Founders and Fundraising
The Real Reason Your Startup Will Fail
There’s a CB Insights study that you’ve likely seen about why startups fail. Their list is the classic, greatest hits, of why startups fail: Run out of cash No market need Got outcompeted Flawed business model Regulatory/legal challenges Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. I could go on…
Read MoreHow Do You Prepare To Pitch Investors?
“You made things a lot easier for me,” Jim said to me, shaking my hand. My co-founder and VP Engineering, Jeroen, and I had flown to Boston to pitch Jim and his partners, and Jim’s reaction indicated the meeting went well. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. “That’s…
Read MoreWhat Are The Characteristics Of A Great Investor?
“Oh, Great God of Venture Capital,” I said, “Can you help me find a good VC or two for my new venture? I won’t even ask for a great VC, just a good VC will do. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. “Are you taking notes, oh Great…
Read MoreWhat Do You Do When An Investor Doesn’t Call You Back?
“God, do I hate radio silence,” I said to my friend and mentor, Dave. “Why don’t VCs just let me know they just don’t want to invest instead of leaving us hanging?” Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. Dave smiled and nodded his head in agreement. He had…
Read MoreCan I Pitch My Startup To Investors Without A Product?
Let me ask you a question. Do you want me to tell you what you want to hear, or do you want me to tell you reality? I am sure hoping you want to hear reality, especially when it comes to pitching investors. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click…
Read MoreHow Do You Reduce Risk As A Startup CEO?
I don’t why, but years ago, when I was in high school, my Dad got involved in a business building replicas of old classic cars. As I remember it, the company bought old VW? engines, put a classic car chassis around them and sold the cars at a profit. Do you want to grow your…
Read MoreHow Ambitious Do You Need To Be To Attract Investors?
“Give us $11 million, and we’ll build you a billion dollar company,” I said to every investor we met when I was raising our initial funding. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. At the time we were raising our initial funding, the Venture Capital community in the Silicon…
Read MoreHow Not To Create A Pitch Deck
There are some things that you just shouldn’t do when you’re developing a pitch deck for investors. And, there’s one thing in particular that you shouldn’t do that can kill your chances of raising money. Making matters worse, this one thing sounds like a great idea. In fact, you’ll be tempted to pay a…
Read MoreHow Do You Get Multiple VCs Or Angels To Invest?
“I want to invest, but I’d like someone else to set the terms,” Bill, a VC interested in investing in our company, said to me. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. That’s great,” I said, standing up. Bill and I shook hands. “I’ll keep you posted on our…
Read MoreDoes Your Startup Really Need A Board Of Directors?
One of the questions I get asked the most by early stage startup CEOs is, “I think I need a board of directors. What do you think?” In today’s video, I’ll answer all the questions you’re likely to have about startup boards including: What is an advisory board? What’s the difference between a board of…
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