YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 11, 2021

by Swapnil Shinde, Co-Founder and CEO of Zeni. If your chart of accounts isn’t structured in the right way, you may end up presenting to board members or investors with financials that aren’t GAAP-compliant or taking weeks to provide the right reports, both of which will give the impression that you don’t have your corporate side in order.

Small Business 208

Small Business Startup Cofounder Vertical 208

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

If you are presenting to a group of angel investors, assume business attire or match the norm of members. All it takes is the same diligence that every entrepreneur puts into solution development, their business plan and investor presentation. Dress to make a statement or stand out in the crowd.

Due Diligence 321

Due Diligence Founder Angel Investor Affiliate 321

Up and Running

AUGUST 12, 2014

A few weeks ago I spoke with Boris Wertz, founder of JustBooks, COO of AbeBooks and founding-partner of Version One Ventures. In In as much as a scheduled interview with an angel investor can be, talking with Boris about what it takes to spark the interest of a venture capital firm was a coincidence. Boris Wertz.

Venture Capital 90

Venture Capital Founder Angel Investor Portfolio 90

The Startup Magazine

MARCH 14, 2022

At this stage, the founder mainly raises funding from their sources or family and friends. If you are one of the fortunate early-stage investors to be presented with such an opportunity, it could lead to rewarding returns. Promoters try to raise this funding majorly from Angel Investors. 2) Seed funding.

Technical Review 145

Technical Review Due Diligence India Startup 145

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 24, 2012

Every new startup I know dreams of being funded early by one of the 318,000 active Angel investors in the USA alone. Most of these investors are members of Angel groups that have a rigorous filtering and screening process, to select the top 3% and most fundable proposals. Build an investor presentation and summary.

Angel Investor 260

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch Angel Groups 260

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

Every new startup I know dreams of being funded by an angel investor. Over half of the survivors remaining are eliminated during live presentations, and another 6.5% Remember the old adage that “investors fund people, not ideas.” Build an investor presentation and summary. Finalize your financial model.

Intellectual Property 249

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Technical Review Elevator Pitch 249

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

Every new startup I know dreams of being funded by an angel investor. Over half of the survivors remaining are eliminated during live presentations, and another 6.5% Remember the old adage that “investors fund people, not ideas.” Build an investor presentation and summary. Finalize your financial model.

Angel Investor 224

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Technical Review Elevator Pitch 224

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 15, 2023

As an advisor to entrepreneurs and active angel investor, I often get questions about the realism of the Shark Tank TV series, compared to professional investor negotiations. The simple answer is that with all the staging of TV lights and billionaire investors, it’s nothing like Silicon Valley.

Entrepreneur 279

Entrepreneur Due Diligence Angel Investor Silicon Valley 279

NZ Entrepreneur

DECEMBER 10, 2020

You may have to give up to 100 presentations – so condense your message. In early 2020, Sutton set up meetings through cold and warm outreach over email, LinkedIn, and networking through angel and tech start-up groups. There is only so much you can get in a ten slide, five minute presentation!

Technical Review 103

Technical Review Software Review Due Diligence Startup 103

The Startup Magazine

NOVEMBER 28, 2018

The event presenter, FUND, is a national connector of entrepreneurs, VCs, angel investors, and industry experts with a focus on deal flow and making connections. The FUND Conference brings together over 100 startups to present their early-stage products and pitches in front of hundreds of investors and industry leaders.

Technical Review 153

Technical Review Software Review Illinois Due Diligence 153

Gust

DECEMBER 16, 2012

ABC Shark Tank Angels via Elite Daily. Every new startup I know dreams of being funded early by one of the 318,000 active Angel investors in the USA alone. Remember the old adage that “investors fund people, not ideas.” Build an investor presentation and summary. Get your Internet domain name and website.

Angel Investor 179

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch Angel Groups 179

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 21, 2023

How do you convince investors that your business model will really work, before you have a revenue stream that exceeds your expenses? Even if you are bootstrapping your business, and you are the only investor, you should be asking yourself the same question.

Business Model 273

Business Model Customer Angel Investor Bootstrapping 273

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 22, 2012

The average length of a funding pitch to angel investors is ten minutes. The biggest complaint I hear from investors is that startup founders often talk way too long, and neglect to cover the most relevant points. I’ve seen several presentations that never moved past the first slide before running out of time.

Technical Review 243

Technical Review Elevator Pitch Angel Investor Matching 243

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 1, 2020

Equity investors. The third source of funding is from equity investors. Under this category, you have the angel investors who would invest their own money and Venture Capital or VC firms, who manage funds aimed towards specific startup sectors and stages. Now here are some of the things that investors won’t tell you.

Startup 150

Startup Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Seed Stage 150

The Startup Magazine

NOVEMBER 14, 2018

At this year’s FUND Conference in Chicago, Illinois, over 100 startups presented their early-stage companies in front of hundreds of investors and industry leaders. FUND is a national connector of entrepreneurs, VCs, angel investors, and industry experts with a focus on deal flow and making connections. Thank you Digs.

Chad 111

Chad Illinois Nepal Haiti 111

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2011

The average length of a funding pitch to angel investors is ten minutes. The biggest complaint I hear from investors is that startup founders often talk way too long, and neglect to cover the most relevant points. I’ve seen several presentations that never moved past the first slide before running out of time.

Technical Review 237

Technical Review Elevator Pitch Angel Investor Matching 237

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

If you are new to the startup space and Angel investing, you probably don’t realize that some groups of Angel investors charge entrepreneurs a fee to pitch to their groups. Others , including noted Angel David S. There is probably a fundamental problem with your business or how you present it.

Angel Groups 237

Angel Groups Angel Investor Due Diligence Seed Stage 237

Up and Running

NOVEMBER 26, 2018

Myth #3: Business plans sell investors. A well-written and convincing business plan (and pitch ) presents your business to investors in detail; but they are investing in your business, not just a plan. Although angel investment is a lot like venture capital (and is often confused with it), there are important distinctions.

SBA 161

SBA Venture Capital Angel Investor Technical Review 161

Gust

FEBRUARY 1, 2014

The ideal angel investor would spend a great deal of his/her time working on behalf of the company in support of the CEO, in every way other than being a full-time employee. In addition to doing the kinds of things that anyone (employee, friend, parent, founder, etc.)

Angel Investor 148

Angel Investor Startup IPO Early Stage 148

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2022

The first rule is to separate your advisors from your investors. Perhaps a close personal friend can be both (the earliest stage and first tier investors should be “friends and family”). But for angel investors and venture capital investors, just remember that investors are not on your team (yet).

Elevator Pitch 316

Elevator Pitch Angel Investor Venture Capital Business Plan 316

The Startup Magazine

AUGUST 11, 2023

At the pre-seed stage, when the creator has a concept, the founder’s background, educational qualifications, domain experience, previous ventures, market size, and the complimentary talents brought by the cofounders are some of the most critical variables to consider before investing in a startup.

Seed Stage 126

Seed Stage Technical Review Early Stage Due Diligence 126

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 14, 2020

As an advisor to entrepreneurs and active angel investor, I often get questions about the realism of the Shark Tank TV series, compared to professional investor negotiations. The simple answer is that with all the staging of TV lights and billionaire investors, it’s nothing like Silicon Valley.

Due Diligence 317

Due Diligence Angel Investor Silicon Valley Green 317

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 22, 2021

How do you convince investors that your business model will really work, before you have a revenue stream that exceeds your expenses? Even if you are bootstrapping your business, and you are the only investor, you should be asking yourself the same question.

Business Model 414

Business Model Angel Investor Bootstrapping Revenue 414

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 24, 2018

Lost and Founder by Rand Fishkin. Filled with transparent discussions about bootstrapping, VC funding, acquisition offers, and what it takes to grow a fledgling company, this book is a self-described list of ‘cheat codes,’ presented thoughtfully, to help startups navigate the murky waters of starting and running a successful business.”.

Entrepreneur 65

Entrepreneur Angel Investor Virginia Oregon 65

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 27, 2016

There is an old saying in the startup investor community, “Smart investors invest in the team, not the idea.” As an angel investor, I’ve learned to believe in this approach, since I have seen great ideas go astray, due to poor execution and I have seen apparently marginal ideas make millions, managed by a savvy entrepreneur.

Technical Review 134

Technical Review Intellectual Property Due Diligence Angel Investor 134

Up and Running

JULY 2, 2014

We developed a kick-ass investor pitch and we started pitching it to family, friends, angel investors, and even venture capitalists for feedback. We soon got interest from an angel investor, and he wanted to invest $300,000 in our startup. We were on a roll. I’d love to hear your startup failure stories.

Technical Review 118

Technical Review Angel Investor Due Diligence Dilution 118

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 19, 2015

The average length of a funding pitch to Angel investors is ten minutes. The biggest complaint I hear from investors is that startup founders often talk way too long, and neglect to cover the most relevant points. I’ve seen several presentations that never moved past the first slide before running out of time.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Elevator Pitch Angel Investor Matching 120

Up and Running

APRIL 7, 2015

When you pitch a startup to angel investors, you want to get questions. Don’t expect that when you’re pitching real angels. Right or wrong, most angel investors consider themselves busy, full of insight, and worth listening to as much as they are worth talking to. See Also How to Impress Angel Investors.

Angel Investor 60

Angel Investor Elevator Pitch Venture Capital Valuation 60

View from Seed

MARCH 24, 2021

Doing Reference Checks on VCs “Try to speak to at least one founder that the investor has worked with in a failed investment. The Seed VC Decision Tree “If the market is attractive and there just isn’t great founder/market fit, we will be open minded as well. This is not always easy to do. ” (Rob Go).

Seed Stage 177

Seed Stage Hiring IPO Analytics 177

Austin Startup

MAY 7, 2017

Tuesday, May 9: VentureCrush ATX (FREE) VentureCrush is a series of unique events and networks created by the Tech Group at Lowenstein Sandler to bring together carefully selected groups of tech industry founders and senior executives, along with VC, growth equity, private equity and angel investors. At Galvanize at 6:00 pm.

Technical Review 75

Technical Review Austin North America Software Review 75

Gust

JUNE 19, 2012

Tim Berry , Founder, Palo Alto Software. Martin Zwilling , Founder and CEO, Startup Professionals. And if you’re a startup CFO, finance lead, bean counter, or presentation slide deck preparer, then you should read this book. Presenting Financials and Other Numbers So People Will Understand You. . June 19th, 2012.

Startup 180

Startup Forecast Angel Investor Software 180

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 11, 2016

As an advisor to entrepreneurs and active angel investor, I often get questions about the realism of the Shark Tank TV series, compared to professional investor negotiations. The simple answer is that with all the staging of TV lights and billionaire investors, it’s nothing like Silicon Valley.

Founder 120

Founder Due Diligence Angel Investor Silicon Valley 120

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

But the thing I am most proud of about Rob is that he has taken a company with a uniquely talented founder & CTO – Nick Halstead – and managed to build a very tight working relationship with Nick where we drive world-class product development without having the usual founder / CEO conflicts. Meeting Dynamics.

Advisory Board 365

Advisory Board CTO Hire Fractional CTO Los Angeles 365

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 7, 2023

You may think this question is just an artifact of good television, but let me assure you that in my experience as an angel investor, it’s a standard “make or break” inquiry posed to every entrepreneur. Have backup charts for investors wanting more detail. Funding for founder salaries at this stage is a red flag.

Elevator Pitch 228

Elevator Pitch Salary Angel Investor Viral 228

Up and Running

MAY 12, 2015

You want to vet your metrics with experts in your industry, see if there are any holes in your presentation, and make sure it reads well before you pitch your investors. See Also 5 Sure-fire Ways to Bomb Your Investor Pitch. The three who agreed to do it had some semblance of a relationship with the founders beforehand.

Angel Investor 60

Angel Investor Software Review Technical Cofounder Due Diligence 60

David Teten

MAY 9, 2012

VCAP©, the first program of its kind, bridges the gap between venture capitalists and angel investor networks and women and diverse entrepreneurs, many of whom have not traditionally had access to these sources of capital. Competitiveness Project and its call for HBS alumni to help continue U.S. competitiveness.

Venture Capital 154

Venture Capital Programming Accredited Investor New York 154

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 11, 2010

And that they don’t set your co-founders or key employees against you in meetings. Remember what happened to the alleged co-founders when Peter Thiel came in? Well, some of the people who considered themselves co-founders suddenly found out they weren’t! Some of those will be outside the company. Deadlines and benchmarks.

Advisory Board 233

Advisory Board Cofounder Phoenix Arizona 233