The Secret Is in the Iterations

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

Many founders try to tell everything to the investor in the first pitch.

This is not possible as there’s no way to convey everything about the startup in one go.

It’s best to break the information down into smaller pieces and drip it out over time.

The multiple interactions help build the relationship.

While each step seems small, they are accretive.

One step builds on the other.

Take your information and pull out the most enticing elements, such as a recent sales win, a new hire, or a product development piece.

Use these tidbits in your pitch to attract investors.

Take the remaining information and break it down into updates and follow-up content pieces.

Schedule out the follow-up pieces so you present a consistent flow of information to the investor.

The small but consistent updates will build and reinforce your growth story to the investor over time.

It takes multiple touches to close an investor.

Set up those content pieces and schedule them over the course of the campaign.

Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.

Let’s go startup something today.

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For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
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For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

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Music courtesy of Bensound.

In this episode of Investor Connect, Hall Martin engages in a conversation with Jason Kutasi, a prominent member of YPO, a global leadership community for young presidents. Jason discusses his journey from exiting a D2C children's book publisher to Scholastic, to establishing an ad agency post-exit. He shares his expertise in marketing, emphasizing the importance of testing products, brand names, and customer interests before fully investing in them. Jason provides vital insights on the common mistakes startups make, such as not understanding their target customers or the actual pain points their products solve, and the necessity of a deep understanding of marketing for startup success.

Jason also illustrates various scenarios using his experience with scalable startups, highlighting how businesses can optimize their marketing strategies to be more efficient and effective. He stresses the importance of testing before building a product and understanding the specific needs of potential customers. For example, he talks about how A/B testing helped a client choose the better product name, leading to higher customer engagement. Jason also reflects on the evolution of marketing strategies and the increased emphasis on cost-effective, rapid market-testing methods in today's startup ecosystem. The conversation concludes with Jason's perspective on remote work, the impact of COVID-19 on startups, and the integration of AI in digital marketing. He emphasizes the significance of building human connections and understanding your investors' needs.

Jason advises startup founders to fly out for face-to-face meetings to build stronger relationships and improve their chances of securing deals. Throughout the episode, Jason's insights provide valuable lessons for both budding entrepreneurs and seasoned investors looking to navigate the ever-changing landscape of scalable startups.

Visit YPO at www.ypo.org/

Reach out to at www.linkedin.com/in/jasonkutasi/

Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.

Let’s go startup something today.

_________________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

Music courtesy of Bensound.

What Not To Say in a Fundraise

Hello, this is Hall T. Martin with the Startup Funding Espresso -- your daily shot of startup funding and investing.

In raising funding, startups should avoid these statements to investors.

“We have no competition.”

If there’s no competition, then there is no market.

Instead, the founder should talk about how the startup solves the problem in a new and unique way.

This is the value proposition of the business.

“You’ll need to sign my NDA before I can tell you about my business.”

The investor will interpret this to mean there’s no protection on the business, such as intellectual property.

Instead, the founder should limit the discussion to the benefits their technology provides and not go into how it works.

“I’ve included my sweat equity on the cap table.”

The investor will only recognize equity that is bought with dollars.

The founder should consider sweat equity as table stakes that all startups must bring to the fundraise.

“We only need 1% of this billion-dollar market to be successful.”

While this statement may sound compelling, the investor interprets this statement as lacking a go-to-market strategy.

The founder should focus on their initial traction with customers by outlining the first twenty customers they will pursue.

This shows a focused approach to entering the market.

Avoid these statements in your pitch.

Thank you for joining us for the Startup Funding Espresso where we help startups and investors connect for funding.

Let’s go startup something today.

_________________________________________________________

For more episodes from Investor Connect, please visit the site at: http://investorconnect.org

Check out our other podcasts here: https://investorconnect.org/
For Investors check out: https://tencapital.group/investor-landing/
For Startups check out: https://tencapital.group/company-landing/
For eGuides check out: https://tencapital.group/education/
For upcoming Events, check out https://tencapital.group/events/

For Feedback please contact info@tencapital.group

Please follow, share, and leave a review.

Music courtesy of Bensound.