Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 29, 2020

Remember you are pitching to investors, not customers. Some entrepreneurs seem to think that their product pitch is also their investor pitch. I outlined what investors expect to see in an old article “ Adding Slides Does Not Enhance Your Investor Pitch. First, get their attention with your elevator pitch.

Technical Review 295

Technical Review Elevator Pitch Angel Investor Startup 295

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 27, 2015

I have found it to be more productive and effective to lead with the model that no meetings will take an hour, and may be done in as little as five minutes. Team members need your critique of their work to learn, but attacking the person is never productive. Provide immediate direct and constructive feedback.

Founder 120

Founder Product Elevator Pitch Startup 120

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2015

The better you understand what makes an effective elevator pitch, the more likely you will attract investors and customers. Here are the most common elevator pitch missteps I see often as an angel investor and advisor to startups, with some quick advice on how to address each: Insist on leading with the story of the company.

Elevator Pitch 120

Elevator Pitch Angel Investor Differentiation Business Plan 120

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 17, 2015

If you can sell your idea to companies or potential investors, your product could become the bestseller every inventor dreams of creating. Most new inventions are an improvement on existing products that perform a similar function or involve a new approach to solve a problem that other products also address.

Elevator Pitch 100

Elevator Pitch Differentiation Audience Sales 100

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 10, 2010

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 233

Elevator Pitch Startup Distribution Channel 233

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 11, 2023

I’m not proposing that anyone promise things that they don’t intend to deliver, but it’s time that founders switch to start selling their product before they build it, rather than believing the old adage of “if we build it, they will come.” Craft and hone your elevator pitch early. Craft and hone your elevator pitch early.

Elevator Pitch 315

Elevator Pitch Public Relations Social Media Startup 315

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 27, 2020

As an aspiring entrepreneur, one of the most important things you need is a memorable “ elevator pitch ,” to communicate your startup value proposition and leave a great first impression on friends, investors, employees, and future customers. I recommend that a good elevator pitch is not just for riding with someone in an elevator.

Elevator Pitch 317

Elevator Pitch Intellectual Property Cost Technology 317

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2019

I love good causes and social entrepreneurs, but a recent pitch to me about eliminating world hunger with a new product (harvesting algae at low cost) seemed to forget that really hungry people don’t have any money. Start by developing an “elevator pitch,” that you can deliver in thirty seconds to hook a potential customer or investor.

Intellectual Property 235

Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch Harvest Technical Review 235

Up and Running

NOVEMBER 13, 2012

Whether you are trying to raise money for your business or just want to perfect your business strategy, a solid elevator pitch is an essential tool for achieving your goals. An elevator pitch can be delivered either verbally, ideally in 60 seconds or less, or as a one-page overview of your business. Simple as that.

Elevator Pitch 166

Elevator Pitch Forecast Oregon Differentiation 166

ReadWriteStart

JUNE 1, 2020

You must have a prototype or a minimum viable product (MVP). To fund the sudden spike in production, funds will be required for additional inventory and wages. It is going to cost a lot of money just to get the initial batch of products to test the market and would definitely require external funding. Inception stage.

Startup 150

Startup Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Seed Stage 150

The Next Web

JANUARY 23, 2014

She previously served as the Chief Product Officer and Chief Marketing Officer at Smule , where she remains an advisor to the Board of Directors. To many, it connotes bloated budgets and the use of psychological trickery to make up for the fact that your product sucks. If a product is good, we are told, it should simply sell itself.

Product 147

Product Elevator Pitch Silicon Valley Vertical 147

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 15, 2018

This should be obvious, but much of what passes for “a story” these days are things like elevator pitches or product descriptions that have no characters at all. It’s even acceptable to make up a place with a “what if.” Every story needs a main character.

Elevator Pitch 211

Elevator Pitch Technical Review Boston Sales 211

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2021

Here is my outline of key deliverables that could convince me that you are a cut above the “average” entrepreneur that approaches me with nothing but a dream and a prayer: Personal video introduction with elevator pitch. Pitch your company, not your product. Even if you have an hour booked, the advice is the same.

Elevator Pitch 390

Elevator Pitch Entrepreneur Due Diligence Angel Investor 390

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2023

These are the only people likely to believe in newbies, with only minimal product evidence or business experience. This is confirmation that the right people are always more important than the right product. Use the minimum viable product concept to get revenue early, and allow market and product pivots at minimal cost.

Sweat Equity 274

Sweat Equity Elevator Pitch Startup Equity 274

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 8, 2020

I’m not proposing that anyone promise things that they don’t intend to deliver, but it’s time that founders switch to start selling their product before they build it, rather than believing the old adage of “if we build it, they will come.” Craft and hone your elevator pitch early. Craft and hone your elevator pitch early.

Elevator Pitch 312

Elevator Pitch Public Relations Marketing Social Media 312

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 20, 2016

Even if your product is a technological marvel, I look for balanced strength on the team in finance, marketing and operations. It starts with having a vision and an ability to get the message across in your elevator pitch, in a written business plan and one-on-one with potential investors. Focus on prior results, not titles.

Sweat Equity 152

Sweat Equity Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Software Review 152

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 6, 2013

I recommend a business focus on a one-year timeframe, with a limit of three product goals and three process goals. Accountability requires splitting your big product goals into daily process goals and scheduling them to completion. It’s hard to achieve things that have not been defined, and the steps to get there are not clear.

Elevator Pitch 303

Elevator Pitch Entrepreneur Matching Leadership 303

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 22, 2013

Can concisely explain the unique, compelling value of the proposed venture in written terms and in oral presentations (elevator pitch), recognizing that some investors rely more on one than the other. The technology or product may be at an embryonic stage. Here are some key ones they look for: Talks and writes well.

Technical Review 273

Technical Review Intellectual Property Angel Investor Elevator Pitch 273

YoungUpstarts

APRIL 17, 2018

Think of it as an elevator pitch for recruiting. Not sales, product development, or fundraising. Your internal team creates your external results, such as new products and increased revenues. As Elon Musk says, “A company is just a bunch of people who come together to create a product or service”.

Cofounder 164

Cofounder Elevator Pitch Hiring Dividend 164

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 19, 2014

You see, investors invest in people, before they invest in ideas or products. Practice your “elevator pitch,” and end it by asking for the order. Look for ways to get some traction with a minimal product, while you are still developing the main event. Be upbeat and respectful. Show some incremental value along the way.

Technical Review 266

Technical Review Elevator Pitch Due Diligence Startup 266

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 18, 2012

Can concisely explain the unique, compelling value of the proposed venture in written terms and in oral presentations (elevator pitch), recognizing that some investors rely more on one than the other. The technology or product may be at an embryonic stage. Here are some key ones they look for: Talks and writes well.

Technical Review 294

Technical Review Intellectual Property Angel Investor Elevator Pitch 294

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 13, 2022

Offer to give your executive presentation, but he may want just the elevator pitch. Don’t insist on a product demo – he is buying the business, not the product. Put your ear to the ground before charging ahead. Listen, and follow his lead with confidence and enthusiasm. Follow-up to assess progress or casualties.

Elevator Pitch 316

Elevator Pitch Angel Investor Venture Capital Business Plan 316

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 27, 2016

Take full advantage of your most productive times. Reflect on what your most productive hours in the day are, and set yourself up for success within those hours. Pin down your elevator pitch. Here are the top tips for running a successful business on your own: 1.

Elevator Pitch 100

Elevator Pitch Technical Review Affiliate Global 100

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. In this case, it’s not a lack of interest, just a lack of time and efficiency.

Angel Investor 153

Angel Investor Elevator Pitch Pre-Money Valuation Technical Review 153

Up and Running

MARCH 30, 2015

Yes, I’m biased on LivePlan because it’s our product, but I see it used as a business summary now in the programs of several of the most prestigious business plan competitions, and my angel group is now using it to summarize some of the companies that submitted for our annual community event. The elevator speech or elevator pitch.

Elevator Pitch 60

Elevator Pitch Lean Oregon Angel Groups 60

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 30, 2013

Remember you are pitching to investors, not customers. Some entrepreneurs seem to think that their product pitch is also their investor pitch. I outlined what investors expect to see in another article “ Adding Slides Does Not Enhance Your Investor Pitch. First, get their attention with your elevator pitch.

Angel Investor 256

Angel Investor Technical Review Elevator Pitch Matching 256

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 3, 2013

You see, investors invest in people, before they invest in ideas or products. Practice your “elevator pitch,” and end it by asking for the order. Look for ways to get some traction with a minimal product, while you are still developing the main event. Be upbeat and respectful. Show some incremental value along the way.

Technical Review 273

Technical Review Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Due Diligence 273

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 29, 2012

I recommend a business focus on a one-year timeframe, with a limit of three product goals and three process goals. Accountability requires splitting your big product goals into daily process goals and scheduling them to completion. It’s hard to achieve things that have not been defined, and the steps to get there are not clear.

Entrepreneur 286

Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Matching Leadership 286

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 7, 2013

Practice every step, including the elevator pitch to get the first meeting. Use friends, family, and angels, if possible, to get a product, revenue, and customers first before the VC connection. Remember you only have one chance for a good first impression. Don’t try to talk your way to a deal before you have the documentation.

Venture Capital 252

Venture Capital IPO Elevator Pitch Initial Public Offering 252

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 12, 2017

Seasoned brands tend to excel at minimalism, especially textual minimalism, because they’ve had years to hone their product descriptions and brand mission, while new companies experience a lot of verbal overflow because they’re still mastering their own brand narrative.

Web 113

Web Design Elevator Pitch Entrepreneur 113

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2021

It’s really a multi-step process, with the first step getting you from an idea to a viable product, and the remaining steps creating a sustainable business. Pitching” is the insider term for presenting your product idea to people who could conceivably buy it or fund your efforts. Factory in the garage (make it).

Non-disclosure Agreement 340

Non-disclosure Agreement Elevator Pitch NDA Entrepreneur 340

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 2, 2012

An Executive Summary is a one page elevator pitch of the whole plan (may be separate from the plan), which gives an investor a net perspective on the key business parameters. When you send a business plan to an investor, remember that the purpose is not to sell your product or service, but to sell you and your business model.

Elevator Pitch 244

Elevator Pitch Technical Review Business Plan .Net 244

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). They are willing to cover marketing, inventory and scaling, but not product development. Make your focus and priorities clear.

Elevator Pitch 228

Elevator Pitch Salary Angel Investor Viral 228

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 23, 2023

Skip the fill words and fuzzy phrases, like better, cheaper, easier to use, or more productive. A great selling proposition is one that you can use as a kickoff in all your investor and customer presentations, including your elevator pitch, executive summary, website, and customer collateral. Keep it simple and short.

Intellectual Property 240

Intellectual Property Elevator Pitch Algorithm Social Media 240

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 11, 2021

These are the only people likely to believe in newbies, with only minimal product evidence or business experience. This is confirmation that the right people are always more important than the right product. Use the minimum viable product concept to get revenue early, and allow market and product pivots at minimal cost.

Sweat Equity 346

Sweat Equity Elevator Pitch Equity Venture Capital 346

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

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 22, 2012

Remember you are pitching to investors, not customers. Some entrepreneurs seem to think that their product pitch is also their investor pitch. I outlined what investors expect to see in another article “ Limit an Investor Pitch to 10 Pages and 10 Minutes.” First, get their attention with your elevator pitch.

Technical Review 243

Technical Review Elevator Pitch Angel Investor Matching 243