Preparing to raise investment capital, part 1 of 5: How much, from whom and when?

There are several questions you must ask yourself before you decide to go out for private or professional capital. How much and when? Do you need investment capital now, or can you continue to bootstrap your company from your own resources, and from friends and...

Preparing to raise investment capital, part 2 of 5: Creating your unique value proposition

Your value proposition must be unique, and state your value to the investor. This is not the same as your product’s value to your customer, and it is not a feature or a benefit (both of which are focused on your product). What you pitch to your customer has little to...

Preparing to raise investment capital, part 3 of 5: Mastering the 30-second sound bite

Now that you know how much capital you want to raise from what kind of investor and you have settled on your unique value proposition (UVP), it is time to master your 30-second sound bite, based on that value proposition. It will take some time to get comfortable with...

Preparing to raise investment capital: part 4 of 5: writing the pitch piece

Investors have limited time and short attention to focus on your pitch – they are very busy, and receive thousands of pitches each year. Many have a screener, often called a “D-Girl” (regardless of gender – this term from Hollywood, when the Development Girl screen...

Preparing to raise investment capital: part 5 of 5: presenting your pitch to investors

Your pitch piece has gotten past the screeners and into the hands of a real investor, and he wants you to present it to him and his partners. He schedules a 45-minute meeting. You have taken all the steps to this moment and they have worked. • determining your...