Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 11, 2021

Many first-time entrepreneurs find themselves unable to bootstrap their startups, and also unable to find early funding at the venture capital level or even with angel investors. The average amount per startup has been $23,000, usually in the form of a convertible loan, rather than an equity investment.

Sweat Equity 346

Sweat Equity Elevator Pitch Equity Venture Capital 346

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 28, 2018

There’s a quick litmus-test conversation any early-stage VC will have with the founder and it’s one that you should be as prepared for as your elevator pitch. Conversely many VCs believe that constraining cash can often lead to increases in creative solutions at a startup. Founder: “$250k / month.” This is a red flag for VCs.

Burn Rate 247

Burn Rate Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Dilution 247

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2015

" Investors want to buy into an entrepreneur with a startup that can provide evidence of an ability to double customer productivity, at half the cost, with patented technology. This is your elevator pitch and customer value proposition, and is your key to getting an investor to read even the remainder of the summary.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch Angel Investor Technical Review 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 24, 2011

billion jump in funding over the same quarter of 2010 with a similar number of deals, so it clearly shows a trend to larger deal sizes for fewer startups. To me, this indicates that venture capitalists (VCs) are looking for business, but not from first-time startups. Overall, investors put $7.5 That represents a $1.5

Venture Capital 233

Venture Capital Revenue Elevator Pitch Silicon Valley 233

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 7, 2023

That means they normally only invest in startups with a working product that has already been sold to at least one customer for full price (beta tests, giveaways and best friends don’t count). Startups whose marketing budget is trivial lose credibility and most likely the investment. Make sure allocation amounts are reasonable.

Elevator Pitch 228

Elevator Pitch Salary Angel Investor Viral 228

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 26, 2012

An "elevator pitch" is a concise, well-practiced description of your startup and your plan, delivered with conviction and enthusiasm, that your mother should be able to understand in the time it would take to ride up an elevator. A good elevator pitch is not just for an elevator discussion.

Elevator Pitch 283

Elevator Pitch Startup Differentiation Distribution 283

Gust

JULY 23, 2014

So even if my own mother asked me to meet with you, and you were pitching me a biotech opportunity for a $10 million investment at a $90 million valuation, I might take the meeting, but it wouldn’t be particularly useful for either of us. Now comes the really tricky part: getting me to review all that stuff you just neatly uploaded.

Angel Investor 153

Angel Investor Elevator Pitch Pre-Money Valuation Technical Review 153

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 12, 2020

That means they normally only invest in startups with a working product that has already been sold to at least one customer for full price (beta tests, giveaways and best friends don’t count). Startups whose marketing budget is trivial lose credibility and most likely the investment. Make sure allocation amounts are reasonable.

Elevator Pitch 336

Elevator Pitch Salary Angel Investor Viral 336

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

Every new startup I know dreams of being funded by an angel investor. Over the past 10 years, I have had the opportunity to see how the process works, several times from the startup side, and more recently from the angel perspective (as a member of an angel group selection committee). Prepare an investment-grade business plan.

Intellectual Property 249

Intellectual Property Angel Investor Technical Review Elevator Pitch 249

SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 1, 2010

I had a recent email dialog with the founder of a company looking for a CTO for their startup. Was it a Startup Founder Developer Gap ? Did they really need a Startup CTO or Developer or both? who start with small equity percentages don’t end up making very much from startups. Refine your elevator pitch.

Technical Cofounder 241

Technical Cofounder CTO Hire Equity Sweat Equity 241

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

Every new startup I know dreams of being funded by an angel investor. Over the past 10 years, I have had the opportunity to see how the process works, several times from the startup side, and more recently from the angel perspective (as a member of an angel group selection committee). Prepare an investment-grade business plan.

Angel Investor 224

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Technical Review Elevator Pitch 224

Up and Running

APRIL 11, 2012

He defines the elevator pitch, video pitch, executive summary, PowerPoint presentation, and business plan as different forms. For more on this, you could find a lot of the same kind of thinking in my form follows function post on my Planning Startups Stories blog, part of a series on business planning fundamentals.

Business Plan 85

Business Plan Elevator Pitch Technical Review Due Diligence 85

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 2, 2020

I find the best business plans are not books, but may actually should start as a one-page “elevator pitch” that succinctly encompasses your business goals, problems and solution, opportunity, competition, and business model. Target measurements allow you to assess your business progress. A full plan may be no more than 20 pages.

Elevator Pitch 315

Elevator Pitch Cofounder Dividend Leadership 315

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 19, 2022

And if you’re not sure how to reach your goals, these B2B sales tips that we prepared will help you reach the revenue and success you’re hoping for. Consider using an elevator pitch strategy and determine how you can present your solution within the same amount of time that the strategy calls for. Focus on OKRs.

B2B 144

B2B Sales Elevator Pitch Lead Generation 144

OnlyOnce

JULY 9, 2013

Startup CEO (OnlyOnce – the book!), My book, Startup CEO: A Field Guide to Scaling Up Your Business , is now available for pre-order on Amazon in multiple formats ( Print , Kindle ), which is an exciting milestone in this project! Part III – Pre-Order Now. questions”. Writing a book is a LOT harder than I expected!

Startup 95

Startup Advisory Board Elevator Pitch Forecast 95

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 19, 2018

Of course, the average beginning amount per startup is low, and usually in the form of a convertible loan, rather than an equity investment. Shy introverts may be great technologists, but they won’t be entrepreneurs until they learn to respectfully ask for funding, after nurturing relationships, and practicing their elevator pitch.

Elevator Pitch 215

Elevator Pitch Equity Revenue Differentiation 215

Austin Startup

AUGUST 3, 2017

Is it an Texas-based tech startup company or is it doing something in the email space? For me, that’s any tech startup company in Texas or any email related company in the world. If your answers starts with, “We have multiple revenue streams…” that’s a bad thing. Is this a big enough market to support a venture funded business?

Technical Review 69

Technical Review Startup Texas Email 69

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 27, 2019

Every entrepreneur and every startup needs to have a clear “elevator pitch,” which identifies a unique strength and value they bring to the table. Focus on the ultimate customer, and find a way to improve satisfaction, grow revenue, or cut costs. Walk away from a bad role or customer.

Employee 246

Employee Elevator Pitch Differentiation Social Media 246

Gust

OCTOBER 11, 2011

An “ elevator pitch ” is a concise, well-practiced description of your startup and your plan, delivered with conviction and enthusiasm, that your mother should be able to understand in the time it would take to ride up an elevator. A good elevator pitch is not just for an elevator discussion.

Elevator Pitch 174

Elevator Pitch Startup Differentiation Distribution 174

Up and Running

MARCH 14, 2018

I know what it’s like to pitch to investors—both angels and venture capitalists. I’ve raised close to $1 million from angel investors for my previous technology startups. Sometimes you only get 10 minutes to pitch your business opportunity to the investors (or less in some cases). Begin your pitch with a compelling story.

Hockey Stick 164

Hockey Stick Exit Strategy Technical Review Angel Investor 164

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 18, 2012

This is a key element of every elevator pitch, with enough specificity and fuel to keep you and everyone around you moving toward the beacon in the fog. Drive your startup to profitability. Create a catalyzing statement. This quantified big dream should be a long-term goal that your short-term zigzags are all leading to.

Elevator Pitch 248

Elevator Pitch Startup Bootstrapping Entrepreneur 248

Austin Startup

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

With the recent influx of startups, there is a lot of competition for venture capital funding. Latinos in particular are more likely to be organized as sole proprietorships, but by getting a partner you will have a whole new network to work with and have help in getting your startup off the ground. and represent 8.3%

Venture Capital 48

Venture Capital Oakland Elevator Pitch Technical Review 48

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 14, 2015

A popular startup myth claims you don’t need one, since investors never read them. In my perspective as an advisor and mentor to many entrepreneurs, there are a set of basic strategies that can be applied to every startup to dramatically improve the odds of success, no matter what the business domain.

Elevator Pitch 120

Elevator Pitch Burn Rate Startup Metrics 120

Steve Blank

MARCH 8, 2011

It was designed to bring together many of the new approaches to building a successful startup – customer development, agile development, business model generation and pivots. Startups, are not about executing a plan where the product, customers, channel are known. – not just web-based startups.

Lean 298

Lean Business Model Customer Development Guinea 298

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 26, 2018

Money seems to disappear at a startup once it hits the bank. Cash flow issues, the type where a company is bringing in plenty of revenue but is struggling to meet expenses can be really challenging for startups. Running a lean startup takes major budgeting skills. Market research. What changed?

Elevator Pitch 242

Elevator Pitch Due Diligence Networking Venture Capital 242

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2017

This is your elevator pitch hook, which you must be able to deliver in 30 seconds. Providing your product or service free to customers may sound attractive in marketing materials, but you need revenue sources to survive. Project revenues, costs and investment needs. No more pain of phone shutdown in the middle of a call.”

Elevator Pitch 163

Elevator Pitch Angel Investor Silicon Valley Revenue 163

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 20, 2018

As a mentor to startups and new entrepreneurs, I continue to hear the refrain that business plans are no longer required for a new startup, since investors never read them anyway. For aspiring entrepreneurs, or if your last startup failed, it’s all about standing out above the crowd of others like you, and demonstrating your readiness.

Elevator Pitch 164

Elevator Pitch Due Diligence Angel Investor Business Plan 164

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 15, 2015

As a mentor to startups and new entrepreneurs, I continue to hear the refrain that business plans are no longer required for a new startup, since investors never read them anyway. For aspiring entrepreneurs, or if your last startup failed, it’s all about standing out above the crowd of others like you, and demonstrating your readiness.

Elevator Pitch 120

Elevator Pitch Due Diligence Startup Angel Investor 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 31, 2014

That means they normally only invest in startups with a working product that has already been sold to at least one customer for full price (beta tests, giveaways and best friends don’t count). Startups whose marketing budget is trivial lose credibility and most likely the investment. business entrepreneur funding investor startup'

Elevator Pitch 285

Elevator Pitch Salary Angel Investor Viral 285

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 18, 2014

As a mentor to startups and new entrepreneurs, I continue to hear the refrain that business plans are no longer required for a new startup, since investors never read them anyway. For aspiring entrepreneurs, or if your last startup failed, it’s all about standing out above the crowd of others like you. Written business plan.

Entrepreneur 270

Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Due Diligence Angel Investor 270

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 5, 2018

That means they normally only invest in startups with a working product that has already been sold to at least one customer for full price (beta tests, giveaways and best friends don’t count). Startups whose marketing budget is trivial lose credibility and most likely the investment. Make sure allocation amounts are reasonable.

Elevator Pitch 139

Elevator Pitch Salary Angel Investor Viral 139

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2012

As a member of the local Angel group selection committee, I’ve seen a lot of startup presentations to investors, and I’ve never seen one that was too short - maybe short on content, but not short on pages! Every startup needs both a business plan and an investor presentation, completed before you formally approach any investors.

Elevator Pitch 247

Elevator Pitch Exit Strategy Burn Rate Merger 247

Up and Running

AUGUST 18, 2014

It can be hard to pitch your startup, but with a little practice, you’ll be able to naturally bring it up in social situations—without feeling pushy or rehearsed. But finding natural ways to pitch your startup may still seem like the most daunting task you’ve faced yet. Adapt your pitch to the platform.

Elevator Pitch 114

Elevator Pitch Private Placement Startup Conversion 114

Austin Startup

SEPTEMBER 6, 2019

Capital Factory’s Saturday Startup Spotlight series continues this week with the CEO and Co-Founder of Zirtue : Dennis Cail. link] Can you introduce yourself & give us your elevator pitch? That puts us in a place where we’ll be close to 2 million dollars in annual revenue. which is really our year one target.

Startup 77

Startup United States Elevator Pitch Cofounder 77

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 26, 2020

Be sure to include this in your “elevator pitch,” which you must always deliver as a prelude to your technology features. The most common business entity used for startups is a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC), which is the cheapest and simplest to manage. They want to see revenue to share in the return.

Business Plan 423

Business Plan Product Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch 423

Gust

DECEMBER 9, 2012

This is a key element of every elevator pitch, with enough specificity and fuel to keep you and everyone around you moving toward the beacon in the fog. Drive your startup to profitability. Create a catalyzing statement. This quantified big dream should be a long-term goal that your short-term zigzags are all leading to.

Elevator Pitch 163

Elevator Pitch Startup Bootstrapping Entrepreneur 163

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2016

As a startup advisor and investor, I find that more and more entrepreneurs avoid using the term “profit” in pitching their new venture. Every entrepreneur needs a good “elevator pitch” which succinctly describes the idea, the customer value proposition, and business profit. Without profit there is no business.

Intellectual Property 120

Intellectual Property Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Exit Strategy 120