๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ธ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐
1.) ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐๐น๐๐ถ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ธ๐:
๐ Tailor your decks to different investor interests. For example, if you're in mental health/consciousness and CPG, create separate decks for each. Similarly, if you're pitching Alt Protein and CleanTech/Sustainability, prepare distinct presentations for each.
2.) ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐:
๐ Build a comprehensive 10-page template with a clickable table of contents. This ensures you control the dialogue when your venture partner presents your investment to their team. One of the most frustrating things is having a great call with a partner at the firm only to receive an email two days later saying the team rejected it. This often happens because the partner botched the pitch. Remember, no one can pitch better than you, so you must control the dialogue at all times, even when you're not there.
๐ฏ.) ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น:
๐ต Ensure your financial model is robust and trustworthy. Don't make a perfect business school model, it must withstand investor scrutiny to avoid distrust or deal failure and be defensible.
๐ฐ.) ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐:
๐ Keep historical financials clean and straightforward, with notes on any unusual areas.
5.) ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐ผ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฝ:
๐๏ธ Build a clean, professional data room to present data elegantly and make an investorโs job as easy as possible.
๐ฒ.) ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ด๐ป๐:
๐ง Prepare 3-4 email campaigns that fit each investor profile, each with 4-5 sequences depending on the investor.
7.) ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ด๐ป๐:
๐ฌ Craft compelling LinkedIn messages within the 300-character limit. Avoid the common pitfall of starting with "Hey John - great to connect!" Instead, grab their attention with the first few words, saving the niceties for the end.
๐ด.) ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฝ:
๐ ๏ธ Build 3-4 subdomains and set up 20-25 email addresses. Ensure no email sends more than 15 emails per day to avoid spam filters and maintain a healthy email score with synthetic interactions.
๐ต.) ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐๐:
๐ Compile basic company information so your pipeline specialist does not need to bother you for easy info during the raise.
๐ญ๐ฌ.) ๐ข๐ฏ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด:
๐ก Prepare responses for the 15-20 common objections specific to your niche to overcome objections pre-call, post-call, and during closing. If you take every 'not a fit' at face value, fundraising will take WAY too long - be prepared to overcome objections succinctly and clearly along each step.
๐ญ๐ญ.) ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป:
๐ As you get close to bringing in your lead, be ready for the 4-5 specific documents a firm may ask for in their own idiosyncratic way (e.g., staffing plans, model changes, clarifying IP, product roadmap).