PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Entrepreneurshit: The Real Story
Both Sides of the Table
- Software Developer (Accenture)
- University of Chicago alum (MBA)
- 2x Startup CEO/Founder
- VP Products, Salesforce.com
- VC at GRP Partners in LA
What You Imagine When You Read TechCrunch
What It Really Feels Like
How You Imagine You Might Spend Your Days
How You Will Actually Spend Your Days
Raising Money After Y Combinator
Entrepreneurshit: All Joking Aside, It's a Grind
We're All Naked in the Mirror. Don't Think Everybody Else is "Killing It"
So What Does it Take to Succeed?
Ability to pivot (with a small "p")
Some Suggestions to Make it Easier
Create a Sense of Urgency in your business
Triangulate. Ask Lots of Opinions
But In the End You Must Trust Your Own Judgment
You Need To Meet Investors Early
Otherwise They're Just Judging Your Presentation Skills
When I First Meet you, You're a Dot
Over Time I Start to See a Pattern
And It's Okay if it's Not Always Movie Up.
If Raising Angel/Seed, You Need an Anchor
If You Show Proof the Rest Will Follow
You Need To Create a Sense of Urgency
Cuz We All Still Act Like We Did in High School
All Too Often FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) Drives Deals
Too Many Entrepreneurs Try to Over Optimize
When Markets Turn, Progress Might Not = Valuation
And Some Good Companies Simply Don't Get Funded
So Get As Long of a Runway as You Can (within reason)
Startups Really Are Roller Coasters
It's Not Glamour Bit If you Love the Game - Have Fun With It
There Will Never Be a Better/Easier Time to Go For It. If Not Now, When?