Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 9, 2011

I seem to see common threads in the stories from people who don’t get money, so I checked my list against ones quoted in a recent book by Barry H. We agree on issues we see sabotaging most funding efforts, in decreasing priority sequence: Lack of a compelling story. Cohen and Michael Rybarski, titled “ Start-Up Smarts.”

Software Review 246

Software Review Due Diligence Elevator Pitch Early Stage 246

Austin Startup

JANUARY 2, 2018

Originally published on the Shep Blog As an entrepreneur, particularly at the beginning of your journey, you will constantly have to come up with and refine your message in a multitude of different formats. So get out there and practice your pitch to your partner, co-founder, Mom, and, most importantly your mirror. you are sunk.

Elevator Pitch 54

Elevator Pitch Startup Technical Review Cofounder 54

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

Angels invest in one out of every forty deals they review (2.5%) versus the one out of 400 by VC’s (0.25%). If entrepreneurs are only pitching to angel groups, they’re only pitching to 6% of the active angels, and 0.4% Add video if delivering electronically (try Animoto ) and keep it under one minute.

Angel Investor 159

Angel Investor Technical Review Software Review Accredited Investor 159

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 3, 2010

I seem to see common threads in the stories from people who don’t get money, so I checked my list against ones from Brian Emerson, president of Starlight Investments , as quoted in a new book by Barry H. We agree on issues we see sabotaging most funding efforts, in decreasing priority sequence: Lack of a compelling story.

Software Review 239

Software Review Due Diligence Elevator Pitch Startup 239

The Next Web

JANUARY 23, 2014

You can get a wealth of data about how good your product is before you write even one line of code. Pitch the hell out of it, to friends and family, angels, journalists, random people you meet on the streets, and just about anyone who will lend you an ear. Do their eyes light up after the first sentence of your elevator pitch?

Product 147

Product Elevator Pitch Silicon Valley Vertical 147

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 18, 2020

The first time I ever went to a Chamber of Commerce meeting was also the last time I went to one. We started the meeting going around the table and were each given two minutes to share what we did – our elevator pitch, a way to present our work in such a concise way that it could be shared within the span of an elevator ride.

Elevator Pitch 289

Elevator Pitch New York Security Audience 289

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

NOVEMBER 14, 2011

My mom recently started publishing online courses and my eighty-one year-old grandmother has an iPhone. I even worked on the AdWords API team as an intern at Google. I logged on, created an account, pumped out a few ads, and began awaiting approval. I didn’t have to leave the building or make messy pitches to humans.

Campaign 272

Campaign Software Review Brazil Conversion 272

VC Cafe

AUGUST 9, 2012

Building a good reputation is one of the most fundamental components to a successful start-up and is particularly invaluable in the early stages. The first success was winning the TechCrunch One-Sentence-Pitch Challenge. Researching start-up competitions is the first necessary step towards winning one.

Elevator Pitch 109

Elevator Pitch Startup Europe Reputation 109

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

Most people think of the business plan as a one-time event, something used to accomplish a specific goal—getting funded, usually. How you format your plan will depend on what your needs are. If you’re simply trying to validate a business idea, you’ll use the One-Page Pitch format. Build a cash flow forecast.

Business Plan 60

Business Plan Lean Forecast Balance Sheet 60

Hunter Walker

MARCH 6, 2020

Kia Kokalitcheva: Our newsletters have evolved over the years but today, we’re constantly thinking about what makes a story good enough to “lead” one of our newsletters. Why should this be the main story a subscriber spends their time on when they open the email?

Technical Review 76

Technical Review San Francisco Silicon Valley Venture Capital 76

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 27, 2017

Your bumper sticker isn’t an elevator pitch; that’s much too long. It’s a very short sentence or phrase that sums it all up. Three ideas in any one sitting is pretty much everyone’s limit. If you only have one “go to” gesture, watch speakers on TED Talks or other speakers to build your arsenal.

Elevator Pitch 269

Elevator Pitch New York City New York Audience 269

Up and Running

JUNE 5, 2015

When I think of pitching, I think of presentations (unless we’re talking about baseball, of course). But, pitching can come in different forms, and one of the most common ways to pitch your business —even in our technologically advanced age—is the “pitch email.” Email pitch to investors.

Email 60

Email Elevator Pitch Angel Investor Social Media 60

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 10, 2020

Over the past 20+ years, as an angel investor, former venture capitalist and private equity investor, and serial entrepreneur, I have seen and written, a wide variety of pitch decks and business plans. Can you tell me what your business does in the first sentence? This is where your elevator pitch needs to be embedded.

Business Plan 124

Business Plan Elevator Pitch Equity Private Equity 124

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 28, 2012

I know that they really impacted an entire cohort of startups because every company that was coming to pitch me businesses was (is) saying, “I’m a ‘mobile first’ company.” They are often one click away from buying. by the way, Holger, Kaygetsu should be number one, other than ambiance ). I hope so.

Mobile 334

Mobile Web Software Review San Francisco 334

ConversionXL

MARCH 5, 2019

To many, cold emails are synonymous with spam and a nuisance—one reason why U.S. A sales pitch on Twitter or Facebook has the potential to be seen by thousands of people, but anyone who isn’t checking their timeline right then will likely miss it. An email waits on the recipient. The term has a bad reputation.

Email 130

Email Campaign Reputation San Diego 130

ConversionXL

SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

In this article, I share some best practices for guest blog prospecting, putting together a winning pitch, and creating content that editors love to publish. How to find the right blogs that will accept your pitch. You already know that they’re interested in such content—you just need to come up with a good-enough pitch.

Social Media 116

Social Media SEO Email Campaign 116

Duct Tape Marketing

AUGUST 27, 2022

The photo in the post is a favorite for the week from an online source or one that I took out there on the road. Deck Rocks – is an AI-based tool that generates pitch decks using GPT-3. You just have to describe your idea in 1 or 2 sentences, and you get a deck tailor-made for you within minutes.

SEO 74

SEO Sales Marketing 74

Up and Running

MAY 9, 2022

One of the best uses for a business plan is as an internal management tool to help you run your business. Now, this doesn’t mean that you need to write a full business plan that you’d traditionally use to pursue funding or pitch to investors. . Focus on forecasts and performance. This is a one-sentence summary of your business.

Business Plan 160

Business Plan Forecast Lean Channel 160

This is going to be BIG.

APRIL 29, 2011

I had an interesting conversation with an entrepreneur last week about how he decided which VCs he was going to pitch. She didn't necessarily feel like she knew which ones were promising or not and didn't want to "waste my time." Your one pager will do a much better job via e-mail than you will in 5 minutes nine times out of 10.

Technical Review 114

Technical Review Early Stage Due Diligence Venture Capital 114

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 25, 2019

You might have an elevator pitch prepared for your business. You can think about your mission as a description of the present, rather than the future, such as “installing a solar panel on every home” or “making gyms more accessible and welcoming to newcomers.” . Why Spend Time on Vision and Mission Statements?

Elevator Pitch 154

Elevator Pitch PR Forecast Advertising 154

Gregg Fraley, Author of Jack's Notebook

JANUARY 4, 2017

Write a once sentence answer. Generalize based on your feeling. I’m sure there could be an essay written on this question but, attempt to sum it up. How was it pitched? One or two sentences. In your heart you know what’s going on and you need to face and change a negative culture if you have one.

Technical Review 49

Technical Review Framework Programming Business Model 49

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 5, 2012

DEMO Asia , the biggest startup event in the region, had no lack of outstanding and memorable pitches. We got hold of five startup founders to share with us some tips on how they prepare and deliver their presentations: 1. Alexie Dunayev, CEO of TranscribeMe , uses two sentences to answer each of these questions: Who are you?

Asia 167

Asia Audience Green Social Network 167

Version One Ventures

FEBRUARY 6, 2014

When it comes to putting together your pitch deck and preparing for an investor meeting, there are countless articles and advice you can refer to. For example, we have a list of articles on our Resources page (see under “Pitching”). Without a doubt, the ones who stand out are the ones who share a great story.

Audience 163

Audience Metrics Product Business Model 163

Sophia Perl of Wisdom

NOVEMBER 9, 2010

Pitch Night in San Francisco. My one feedback would be to have networking earlier in the agenda or sprinkled throughout the 6 hour agenda. Here are my notes/takeaways: If you are on a panel, might as well plug yourself when asking or answering questions. Mobile Track — Pitch 2010 Finalist — Mightyverse.

CTO Hire 49

CTO Hire Cofounder Fractional CTO San Francisco 49

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 23, 2011

One of the most frequent questions entrepreneurs ask about when they raise a little bit of money or are getting close to launching their first product is whether they should hire a PR firm. They get pitched by so many blowhards that more genuine people who aren’t in it for just a story stand out from the crowd.

PR 349

PR Startup Hiring Social Network 349

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 31, 2015

Every entrepreneur needs a value proposition statement for his or her startup that can hook potential investors and partners in less than a minute -- the short time you might join them in an elevator on the way to their offices. Skip the sales pitch and avoid preaching. Focus on the solution and skip your team.

Elevator Pitch 120

Elevator Pitch Angel Investor Differentiation Business Plan 120

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

YoungUpstarts

MARCH 30, 2019

And one factor in that equation is creating a sell sheet. Every sell sheet you create should be customized to match the retailer or distributor you’re pitching. Model the layout of your one-sheeter to match the aesthetic of the company or magazine you’re trying to attract. This includes typography, color, and graphic style.

Cofounder 138

Cofounder Matching PR Social Media 138

Sophia Perl of Wisdom

NOVEMBER 9, 2010

Pitch Night in San Francisco. My one feedback would be to have networking earlier in the agenda or sprinkled throughout the 6 hour agenda. Here are my notes/takeaways: If you are on a panel, might as well plug yourself when asking or answering questions. Mobile Track — Pitch 2010 Finalist — Mightyverse.

CTO Hire 40

CTO Hire Cofounder Fractional CTO San Francisco 40

YoungUpstarts

DECEMBER 4, 2018

This first one might feel sort of passive, as if you’re not really doing anything, but stay with me on this. What are these people doing (or not doing) with their voices, body language, facial expressions, sentence structure, or verbal content that makes them good (or not so good) at putting their points across?

Non-Compete 164

Non-Compete Cofounder Conversion Leadership 164

Up and Running

JULY 22, 2020

No one likes having long-winded forms to fill in. Scrutinize every field on your customer forms and ask yourself: “Do I really need to capture that information?”. While many hours have been spent on what you’ve built so far, it’s still worth remembering that your customers are brand new to your idea. Troubleshooting.

eCommerce 98

eCommerce Conversion Caching Technical Review 98

Feld Thoughts

JUNE 6, 2013

In my 1:1 meetings, I try to keep them very short – 15 minutes – and focus on what is “ top of mind “ I learn more from this and can help more precisely than if I spent 30 minutes getting a generic pitch, which will likely change dramatically anyway through the course of TechStars.

Programming 170

Programming Demand Email Entrepreneur 170

YoungUpstarts

NOVEMBER 9, 2017

Put Your Elevator Pitch Above the Fold. Not every business directory allows for pages and pages of expository text, but most provide space for at least a few summarizing sentences, usually above the fold. Take the opportunity to deliver a polished elevator pitch that neatly encapsulates your organization’s function and strategy.

Elevator Pitch 133

Elevator Pitch Leadership Hiring Naming 133

David Teten

JULY 23, 2019

One of my most important responsibilities as a VC is recruiting appropriate co-investors and follow-on investors. See How VCs structure a syndicate and recruit coinvestors for more on this. Every one-paragraph summary of a company should ideally have: – Company name and website. – 1-2 sentence elevator pitch.

Portfolio 60

Portfolio Elevator Pitch Syndicate Syndication 60

Duct Tape Marketing

OCTOBER 21, 2021

Key Takeaway: Today, people are distracted, overwhelmed, and isolated – because of this, there’s been a massive decline in receptivity to another sales pitch, call, or email. 6:24] I get a lot of pitches today essentially cold calls in some form. How do you become that one solution and how do you clearly become that one in 25? [7:39]

Cofounder 89

Cofounder Sales Email Marketing 89

BeyondVC

MAY 17, 2013

Make sure you have a succinct, crisp and clear 2-3 sentence pitch on what you do and that everyone from the CEO down to the engineer or QA can repeat the same mantra. Whether your employees are doing sales pitch or at a conference or cocktail party, they should all be starting with the same message.

Employee 138

Employee Networking Engineer Software 138

The Equity Kicker

AUGUST 29, 2014

He makes a number of good points and the full post is well worth a read, but if I was to summarise it in one sentence it would be ‘impress investors with the way you execute your fundraising process’ That means: Get a quality introduction. Turn the pitch meeting into a conversation. Fashion your first email well.

Conversion 120

Conversion Email Sales Startup 120