What is the investor most interested in? Contrary to popular belief, the venture capitalist sitting at the other end of the table glaring inscrutably at the presenting entrepreneur is not thinking, “Is this company going to make a lot of money?†That is the simple question that most entrepreneurs think they are answering, but they are missing the crux of the venture capital process. What the investor is really thinking is, “Is this company the best next investment for me and my fund?†That is a much more complex issue, but that is what the entrepreneur has to pitch.So, the pitch has to accomplish three things: * Provide a good, clear, easy-to-repeat story—the story of an exciting new startup. * Fit with other investments the individual venture capitalist has made and the investments the firm is chartered to make. * Beat out the other investments the firm is currently considering.These latter two issues are beyond the scope of this modest guide. So for now, let’s just concentrate on telling a good story.
How to Change the World: The Entrepreneur’s New Year’s Resolution: “I Will Fix My Pitch”
technorati tags:Entrepreneur, Guy, Kawasaki, Blog, Investor, Pitch
