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. Welcome to the family.

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Venture Well

JULY 29, 2019

VentureWell Director of Venture Development, Eli Velasquez offers insights on how to develop pitch competitions that provide maximum support to startups. The post Rethinking Pitch Competitions: Create Value, Not a Spectacle appeared first on VentureWell.

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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 think of venture capital as a service business. No one ever tells me how generous they are, or shows it. That's largely how I think about my job.

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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. VCs need to go to 20 cities and pitch one firm in each location!” We raised $280 million.

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A VC: Musings of a VC in NYC

OCTOBER 14, 2020

The NVCA and Pitch Book are out with their Q3 report on the VC industry and what they report is that the VC industry continues to be very active throughout the pandemic. The startup economy is alive and well during the pandemic. Deal counts and deal values are stable to up over last year. Valuations continue to rise.

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Paul G. Silva

MARCH 26, 2020

This is the 3rd post in the “Startup Pitching” series. Spell out for people why your team is right for your venture. A startup is a bundle of risks. View all posts in the “Startup Pitching” series. In this post we’ll go over advanced-level (301) techniques.

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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. Fifteen had co-founders over 40.

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Dream It

JULY 31, 2019

Being self-sustainable has given us a new perspective on startup funding, especially compared to what I experienced on my first accelerator run. 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.

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Dream It

SEPTEMBER 25, 2020

Among them, VCs and startups are forced to interact remotely and make deals without ever shaking hands. 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.

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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. Here are five aspects of PR I feel like most startups need to do more of: 1) Fit all PR into a long term plan. Venture Capital & Technology'

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This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 14, 2014

Brooklyn Bridge Ventures came in first, with a whopping 61%. Lerer Ventures was second, with just under 20%. Take the most widely used number--that way fewer women are getting venture funding than guys. Most companies don''t ever raise venture capital and they do just fine. Well, it''s gotta mean something, right?

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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. VCs are looking for a grand slam,” according to Steve Barsh, Managing Partner at Dreamit Ventures. 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

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. Will a financial crisis affect how venture funds deploy capital? Startups should know how VCs work. startup) per month.

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Dream It

FEBRUARY 5, 2021

We did a previous dose on 5 things investors wish startups knew. Managing Partner, Steve Barsh , sat down to give us 5 MORE things investors wish startups knew. Keep reading for some more of the most common mistakes startups make when pitching and for Steve’s tips on how to fix them. Go here if you missed it. co-founder).

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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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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. Are you working on an Urbantech, Securetech, or Healthtech startup?

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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. 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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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.

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pitching entrepreneurs venture capital ventures 256

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. At least, I thought it was.

venture capital 362

venture capital ventures capital consumer retail 362

This is going to be BIG.

MARCH 24, 2014

These days, there are a ton of options for you if you''re a startup seeking guidence. We''ve done a lot to make sure startups get all the help we can get--and it''s leading to higher companies getting off the ground. Not every VC used to get pitched by VC funds for a living and has seen hundreds and hundreds of VC pitch decks.

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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. 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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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. If an entrepreneur is going to invest their time pitching me or having a meeting--I''ll do my best to invest my time to have an opinion. Venture Capital & Technology'

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Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 25, 2013

They pitched on a Wednesday. Ex Venture Capitalist with Battery Ventures. Didn’t I make myself clear about celebrities & startups ? Turns out she’s done this startup thing before. And they’re both full time committed to their startup – Moonfrye. Startup Advice' Kara as CEO.

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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 5, 2016

The funding environment for tech startups is an ever shifting ground as we go through predictable shifts that go hand-in-hand with the slowing of the overall market. Boom in Number of Startups. There was an explosion in number of startups both because it was cheap and there was tons of available capital. Non VC Growth Rounds.

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Dream It

FEBRUARY 1, 2022

When pitching a potential investor or customer, time is of the essence. But often, we’ll hear founders misstep and repeat easy mistakes that throw off Q&A flow and cause startups to lose points. But often, we’ll hear founders misstep and repeat easy mistakes that throw off Q&A flow and cause startups to lose points.

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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.

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This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2014

Because, you know, who doesn''t love a good startup list. It''s a story of a mechanical engineer turned startup entrepreneur who has seen how NYC actually works (and built a company to help it run smooth) from as deep undergroud as the East Side Access Project under Grand Central and as high as the roof of the NY Times building.

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peer-to-peer startup collaboration venture capital 362

Paul G. Silva

FEBRUARY 25, 2025

How Iteration Transformed Valley Venture Mentors Before I co-founded Valley Venture Mentors (VVM) and for all of my time there, we experimented with different ways to connect startups with mentors. Iteration #1: High-Value, but Unsustainable Our first approach was simple: hand-match startups with mentors for one-on-one meetings.

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mentorship energy pitching entrepreneurship 130

This is going to be BIG.

FEBRUARY 17, 2020

We’ve all heard the anecdotes—the famous founder who pitched 1000 investors before any of them said yes. They think that if they just had enough money to market something, it would take off, yet whenever they pitch the app in front of a crowd of 100 people, the conversion and virality rate isn’t proven out at all.

startup 281

startup pitching venture capital founder 281

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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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.

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.

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VC pitching networking venture capital 417

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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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 30, 2016

conversation literally every week with startups. And if you raise the “5 on 20” and don’t grow into your next-round valuation you’re stuck because venture investors HATE doing down rounds. I understand this instinct for more capital and I have two very different personal experiences: In my first company we raised an A-round of $16.5

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startup creativity entrepreneurs support 292

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014

Building Startups for Basecamp. 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. Lines, Not Dots. Attitude over Aptitude. And so forth. Play the long game.

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American Entrepreneurship

OCTOBER 3, 2023

Three of the four pitching finalists were women entrepreneurs focusing on health and wellness issues. When the organizers of Venture Atlanta 2023 put together this year’s program, they decided to add some excitement. Women’s healthcare startup Betty’s Co. The Startup Showcase concluded V enture Atlanta 2023.

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