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! Explain in analogies your mother could understand, and quantify the “cost-of-pain” in dollars or time. Business model.

Elevator Pitch 247

Elevator Pitch Exit Strategy Burn Rate Merger 247

Gust

DECEMBER 16, 2012

But many entrepreneurs don’t realize that Angels are also extremely discerning in the projects that they will invest in, rejecting approximately 97% of the proposals submitted to them, according to the California Investment Network. Don’t expect the pomp and celebrity of the Angels on Shark Tank , but they do ask a lot of the right questions.

Angel Investor 179

Angel Investor Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch Angel Groups 179

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 10, 2011

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! Explain in analogies your mother could understand, and quantify the “cost-of-pain” in dollars or time. Business model.

Elevator Pitch 234

Elevator Pitch Exit Strategy Burn Rate Merger 234

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 19, 2010

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! Explain in analogies your mother could understand, and quantify the “cost-of-pain” in dollars or time. Business model.

Elevator Pitch 235

Elevator Pitch Exit Strategy Burn Rate Merger 235

Gust

AUGUST 19, 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! Explain in analogies your mother could understand, and quantify the “cost-of-pain” in dollars or time. Business model.

Elevator Pitch 146

Elevator Pitch Exit Strategy Burn Rate Merger 146

Up and Running

MAY 28, 2015

Having said that, if you are, what I see in our group is the lean business plan is initially in the background, it’s your screenplay for your movie. It’s your plan that you go to as you develop summary and pitch, and most important, I see a hundred pitches a year because I do judging for some other angel groups and so on.

Lean 60

Lean Business Plan Video Software Review 60

Tim Keane

JANUARY 12, 2010

.   For individual angels and others investing their own money, this may be more fluid than for someone with responsibility for a managed fund. For angel groups, the distinction between groups and VCs on this issue is dwindling, especially as angel groups do bigger rounds of financing.

Term Sheet 68

Term Sheet Valuation Dividend Liquidation Preference 68

David Teten

MARCH 24, 2011

The latest investors realize that the money/time the early investors and employees/consultants put in is a sunk cost, so they’re always trying to shrunk down their percentage. As a general principle, I find that later investors typically have little appreciation for the employees/consultants who came in early but are now less involved.

New York 122

New York Warrant Angel Groups Architecture 122

David Teten

DECEMBER 3, 2019

A major angel group uses Influitive , an advocate management tool, to track, activate and motivate their members. Investors are also mining for leads such sources as: – product crowdfunding sites ( Indiegogo *); – tech communities ( Producthunt ); – angel group platforms ( Gust ); – expert networks (e.g.,

Technical Review 78

Technical Review Software Review Analytics Private Equity 78

David Teten

JANUARY 21, 2021

With a portfolio that includes food, tech, and services, the fund is industry-agnostic and focused on the overlooked and underrepresented with high-margin business models. Versatile has built out a suite of no-cost portfolio acceleration services to help its companies succeed. Details here. He writes periodically at teten.com.

Equity 78

Equity Revenue Cofounder Colorado 78

Up and Running

MARCH 11, 2015

This includes again another acronym I’m going to share, CAC, the cost to acquire a customer, the customer acquisition cost. You want to make sure that you understand, does it cost $10 to get a customer? If you’re a physical brick and mortar store, what does it cost to get someone in the door?

Technical Review 60

Technical Review Software Review Due Diligence Exit Strategy 60

David Teten

NOVEMBER 23, 2020

One of the impact initiatives I’m proudest of is founding Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of New York , a nonprofit and now the East Coast’s largest angel group. When we launched in 2010, I saw a white space: a burgeoning NY tech ecosystem, but only one angel group regularly writing checks.

Venture Capital 60

Venture Capital Partner Technical Review Cofounder 60