Founders and Fundraising
How Do You Bounce Back From A Failed Pitch Meeting?
There’s a lot of pressure on you when you’re raising funding. After all, the odds are over 100:1 against an investor funding you. I knew the odds were against us raising money, yet I never felt nervous. In this short video, I’ll share with you the mindset I used to successfully raise money during the…
Read MoreWhy It’s Okay If Your Cofounder Doesn’t Quit Their Day Job
…Especially in the aftermath of COVID-19 I was thrilled when Jeroen agreed to become my cofounder and VP Engineering. Jeroen was perfect for the role with his strong technical skills combined with his ability to recruit and manage a team. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] But we…
Read MoreHow You Can Get Funding Despite COVID-19
I Raised $12M During The Great Recession. You Can Do It Too! “VCs seem to be hiding under their chairs,” I said. “You can get meetings, but they’re really distracted. And the last thing they seem to want to do is give you money.” [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help.…
Read MoreHow Do You Manage A Board Of Directors Meeting?
“This looks pretty startup friendly,” Marsha, our attorney, said to me when I sent her our term sheet. “There are no crazy terms, and the board composition looks reasonable. [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] “I think this is pretty clean,” Marsha concluded. “What about the board composition?”…
Read MoreHow Tough Is It To Get Funded After COVID 19?
How hard will it be for you to raise money in the aftermath of COVID-19? No one knows for sure. But I have a pretty good idea because I raised $12M during the Great Recession. I’ll give you my thoughts on how the funding environment is likely to change, whether it makes sense to continue…
Read MoreWhat Are The Positions You Shouldn’t Hire Early On?
“Great IC design engineers are the toughest thing to find,” I said to Dave. “And to hire great design engineers, we need a world class VP Engineering because great designers will only work for a great VP Engineering.” [Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here.] Dave nodded his head…
Read MoreWhy You Shouldn’t Wait To Raise Your Funding…
Despite the crazy times we are living in right now Coronavirus (Covid-19) has thrown everything for a loop. The fundraising environment and economic environment reminds me of when I was raising money during the Great Recession. There’s a lot uncertainty, just like during the Great Recession. And there’s a lot of fear, just like during…
Read MoreThe One Surefire Way To Make Your Pitch Standout
There’s a lot of well-meaning information out there about how to craft a great pitch deck. A lot of the information is good, and some of the information falls short. But there’s one thing I haven’t seen addressed. Yet, this one piece of advice could be the difference between success and failure when you’re pitching.…
Read MoreWhat’s The One Thing You Shouldn’t Put In Your Pitch Deck?
I have a lot of pet peeves regarding pitch decks. For example, it drives me crazy when I see founders waste money hiring designers to help them pretty up their decks. What a waste of money. All you need is white background, your company name and logo in the footer of the deck and you’re…
Read MoreWhy Recessions Are Great For Your Startup?
Contrary to popular opinion, a recession isn’t something to fear as a startup CEO. In fact, a recession can be a startup CEO’s best friend. I’ll explain what you can do to take advantage of bad economic conditions like a recession in this short video. Read The Video Transcript Below: Is starting your company…
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