http://www.thefundingguru.com/cash-the-oxygen-of-the-startup/ Helping Entrepreneurs Prepare for Fund Raising Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:44:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://www.thefundingguru.com/cash-the-oxygen-of-the-startup/comment-page-1/#comment-69 Andrew Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:30:47 +0000 http://www.andrewive.com/?p=114#comment-69 Tolu - great question. The interview I just had with Eric Hjerpe from Kepha Partners touches on that. Take a listen. But I truly believe that VCs are looking for great new businesses to invest in - my personal view though is that getting ready for investment is a multi-step process - its about being ready for investment combined with knowing how to demonstrate it - When I went up and down Sand Hill Road the first time - I met with my least prefered VCs first - pitched, pitched and pitched again and each time - learnt and improved both the message, the tools and my confidence - by then I was pitching those VCs I wanted to get. So - an Entrepreneur needs to BE investment ready and know HOW to show it - being a new entrepreneur doesn't preclude either part of that equation - but I'd still recommend hooking up with someone who has been through the process a few times before to reduce the time to cash. Do you agree? Tolu – great question. The interview I just had with Eric Hjerpe from Kepha Partners touches on that. Take a listen. But I truly believe that VCs are looking for great new businesses to invest in – my personal view though is that getting ready for investment is a multi-step process – its about being ready for investment combined with knowing how to demonstrate it – When I went up and down Sand Hill Road the first time – I met with my least prefered VCs first – pitched, pitched and pitched again and each time – learnt and improved both the message, the tools and my confidence – by then I was pitching those VCs I wanted to get. So – an Entrepreneur needs to BE investment ready and know HOW to show it – being a new entrepreneur doesn’t preclude either part of that equation – but I’d still recommend hooking up with someone who has been through the process a few times before to reduce the time to cash. Do you agree?

]]> http://www.thefundingguru.com/cash-the-oxygen-of-the-startup/comment-page-1/#comment-68 Tolu Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:57:25 +0000 http://www.andrewive.com/?p=114#comment-68 very useful post Andrew,I completely agree with the 'ingredients' you listed in the post and I believe they must be present in good amounts for a start-up to be successful Personally I work with new entrepreneurs and startups by first time entrepreneurs. It's often 'near impossible' to secure VC/angel funding except you have some connections so I preach bootstrapping. What do you reckon are the chances of securing these funds if it's your first time, and what are the best ways to get funding if you are a novel entrepreneur? very useful post Andrew,I completely agree with the ‘ingredients’ you listed in the post and I believe they must be present in good amounts for a start-up to be successful Personally I work with new entrepreneurs and startups by first time entrepreneurs. It’s often ‘near impossible’ to secure VC/angel funding except you have some connections so I preach bootstrapping. What do you reckon are the chances of securing these funds if it’s your first time, and what are the best ways to get funding if you are a novel entrepreneur?

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