One of the best monthly events is called “The Hatchery“. The Hatchery is in essence American Idol for startup companies giving a quick 3 minute pitch. You get real feedback about your pitch, the hard truth, what is good and what is weak. It is something every serious startup should go through to understand how to refine a pitch.
Contact Yao-Hui Huang.
Kirill Sheynkman came over to the Rose Tech Incubator and spoke about pitching to VC’s. I took some high notes personal notes from the talk.
The pitch.
Tell them what you are doing.
Market.
Why now?
“We are a _____ for ____ a market worth $$$.”
What is the pain you are addressing.
Who are the people that have the pain.
How many are there?
Product.
Why this.
Team.
Why us.
Deal.
Why now.
Let them know your realistic goals.
Milestones.
Think about the next round.
Expect 35%-40% for a series A.
2 1/2 post round B.
How are you going to get to this point?
Think about the next round
Who will sign the check?
Down Rounds are bad!
Funding cycles.
The approach.
The first meeting.
The second meeting.
The partner meeting.
Due diligence (can take weeks).
Close (4 to 6 weeks to get a deal done.)
Start to pitch 6 months before the next round. It is the CEO’s job full time to be raising money.
It is the board of directors job to manage how well the CEO’s performance is going for a company.
Check out Kirill’s blog, he is also on twitter.