. It's more aspirational. And yes, I take every other Monday off.

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Startup Blogpost

NOVEMBER 17, 2023

20 Tips for Pitching New Business Ideas to Potential Investors To provide you with the best advice on pitching new business ideas to investors, we asked twenty CEOs, Founders, and other professionals for their top tips. You should highlight the potential future earnings while pitching your proposal. Balance is key!

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Entrepreneurs' Organization

JANUARY 4, 2023

Video pitching. I see an uptick in pitching via pre-recorded video. We used Loom to pre-record our pitch and share it with potential investors. It’s a great way to personalize a pitch deck and share it with interested parties. Opportunity for startups. Here’s what they shared.

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Entrepreneurs' Organization

JULY 14, 2021

I have no opportunity to win even the local competition.” However, I met and pitched my business to people that I follow on social media as business role models. But at the same time, I miss the opportunity of getting to know them in the real world. I thought, “Meh. So, I skipped it. Entrepreneur first, business after.”

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TechCrunch

APRIL 25, 2023

After attending TechCrunch Early Stage last week, I was cheered to meet so many first-time founders and experienced investors who are looking for opportunities. 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.

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American Entrepreneurship

MARCH 20, 2025

Washingtons Premier Connector of Tech and Policy Leaders Welcomes the Next Generation of Innovators that includes Delta Force, an annual cohort designed to support 6-10 of DCs most promising startup founders. Additionally, STATION DC is launching Delta Force, an annual cohort designed to support 6-10 of DCs most promising startup founders.

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This is going to be BIG.

JULY 14, 2019

If a startup pitches me, for example, they’re not asking—they’re selling their equity. If no one ever pitches me, then I’ll have no companies to invest. And if I know the person, I’d so much rather get a pitch from them than someone I have to get to know from scratch (although I’m happy to take cold pitches anytime, too!).

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 1, 2014

It’s the company that evokes fear into more startups and venture capitalists looking to fund eCommerce businesses than any other potential competitor. Every pitch I’ve ever seen has led to the, “Would Amazon eventually do this? I guess he was as excited about the opportunity as I was! And could we then compete?”

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TechCrunch

APRIL 16, 2023

We’ll talk about opportunity in the sector in a post-pandemic landscape — and how he landed investor patience. Got a startup? We’d love to have you participate in Pitch Practice , where you’ll have 2 minutes to pitch the show’s guests and get 4 minutes of feedback. Come join us virtually at 12:00 p.m. Register here.

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This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 18, 2019

Surrounding yourself with diverse teams means being exposed to a lot of different perspectives and creates learning opportunities not possible when everyone you deal with professionally looks and acts like you do. I will back a wide variety of types of companies—everything from The Wing to Imagen.

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American Entrepreneurship

MAY 31, 2024

Entrepreneurs seek to find the right investor and to make the best pitch when the opportunity comes Entrepreneurs start their companies with great passion and big dreams. But how does an entrepreneur know if their startup is funding-worthy and meets investor expectations?

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This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 22, 2012

You have a million things to get done at your startup, yet you only have a handful of people to do them. What is the Minimum Viable Team, if you will, for a startup? I can break down all the things a startup needs to do into three ideal people. Now we’re down to nine core business functions on a small startup team.

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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. Before you start pitching. As a startup founder, you really need to understand how venture capital works.

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Revolution

JANUARY 19, 2021

Part I) Cities are Like Startups Cities are like startups. For example, there is much talk about the “great acceleration” of trends like e-commerce and telehealth, which are driving tremendous momentum and success for well-positioned startups in industries like retail and healthcare. not just a select one or two?—?who

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Entrepreneur's Handbook

APRIL 24, 2021

Advice for non-technical founders for finding a serious CTO for your startup Finding a co-founder is hard work. As a serial technical founder, I often get approached for co-founder opportunities. It goes without saying that being a startup founder is more popular than ever. Finding a technical co-founder is even harder.

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TechCrunch

APRIL 27, 2023

We’re looking for more unique pitch decks to tear down, so if you want to submit your own, here’s how you can do that. Slides in this deck The team submitted this slide deck with the note that it was submitted exactly as it pitched it to the investors. Not all in good ways, but I’m getting slightly ahead of myself.

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