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So you’re getting ready for that call or meeting that you lined up, and you want to make sure you put your very best forward. Let us help with the things NOT to do. TOP 5 MISTAKES: Not clearly articulating what you do, the problem, and/or your solution. Cannot answer questions regarding: addressable market size target customer revenue runway CAC (customer acquisition costs) monthly active users CHURN rate The Ask (the details, how much are you raising and what will it go towards). Talking badly about competitors. Why you? Does not mention the founding teams competitive advantage, such as the team members experience and credentials that will add to the success of the company. Remember a smile and good manners go a very long way. And if you don’t know the answer to a question, don’t make things up or beat around the bush, admit it, and say that you’ll… Read More »Top 5 Mistakes When Pitching to Investors

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE APPROACHING INVESTORS (Angels or VC’s) & RAISING CAPITAL If you haven’t already put together a pitch deck you can check out these posts to help you out: Build Pitch Decks Investors will Love, Top 5 Mistakes in Pitch Decks, and make sure you know your numbers and key KPI’s, they will ask you. Prepare and practice your pitch, so that it comes off the tongue with ease and clarity. If you don’t it will be obvious, and you can’t improvise with this one. Remember investors are looking for a return on their money, so that means an exit, such as an acquisition or IPO, so keep this in mind. Investors love large addressable markets, basically the bigger the problem, and the more frequent the problem the better. Investors are always on the look out for startups with traction, so you don’t necessarily need to… Read More »Get Funded

A pitch deck is the first impression most will have of your business, and if you do it right, it could land you that funding to scale to new heights. The best pitch decks are concise, well organized, easy on the eye, conveys information through graphics, provides the necessary information, and leaves the person interested and engaged. Great pitch decks have: Brief summary of what you do The problem, and the addressable market size The solution (product or service) Timeline of milestones (past, present, and future) Traction (KPI’s) such as: Revenue (including Mom or YoY) Monthly Active Users User Retention (CHURN / Resurrection) CAC (Customer Acquistion Cost) Projections Competition Founding Team (each persons name, position, education, relevant experience and skills that gives the startup a competitive advantage) Also include the members of the advisory board if you have one. The Ask (the details of the round, including how much and… Read More »Build Pitch Decks Investors will Love

After reviewing hundreds of pitch decks, I can say that if it doesn’t leave me intrigued and informed, it’s a no from the get go. Most often the pitch deck is the first impression an investor will have of you and your company, so it needs to be a good one. If by the page 5 the investor cannot walk away knowing what your business does (the problem and the solution), the addressable market size, the KPI’s, the competition, how much are you raising and what the money will go towards, then something needs to change. TOP 5 MISTAKES: Not clearly articulating what you do, the problem, the addressable market size, and/or your solution. Very little or no KPI’s given, such as: revenue, including the growth MoM or YoY runway CAC (customer acquisition costs) active users CHURN rate Too wordy and unnecessarily long (think 25+ pages). The Ask (how much… Read More »Top 5 Mistakes in Pitch Decks