Tag: Small Business
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“What’s the best way to help founders you’ve invested in?” Last fall, I posed this question to one of the top early stage investors. His answer surprised me. “Share their posts on social media,” he said. “That’s it?” I thought. “Anyone can do that!” Yes, anyone can. But hardly anyone…
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Here are some questions I asked founders at actual meetings this week. Draft some answers to these, and you’ll be better prepared for your investor meetings! 1) “What’s your vision for [Startup]?” This is the first question I ask every founder. I put it first because it’s the most important.…
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+ Angel Investing, Entrepreneur, Finance, Investing, Money, Silicon Valley, Small Business, Startups, VC, Venture Capital+
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“How can I make this pitch better?” A founder asked me that this week. It’s something I almost never hear — and something every founder needs to ask. When you raise a round of funding, you might meet 100 investors. You have two choices: A) Give the same pitch to…
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+ Angel Investing, Entrepreneur, Finance, Investing, Money, Small Business, Startups, Tech, VC, Venture Capital+
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Remember those story problems in math class where the choices are A, B, C, or D – Not Enough Information? Half the time I read a deck, I find myself choosing D. That means I’m moving on to the next. After all, there’s 20 pitches in my inbox! Here’s how…
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They were raising $1 million on an $11 million post-money SAFE. The product was awesome, but I passed. Here’s why… WorkerIQ is a composite, not a real startup, and the name is made up. But it shows why a great product alone doesn’t get you funded. The Good “WorkerIQ” makes…
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+ Angel Investor, Entrepreneur, Finance, Investing, Money, Small Business, Startups, VC, Venture Capital+
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They were raising $2 million at a $9 million post-money SAFE. This startup had some awesome growth, but I passed. Here’s why… “CEOCoach” is a service that provides a coach for top executives. ”CEOCoach” is a composite, not a real startup, and the name is made up. But it shows…
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+ Angel Investing, Entrepreneur, Finance, Investing, Money, Silicon Valley, Small Business, Startups, Tech, VC, Venture Capital+
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They were raising $5 million at a $30 million post-money valuation. I loved the founder and the product was innovative, but I had to pass. Here’s why… “ProductPreview” connects brands with consumers to give feedback on products before their release. ”ProductPreview” is a composite, not a real startup, and the…
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+ Entrepreneur, Finance, Founders, Investing, Money, Small Business, Startups, Tech, VC, Venture Capital+
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They were raising $400,000 on a $4 million post-money SAFE. The product was awesome, but I passed. Here’s why… “FallDetector” is a device to prevent falls in the elderly. ***”FallDetector” is a composite, not a real startup, and the name is made up.*** But it shows why even growing companies…
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They were raising $1.7 million at a $20 million cap SAFE. I passed. Here’s why… “PaintBetter” is an app that teaches you how to paint. ***”PaintBetter” is a composite, not a real startup, and the name is made up.*** But it illustrates why even some startups with really cool products…
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+ Entrepreneur, Finance, Investing, Money, Silicon Valley, Small Business, Startups, Venture Capital+
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I invest in companies with $200k to $500k ARR. So why am I meeting startups that just launched? I think of investing as a conveyor belt. Each day, I put a few more startups on it. In time, they’ll be ready for checkout! Shopping at the Startup Store I try…
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+ Entrepreneur, Finance, Investing, Money, Silicon Valley, Small Business, Startups, VC, Venture Capital+
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Tremendous 