Pitching Angels

Pitching Your Startup to Angels and VCs

Pitching Angels – The Series

Why Startups Need a Lead Investor

There’s a lot of work required to be the lead investor, from negotiating the terms to doing a review of the company to serving on the board. Find a good lead investor first and other investors will be comfortable following on.

Why is HardTech so Effing Hard?

If there’s one overriding reason why almost no hardtech startups have become unicorns, it’s this: building a hardtech startup is really effing hard.

Why I Hate Liquidation Preferences

Liquidation preferences seem like a minor detail on the term sheet, but other than the valuation, they’re the most important term. Founders need to understand what they’re agreeing to.

Surviving Advisor Whiplash

As you work with mentors, you’ll get a lot of great advice, but some will be contradictory or useless. Here’s how to avoid advisor whiplash.

Why Every Startup Needs a Lawyer From the Start

Every startup needs a lawyer. Right away. From day 1. And not just any lawyer but a lawyer who specializes in venture-funded startups. You’ll save yourself a whole lot of aggravation and wasted time.

Why Pitch Deck Design Matters

Pitch deck design matters. It’s a critical signal for the quality and professionalism of the startup. So spend time and even money making it attractive and easy to follow.

How to Raise a Pre-Pre-Seed Round

Need to raise funding for your startup, but are still pre-revenue? Angel investors will say you’re too early for them. Welcome to the “pre-pre-seed round”

Why VCs Hunt for Startups With the Potential for 100x Returns

Venture investors have a reputation as greedy bastards preying on poor startups. But venture investors are looking to make money investing in the high-risk, illiquid stock of early-stage startups. The numbers only work with a big exits of 100x or more.

The Killer J-Curve

For early-stage startup investing, the J-curve is a killer. The failures fail quickly while the successes can take a decade to show any return.

How to Get Funded by Angel Groups

Angel investment groups are the biggest source of funding for startups at the pre-seed/seed stage. groups operate and think of them as an early-stage VC. Founders who understand how angel groups operate are far more successful at raising funding.

A Tale of Two Pitch Decks

You need two versions of your pitch deck – one for presenting in person and one for sending out. Understand what material you need to include in each.

Finding Pre-Seed Investors

Who will fund your pre-seed round? It’s not angels and VCs but people in your network and industry insiders who understand what you’re building.

What’s My Valuation?

What’s the valuation of your startup? It all comes down to how attractive the investment is compared to all the other startups.

The Pitch Deck: Slide 7 — Team

The three most important factors in startup success are the team, the team, and the team. But what exactly are we looking for in a team?

The Pitch Deck — an Overview

A pitch deck follows a familiar pattern. This article gives an overview of what makes a compelling pitch and summarizes the slides that should be included.

It’s the Exit, Stupid!

What does an investor want — an exit. That’s the only way we make money. Consider whether you really want to build a business for acquisition and make sure the entire pitch tells the story of how you get to a successful exit.

What are Investors Looking For?

To pitch effectively to potential investors, you have to see the world from our eyes. What do we want, and why should we invest in you and your business? In most cases, the simple answer is money – we invest money to make money, but that’s not the entire story.

Introducing Pitching Angels

Hi. My name is DC Palter. Part time angel investor, part time startup mentor, full time startup entrepreneur. Oh, and published author and wannabee novelist, too. I never set out to become an angel investor or even an entrepreneur but my life has taken many unexpected twists and turns and that’s where I find myself…

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