Terri Burns’ Post

“A lot of investors are driven by heat, versus being driven by true innovation,” There is so much truth in this sentence. This mindset makes things very challenging for founders with physical products and consumer goods. Physical products are not in fashion. On several occasions, I was advised to include a tech aspect to the vision I have of Nyfasi to make it easier to raise. The heat factor also influences the stage at which you can raise. For example, consumer goods founders become investable once their startups are revenue-generating. Founders in hot fields have a higher chance of raising at the idea stage. Terri Burns's mindset is refreshing!

As a long-time Seed investors, we've seen many founders make fundraising decisions without realizing the long-term impacts on their companies. With a number of Seed investor models out there, it’s important for founders to understand the underlying incentives and biases of different investor archetypes, including: ✔️Y Combinator ✔️High-Volume Seed Firms ✔️Multi-Stage Firms ✔️Concentrated Seed Firms Check out Jonathan Lehr's thoughts in TechCrunch, but TL;DR: Founders often chase sky high valuations. But our advice…don't raise a $2M SAFE on a $20M cap. Pricing too high at such an early stage is rife with issues that can plague the company’s growth if it doesn’t operate to perfection. Instead, trade an incremental amount of dilution for the opportunity to work with a concentrated Seed specialists who may require more ownership, but ultimately will provide a hands on support model to help amplify early growth efforts. Here at Work-Bench, we're laser focused on supporting our enterprise founders on all things go-to-market 💪 https://lnkd.in/dACt8n_x

UPDATE: For anybody who hasn't received the link: https://bit.ly/3qtZSPy 🚀 26 VC Pitch Decks for LPs That Raised $500M+ 🚀 Also sharing 5 insights on what LPs say typically is missing in a VC deck. As a VC you are in an interesting spot standing between startup founders and LPs. You constantly hear pitches but also need to deliver them. Somehow, you might still end up forgetting the basics of the game. There are 5 elements LPs say typically look for in a VC deck but are sometimes missing: 1️⃣ Describe the nature of your fund: generalist or specialist? > Generalists offer flexibility and variety > Specialists focus on specific industries or technologies 2️⃣ Make a compelling case for your business plan and model > Eliminate unnecessary explanations for impact and tell a simple story 3️⃣ Specify outlier investment > Demonstrate exceptional value through access, resolution and contract wins 4️⃣ "Display" with images > Use examples, metrics, and visuals to make them convincing and memorable 5️⃣ Leverage social proof > Highlight quality citations, testimonials, and dedicated LPs To help you implement these, I want to share a deck template, tips, and best practices that successfully raised $500M+ from LPs. This resource was put together by Signature Blog. Examples include: 👉🏼 Ark Kapital: Raised $182M in 2022 👉🏼 Susa Ventures: Raised $200M in 2021 👉🏼 Contrarian Ventures: Secured £101M in 2022 ... and 23 other examples I would be happy to share this list with whoever is interested 🔻 Make sure to drop a comment below and I’ll send the link your way. 🔻 Please send a connection request if we are not already connected to get the resource. CapLinked - Trusted Virtual DataRooms for PE, VC, MA, and more. Post credit to our COO/ Founder Christopher Grey #investors #PrivateEquity #VentureCapital

Can growth and impact coexist? Let's talk about it! Next week I'm hosting a discussion on whether financial growth and social impact can coexist...and if so, how we practically make it happen. Some incredible folks have already RSVPed for this salon-style conversation, including many founders and operators. But we can't make this kind of change using business as a force for good without funders! If you're an investor (angel, LP, fund manager, grant officer, family office manager, etc) who believes how we deploy capital is part of the equation to put more good in the world, I would love-love-love to see you there and hear your take on the topic: https://lu.ma/ujsdll2y There's big work to be done at the intersection of business and impact, and IMHO it's going to take all of us to move the needle farther and faster. #ImpactInvesting #SocialImpact #ImpactInvestors

Delve into the insightful analysis on what the appropriate behaviour board members and observers should have. 📝 In our article linked below, we talk about how investor director on startup boards should act, from the perspective of an experienced angel investor. 👉 https://lnkd.in/e95wX9x5 Interested to learn more about Angel Investing? Come on down for a coffee chat session with us to find out more about how this asset class would work for you. Register your interest here: https://lnkd.in/gWNuCnWu 📖 Read more of our articles here: https://lnkd.in/emiYrqMg

Great write-up here from Jesse Middleton -- really nails the state of the state when it comes to the VC winter of 2022 and 2023. 🌈 What's interesting is how well seed-stage deals have held up. It's a great space to be for long-term investors and those who are comfortable with ambiguity. Sometimes early-stage is misconstrued as risky, but in today's landscape, may be a relatively safe harbor 🚣♀️ #VentureCapital #VentureBuilding

In this episode of How to Sell Your Vision, I had the pleasure of speaking with David Mandel, a renowned "super angel" and Managing Partner at Emerging Ventures Capital. With over 500 investments under his belt, David is an expert at identifying promising founders and successful ventures. During our discussion, I asked David about the key qualities he looks for in founders pitching their ideas to him. His answer —> execution. According to David, the ability to "get stuff done" is paramount. Investors want to see evidence that you can execute your vision and bring it to life. While founders today may fixate on metrics like ARR, ultimately, investors want to see that you can achieve a lot with very little. Titles, experiences, and fancy resumes alone won't win funding. What truly impresses investors is your ability to propel your venture forward, with or without substantial financial resources. If you are not able to move things forward without an investment, you won’t be able to with an investment. Need to create a converting pitch? Send me a DM, and let’s chat! #fundraising #startupfunding #pitchdeck

As of this morning we have a multi million first round of funding committed for my new venture, in half the time that we aimed at, which was already called a "fast" timeline by many. As promised, I will share my full playbook at Fresh Founders's next meetup, but in the meantime here's key things I think most founders forget when fundraising: 1- it's not about you, it's about them: the clients and the investors. -> clients come for something valuable, and if you serve value, value will return to the company and thus investors need also to know how it will come back to them. -> lack of clarity on the pain you solve will make the discussion more difficult for investor to size the opportunity. -> ignore the macro economics of the day, you are building long term. 96% of the value of large tech companies was captured after 10 years in business. 2- It's important to learn and listen to early consistent signs in the process. -> if investors find a gap in your plan, you need to take it seriously and they are probably problems you will find on you road later on. Best for you to listen than the market teaching you a painful lessons. -> consider your early interested investors, even if they don't invest, as consultants: they have seen dozens if not hundreds even thousands of pitches. They will be quick to see a problem, and have a databank of companies even those they didn't invest in. Ask them as many questions as possible, it is literally sometimes lifesaving advice. We were aiming at raising double the funds, but after listening realized it will breed the wrong behaviour internally and also dilute us more than needed. This advice from a few literally probably saved tens of millions of dilution for the founding team. Will cause us to execute way more focused but also with more sustainable growth. 3- and this one is the most important one: do not ignore the jaded barring language from some and the relationship factor. ->If an investor start going on a negative spiral using language such as "never" or "of all the deals that's the way it's done" they are stuck in a pattern seeking behaviour and not trying to learn the unique insight that might make you insanely successful. -> Stay away from big ego rockstar jerks. Once a very famous investor from a tiers 1 VC literally raised his tone at me when I was simply excited to share how we are going to solve a problem. He was annoyed at my conviction and that he couldn't argue while I was calmly decomposition with real life example anchored in what I learned from over a decade in the space. What made him successful and smart is not going to help you in your own venture. Looking back, it really looks like he had a bad day and was tired maybe but you can't take this stuff personal and it's part of the game. Stay resilient and remember you are there to service a market, not tell VCs what fits into their thesis. If it's not a fit, it's not a fit. Detailed playbook will be in FF's slack next month.

I recently came across a thought-provoking post about fundraising for founders by my good friend Solon Angel. Congrats buddy on your raise. While I wholeheartedly agree with many points raised, I'd like to offer some additional perspectives that could further a discussion. Firstly, the emphasis on creating value for clients and demonstrating this value to investors is crucial in fundraising. However, I believe that intertwining a founder's personal story and vision with this value creation can be a powerful differentiator in a crowded market. While the focus should be on clients and investors, the passion and vision of the founder often resonate strongly and shouldn't be overlooked. Regarding learning from early feedback from investors, the advice to be aware of their insights is spot on. Investors bring a wealth of experience and can provide invaluable guidance. Yet, it's equally important for founders to trust their intuition and understanding of their business. The most innovative ideas initially face skepticism, and balancing investor feedback with personal conviction is key. Lastly, the point about navigating investor relationships and avoiding negative or ego-driven investors is essential. Building positive, respectful relationships with investors is as crucial as their financial backing. However, it's also important to remember that challenging feedback, even when not delivered in the best manner, can offer valuable insights. The true art for founders lies in extracting these insights while maintaining their direction and resilience. Blending practical advice with personal storytelling and resilience in the face of skepticism can make for a compelling pitch to investors. As founders navigate the complex journey of fundraising, these insights can serve as invaluable guideposts. #founders #fundraising #entrepreneurs #entrepreneurship

Creating a compelling pitch deck is more than just a formality; it's your opportunity to captivate investors and pave the way for your startup’s growth. 📈 As Cohort #1 of the #ClimateXAccelerator slowly comes to an end, we got Christoph Rohde to share some gold nuggets on what you should include in your pitch deck when approaching investors. As the Transaction Manager at FASE, Christoph is well-aware that investors say “no” more times than they say “yes”. However, don’t be discouraged… Since 2021, Christoph has supported pre-seed and seed impact ventures in raising over 15 million Euros in funding. So it’s safe to say, he knows how to sway investors! ✨ ✔️ Make use of these insights to enhance your pitch deck with elements that will convince investors to say "yes" to joining your startup’s journey. 🚀