Instigator Blog - Latest Comments in 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

byosko — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:34:12 -0000

Good luck with your pitch Michael!

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

michaelrflanigan — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:08:52 -0000

Thank you for this valuable information. My business partner and I will be pitching our company (www.scoutingnation.com) to possible investors.

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

royacruise — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:12:28 -0000

Your comments are very intresting and thought provoking. You did not highlight the length of the presentation necessary nor did you suggest the number of slides that will be most effective. Can you offer any direction regarding these matters.

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

twitter-61600308 — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:52:13 -0000

Great article, time to Powerpoint my Rainforest ECO story/proposal now...

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

Marius — Mon, 18 May 2009 13:30:51 -0000

I`ve worked with Startups, its consultants and investors alike, in Silicon Valley, Australia, Hong Kong and Delhi. I haven`t read through all comments so maybe it`s already here. But one thing I must say is, a lot of people actually found out how to pitch right, especially graphic designers and debaters take their fortune. But (thank God!) what VCs & Angels are leading to now, again, is the actual proof that you`re doing something and the team is actually capable. Sliding & hiding is good, but many of them want to touch & feel again. That, of course, makes it even harder for the "street" guys with brilliant ideas, but ensures quality of deals & innovation.

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

Lee — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 08:37:42 -0000

"Sexy slides work" - you're not wrong. It's not all in the detail but the presentation is pretty damn important too.

One point you have missed, however, is likeability. For an angel to invest they they have to feel that you can get stuff done a state of co-operation. If they take a dislike to you then it ain't gonna happen!

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

saleel — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 07:56:23 -0000

excellent post on pitching. iam admired the way you pitch big time investors. keep posting more about your pitching success stories. i feel charged!

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

byosko — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:53:27 -0000

Brian - I don't look good on camera *grin* It sounds like it would be fun to put this sort of article on YouTube, although I'd want to take the time to do it right. Maybe, some day...

Thanks for stopping by and commenting, hope you'll stick around.

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

Brian Javeline — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 08:57:38 -0000

Your article is perfect, but I think you should have started with this in your opening sentences ... "You want them looking at you, making eye contact, and really getting a feel for your confidence and passion." This was the ending point of your article and it can not be overstated enough. Angel investors are buying into the founders vision-- and confidence, passion along with a clear & methodical presentation. I run MyOnlineToolbox that has raised money (and still is raising) from 5 early stage angels from California, to New Jersey to Britain. I even won a MIT Best Business Idea Presentation Award (without having the best business, just the best PRESENTATION). Ben's overview is excellent. I challenge him to now put this on a YouTube video to see how fast he can project this article within a short presentation just as if he was pitching investors.

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

donnellan — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:34:12 -0000

I have a million dollar profit project that I am willing to split 50/50 with any full money investor. It entails the minimum purchase of 20 acres (already located) and a five building(warehouse style) improvement upon said land along with road/walkways between afroementioned buildings. We will also need a hard surface parking lot.
As you can see by the above described, this investment will be 90% used for purchase and property improvement. 10% will be used as working capital.
I will discuss the financials of this enterprise with any serious angel investor that may decide he/she wants to earn a hugh net, yearly profit!

You may Email me at:

John Donnellan
jjdonnellan@gmail.com

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

Ben Yoskovitz — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 22:31:42 -0000

@Geneva: What kind of information are you looking for? My email address is available on this site if you want to reach out.

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

Geneva — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:02:57 -0000

Ben, I would love to get more information from you if you would be willing to talk. Let me know!

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

Leo — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:39:03 -0000

I found listings of angel investors and venture capitalist groups at www.breadsreet.com and www.investorinspector.com . can somebody recommend other web sites with free listings for angel investors?

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

Aaron — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:04:51 -0000

A good point to add would be "Invite them to Lunch" - It's a small investment if you consider what you get in return if they actually "LIKE" you. Having someone with money who actually appreciates you as a person is key in my book.

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

Kristin — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:31:32 -0000

Those are really good tips; I've often thought about the possibilities of investment opportunities.

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

Mike @ Credit Card Forum — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:33:27 -0000

I use to work in VC funding and I want to warn people it's usually not beneficial to pay fees to pitch your idea to so called investors. There's an outfit in Los Angeles that is notorious for this and they charge thousands but rarely ever invest. When they do, they don't even use their own money. Legit angel and VC funding sources won't charge you to hear your idea.

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

T. O' Donnell — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:52:29 -0000

1. A good story
2. Some images (easier to comprehend than text)
3. Keep it as short as possible
4. Repeat important points ...
5. ... That are about benefits to clients
6. Slow it down. You're excited, we're tense and fidgety.
7. Keep it as short as possible
8. A lot of it will be down to whether they like you or not.

... from someone who's never pitched for venture capital in his life :)

Did you ask your audience later why a pitch _didn't_ work? That could be useful.

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

Ben Yoskovitz — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:06:47 -0000

@David: I agree 100% with you when it comes to practice. It's something I've mentioned a few times in previous posts. And don't just practice alone, in front of a mirror -- get in front of people ... the more you do it, the better you'll get, to the point where you could do the presentation on-the-spot at any given moment.

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

David — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:16:05 -0000

I think your third point, about not over-emphasizing the product, is the most important one you made. The product is obviously a key issue to the investor, but if you can't convey the important element of the product or concept in a fairly short span of time, you are SUNK.

And I would add one more point - practice! Try your pitch on family and friends. If they are bored or don't "get it," revise your presentation and try again. Never go to your first investment meeting without being fully prepared. Treating your first meeting as a dry run may be fatal if that was the one person who might have written you a check.

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

jeflin — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:47:55 -0000

Good points raised. You are right that an impressive presentation can make a huge difference to the survivability of a start-up.

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

James Ray Enthusiast — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:57:44 -0000

Some really interesting (and not previously seen stuff) here. I'd like to share something that I heard recently that is more about the individual, but I think is interesting.
A friend of mine had recently read Harmonic Wealth by James Ray and showed me a section because she thought it reminded her of me. That is how it all began. (lol!)
James Ray said, “If your not growing, you’re dying.” Six simple words that I really needed to hear. I guess it was because I was complaining to my friend that I just wasn't feeling stimulated enough. It wasn't as if I was doing anything "bad" in my life, so I was not sure why I was not feeling right. After learning this idea, I realized that "staying at even par" is not enough. That bad feeling was because by not growing, I was staying in the same place, just plodding along towards my death in a way. Doing nothing has negative consequences. But if I was to start growing, I would be moving my life forward, expanding it into something much more exciting! That’s what living is all about.
After I finished reading Harmonic Wealth, I realized I needed to commit myself to a lifetime of learning – it did not end when I threw my graduation cap in the air. Check it out for yourself… (Link) By the way, the Spanish classes I singed up for are going great :)
Here’s the link to the website where I bought the book: harmonicwealth.com/read
-Harmoic Wealth Enthusiast

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

Eric Shan — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:42:34 -0000

It is difficult to find angel investors, but a careful exploration of possible locations for prospective angel investors can help. Angel investors are inclined to stay close to university programs due to the high number of fresh business ideas they produce.

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

Ben Yoskovitz — Fri, 30 May 2008 21:44:32 -0000

@Brian Hogg: Most of your money IS spent on wages and other operational things, not on assets. Any assets you buy depreciate in value over time and are of little use to the business's value. So I wouldn't worry about that. What you need to focus on is where you'll spend money to EARN money.

@John Gillett: PR is key. I've written about that before and how startups can generate PR. It's some of the least expensive attention you can get, and do it properly, over time, and you can generate strong results from it.

@Greg Rollett: I agree. But just remember, super spectacular Powerpoint slides DO make a difference. If you go with boring, overstuffed slides with tons of text and too few visual cues, I don't care HOW great the business is, the investors will turn off their brains.

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

Greg Rollett — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:30:14 -0000

These were great things to think about. Sometimes we get so caught up in making a super spectacular powerpoint that we forget to tell the true heart melting story. Getting personal goes a long way, even to strangers with big pockets.

Re: 5 Quick Tips on Pitching Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists

Mike at Pacebutler Recycling — Wed, 28 May 2008 10:19:27 -0000

Hello Ben, thanks for this great post. I've engaged in personal selling before and large audience presentations, and I think it helps to practice a certain level of detachment in your presentation - that delicate play between passion (about the project)and a demeanor of desperation. Your audience can sense the confident attitude and will get the message that although you're truly passionate about your project and would very much like to get them on board, you have plenty of options and it will be their loss if they miss out on this boat. The details in this post about the different stages of the presentation flow are priceless. @Joey's comment about the use of media in raising interest for the project is also very valuable. Thanks.:)