"The people from FundingPost are among the brightest and most competent I've met in the VC world. Through them, I've made a ton of contacts, and I've also met some very good companies that I'm still working with. I love their events and hope to attend many more in the future." - Adam Farber, IDT Ventures
Wed., May 21, 2008 - Miami, Florida Miami Venture Capital Event Sponsored by FundingPost
WHERE: Courtyard By Marriott
Miami Downtown
200 S.E. 2nd Avenue
, Miami, FL 33131 WHEN: Wed., May 21, 2008 2pm - 6pm (workshop is 11am-1pm) COST: $75
Every CEO wants to meet Early-Stage Venture Investors.
On Wednesday, May 21, 2008 you will get your chance!
FundingPost has hosted 125+ sold-out venture events in 17 cities over the past 6 years. At our next Miami event, the panel of investors will focus on Early-Stage Venture Investing - how to meet investors, pitch them, and what it really takes to get them to write you a check! We will be discussing trends in Early-Stage Investing, hot sectors, sectors that these VCs look at, things that are most important to them when they are considering an Investment, the best and worst things an entrepreneur can do to get their attention, additional advice for entrepreneurs, and, of course, the best ways to reach these and other Investors. There will be plenty of time for networking with the Investor panelists, both before the panel & afterwards
As an additional benefit, entrepreneur 1/4 page summaries will be given to the investor speakers and attendees. All of the Investors will get your company description and contact info!
Register today, as this event will sell-out and is limited to only 50 tickets!
The next part of the event will feature companies pitching to the VC and Angel Investors. Each company pitch will be 20 minutes (with Powerpoint) including 5 minutes of Q&A with the investors. The fee to just attend the event is $75, the fee for the 20-minute Pitch is $2,000. There are only 2 Presenting Spots for this event!Click here to apply to pitch
Additionally, there will be an optional Pitching Workshop Lunch from 11am-1pm. The cost to participate will be $350. This Lunch Workshop includes the $75 ticket to the event, and a 1/4 page listing in the Venture Guide Magazine (normally $125). Most importantly, it includes a 2-minute Pitching Spot to the Investors during the event! There are only 7 spaces left in the workshop.
Thursday, June 5, 2008 - NYC New York Venture Capital Event & Workshop Sponsored by Morrison & Foerster
WHERE: 1290 Avenue of the Americas, 39th Floor (between 51st and 52nd Streets), New York, NY 10104 WHEN: Thursday, June 5, 2008 2pm - 6pm (workshop is 11am-1pm) COST: $75
Every CEO wants to meet Early-Stage Venture Investors.
On Thursday, June 5, 2008 you will get your chance!
FundingPost has hosted 125+ sold-out venture events in 17 cities over the past 6 years. At our next NYC event, the panel of investors will focus on Early-Stage Venture Investing - how to meet investors, pitch them, and what it really takes to get them to write you a check! We will be discussing trends in Early-Stage Investing, hot sectors, sectors that these VCs look at, things that are most important to them when they are considering an Investment, the best and worst things an entrepreneur can do to get their attention, additional advice for entrepreneurs, and, of course, the best ways to reach these and other Investors. There will be plenty of time for networking with the Investor panelists, both before the panel & afterwards
As an additional benefit, entrepreneur 1/4 page summaries will be given to the investor speakers and attendees. All of the Investors will get your company description and contact info!
Register today, as this event will sell-out and is limited to only 80 tickets!
Additionally, there will be an Optional Pitching Workshop Lunch from 11am-1pm. The cost to participate in the workshop will be $350. This Lunch Workshop includes the $75 ticket to the event, and a 1/4 page listing in the Venture Guide Magazine (normally $125). Most importantly, it includes a 2-minute Pitching Spot to the Investors during the event! There are only 10 spaces left in the workshop.
November 3 & 4, 2008 - NYC Perfect Venture Conference IV Sponsored by Merrill Lynch
WHERE: Merrill Lynch, NY, NY WHEN: November 3 & 4, 2008 7:30am - 7:00pm COST: $500
The first 3 Perfect Venture Conferences in NYC were a huge success and we are now accepting applications for the November 3 & 4, 2008
PVC IV Conference -
If you are the CEO of a Technology Company currently raising capital from ANYWHERE in the United States and Canada then you NEED to come to New York City -
We are limiting this event to only 18 Technology Companies who will be hand-picked and screened to participate in this conference. Every company will get to pitch multiple times throughout the event.
We will have another 50 Early-Stage VCs and Angel Investors over the 2 days participating.
Here are the Funds that have already confirmed to speak at the Perfect Venture Conference IV. Ascend Venture Group, Brook Venture Partners, Cammeby's Capital Group / Gotham Angels, Connecticut Innovations, Corporate Angels, Crossbar Capital , Highland Capital Partners, Newlight Associates, North Sea Ventures, Security Growth Partners, Stonehenge Capital Company, The Science Center / The MAG Fund, The Verticom Group, TriState Investors, And many others TBA
Additional 2008 VC & Angel Investor events will be announced shortly in DC, FL, NC, TX & AZ! In the mean time, enter your email address to be alerted as soon as we announce the dates:
Previous Venture Events (I know, we still need to add photos of the last few events we did in 2008: California & Boston. They'll be up soon...)
NYC Venture Capital Event and Workshop - March 4, 2008
FundingPost's hosted its 1st VC & Angel event of 2008, sponsored by Morrison & Foerster! This sold-out event was a huge success! We had 6 Venture Firms speaking about the types of companies they like to invest in and How to reach them. Additionally, that day we hosted a Pitching Workshop where 15 entrepreneurs got a chance to hone down their elevator pitch to a clear and concise message. The entrepreneurs then got to give their pitch to the panel! The event was followed by a networking time where the entrepreneurs got to introduce themselves to the Investors.
"The information provided by the panelists was both candid and insightful. The combination of the information delivered and networking with others who are also at the earliest stage of their company's development was invaluable."
Jim Cecere, Marc Funds
Venture Speakers for this Event:
Moderator: John Hempill, Partner, Morrison & Foerster
Warren Haber, Jr., Managing Partner, Crossbar Capital
Maneesh Sagar, Director, Investments, Connecticut Innovations
Neal Fryett, Vice President, IgniteIP
Jeanne Sullivan, Partner, StarVest Partners
Steve Brotman, Managing Director, Greenhill SAVP
John Elton, Partner, iNovia Capital
Early-Stage Venture Capital & Angel Investor Event in Sedona, AZ on December 6, 2007
FundingPost's hosted its 1st ever Sedona, Arizona early-stage VC & Angel event, sponsored by the Sedona Rouge Hotel & Spa! This sold-out event was a huge success! We had 4 Angel Investors and Venture Firms speaking about the types of companies they like to invest in and How to reach them. Additionally, that day we hosted a Pitching Workshop where entrepreneurs got a chance to hone down their elevator pitch to a clear and concise message. The entrepreneurs then got to give their pitch to the panel! The event was followed by a cocktail party where the entrepreneurs got to sit down and chat in a relaxed setting with the Investors.
Venture Speakers for this Event:
Rob Moss, General Partner, Kingdom Venture Partners
John Mascarenas, Intel Capital
Dwaine Canova, Angel Investor, Chairman of Capital Consortium
W. Jay Lovelace, Principal, WJL Investments
Watch a Video Clip of the Event:Feedback from the Event:
More Photos at save to del.icio.us
Early-Stage Venture Capital & Angel Investor Breakfast Event in Raleigh, North Carolina on November 14, 2007
FundingPost's hosted its 1st ever North Carolina early-stage VC & Angel event in Raleigh, North Carolina. This sold-out event was a huge success! It was a nice mix of Investors on the panel, ranging from older, well established funds such as Pappas Ventures, to Newer Funds like Southern Capitol Ventures. We also go the perspective of 2 Angel Investors that morning. It was interesting to hear their perspective on subjects like Valuation, Terms, and how to impress and follow-up with an Investor. It was also interesting to note that all of them were actively seeking new deals, which is a reflection of the capital seeking landscape in NC.
Venture Speakers for this Event:
Jason Caplain, General Partner, Southern Capitol Ventures
Arthur Klausner, Partner, Pappas Ventures
Steve Nelson, Managing Director & Partner, Wakefield Group
Michael Carr, Angel Investor, Inception Micro Angel Fund
Lee Heinrich, CEO and President, Ashoken Assets, Inc.
Early-Stage Venture Breakfast Event in NYC: May 23, 2007
FundingPost's early-stage VC event sponsored by Morrison & Foerster was a success! Not only did we once again confirm that the investors have capital and are eager to invest, BUT that there are new funds being raised right now! There is also a shift in these VCs to start considering more early-stage deals to "fill the gap" between Angel Investments and larger funds. Though the early-stage comapnies that get these VC dollars still need to show momentum. We also had 2 companies give PPT presentations to the Investors.
Venture Speakers for this VC Event:
Michael Biggee, Vice President, Trident Capital
Warren Haber, Managing Partner, Crossbar Capital
Maneesh Sagar, Director, Investments, Connecticut Innovations
Jung Yun, Senior Vice President, Global Media Fund
Christian Mayaud,Founder, The Verticom Group
Moderator: John Hempill, Partner, Morrison & Foerster
Early-Stage Venture Breakfast Series: January - February 2007
In Q1 2007 FundingPost put organized 5 sold-out Venture Capital events in Miami, Tampa, NYC, Seattle and Silicon Valley. The events were filled with great information from the investors, pitching companies & networking. In addition to giving their outlook into what the investing landscape will look like in 2007, the investors gave advice on how to reach Investors, what to say when you speak to them, what to bring and prepare for your presentation, and what Not to say. The investors gave examples of companies they invested in and told the audience exactly what kinds of companies they are looking for now!
After the panel discussions, all of the entrepreneurs in the room got a chance to meet & network with the Investors! We also had a few companies give presentations at each of the cities to the Investors. The Pitches were well received by the investors and many of them were used as examples during the panel!
One thing we heard over and over again was that there is a lot of money sitting on the sidelines and the investors are looking to put it to work. FundingPost has already heard of several success stories coming out of our events in the past few months, and it looks like 2007 will be a great year for raising capital.
Venture Speakers for the Events: Silicon Valley, CA - February 8, 2007
Igor Sill, Mng. Director & Co-founder, Geneva Venture Management
Bruce Cleveland, Partner, InterWest Partners
Larry Kubal, Partner, Labrador Ventures
Ho Nam, General Partner & Co-founder, Altos Ventures
Neil Weintraut, General Partner & Co-founder, Palo Alto Venture Partners
Prashant Shah, Partner, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners
Sookja Han-You, Managing Director, Korea Technology Investment Corp
Moderator: Peter Cohn, Partner, Orrick
Seattle, WA - February 7, 2007
Susan Sigl, General Partner, SeaPoint Ventures
Michael Butler, Chairman & CEO, Cascadia Capital, LLC
Gary Ritner, Founder, Puget Sound Venture Club (Private Investor Network)
Dennis P. Weston, Senior Managing Director, Fluke Venture Partners
Martin A. Stever, Principal, Pacific West Land, LLC
Moderator: Alan C. Smith, Partner, Orrick
New York, NY - Jan 31, 2007
Irvin Barash, President, Vencon Management, Inc.
Vishal Savani, Affiliate Partner, Jina Ventures, Inc
Morgan Rodd, Managing Partner, Arrowpath Venture Capital
Marc A. Cole, Partner, Hamilton Investment Partners
Sita Vasan, Sr. Manager, Strategic Investments, Intel Capital
Todd Pietri, General Partner, Milestone Venture Partners
Moderator: Lisa A. Weiss, Partner, Morrison & Foerster
Tampa & Miami, FL - Jan 25,26, 2007
Matthew Cole, Partner, North Bay Equity Partners
Donald T Carson, Principal, Sentient Ventures
Gary Truitt, CDS International Holdings
John Craven, Partner, Ark Royal Capital
Matthew W. Shaw, Managing Director, Crossbow Ventures
Moderator: Harvey Goldman , Partner, Holland & Knight
Moderator: Louis Conti, Partner, Holland & Knight
FundingPost would like to thank the Sponsors & Speakers of this event series:
"Joe, I just thought I would drop you this short note thanking you for including me on the most recent FundingPost conference in Menlo Park. I must admit, having participated in numerous VC panels that this one proved refreshingly productive. You and your associates did a magnificent job in efficiently presenting some very high quality entrepreneurs and their respective businesses. Very impressive and very well done. Please do keep me posted on upcoming events." --Igor Sill, Geneva Venture Partners
Feedback from the event: "To find investment, the entrepreneur must navigate through a sea of uncertainly. Investment can be elusive, and finding it can seem daunting. Fundingpost.com can help to make the process lucid and tangible. Take my word -- Run, do not walk, to the nearest Fundingpost.com event. There, active venture capitalists will discuss what they are investing in, describe how they like to be pitched, and outline the do's and don'ts of courting investment. It does not matter whether you are a newcomer to the process, or a seasoned entrepreneur, if you are seeking funds to take your business to the next level, you can't afford NOT to attend a one of these events." --Steve Rosenfarb, Managing Partner, Blackrocket, L.C.
"Very informative presentation! A must for all that are interested in learning more about Venture Capital. Relationships make all the difference." --Dr. Corwin P. Littell II, Owner and Founder, Ready Made Disposable Baby Bottles
"This conference was quite helpful. I particularly benefited from the Q&A after the panelists spoke. Some of the highlights were knowing how to
find the help of CFOs familiar with start ups, knowing what angel investors were looking for in an owner, and understanding how angel investors differed
from VC's. All in all, it was time and money well spent." --Peggy Kirkendall
FundingPost's first Perfect Venture Conference was a Huge Success!! We had 20 outstanding technology companies from around the country come to Downtown NYC and pitch for 2 1/2 days to over 50 Early-Stage Venture Capitalists and Angel Investors! Every Company walked away with follow-up meetings with the Investors!
"The contacts and potential partners we have made as a direct result of FundingPost's conference
were invaluable. As a result of our conversations with the
participating companies, we have developed critical relationships with
lead members of several potential channel partners that will come
alongside us to launch our business commercially. In addition, we
have become a more attractive funding target for both institutional
and angel money as a direct result of this conference. We have further
solidified our go-to-market strategy as a result of the conference and
other conversations we have had with participants. Again you guys, I can't
thank you enough. I would have paid $15K if I knew that this is what I
would have gotten out of it!" - Mark Feanny, Reztrak
"For our company, we looked at the Perfect Venture Conference as an
educational forum as well as an opportunity to raise capital. The
panel format was invaluable in learning about the overall VC process
and tips on how to fine tune our pitch and presentation. Networking
with other CEOs as well as the VCs was an added bonus that provided a
wealth of good advice and importantly, interest in our company.
Thank you FundingPost for a terrific forum, especially for a company
that is new to the VC process." - David Wickersham, Progressive Pipeline Management
"The event gave us so many opportunities to practice our pitches and to meet these elusive but clearly “perfect” Venture Capital Groups, we could not have asked for more! The lessons we learned, the advice and the referrals we took away with us, and the truly supportive attendees and sponsors made the event a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us -- and we’re committed to making the best of every bit of it to obtain the financing we need for Senscient ASAP! From the many conversations with our targeted investment groups, I was able to get 9 solid referrals for introductions and potential follow-up meetings over the next few weeks. Two of the conversations led to very significant private meetings right there during the conference."
- Jean Berthold, Senscient, Ltd.
We want to thank our Sponsors: Merrill Lynch, Morrison & Foerster, and PPS for Healthcare for making this event Possible!
We also want to thank our Investor Speakers for giving their time, knowledge and consideration to our presenting companies:
Todd Roberts, Principal, Aegis Capital Group; Bill Gust, Managing General Partner - Baltimore, Anthem Capital Management; Jack Bloom, Angel Investor, Apex Capital Corporation; Morgan Rodd, Managing Partner, Arrowpath Venture Capital; Charles Crockett, Founding partner, Ascend Ventures; Kara Nortman, Senior Associate, Battery Ventures; Charlie Federman, Managing Director, BRM Capital; Warren Lee, Principal, Canaan Partners; Bob Welch, CEO, Coast Ventures, LLC; Jonathan Silver, Managing Director, Core Capital Partners; Richard Fox, Managing Director, Cross Atlantic Capital Partners; Elizabeth Sigety, Assistant Director and Co-Founder, Delaware Crossing Investor Group; Wayne Kimmel, Managing Director, Eastern Technology Fund; Marsh Marshall, Managing Director, Ecentury Capital Partners; Anthony Buffa, Managing Partner, Endeavor Capital; Don Rose, President, Global Media Fund; Joseph Zell, General Partner, Grotech Capital Group; Michael Greeley, General Partner, IDG Ventures; Adam Farber, COO, IDT Ventures; Ken Rind, Managing Partner, Infinity Venture Capital Fund; Jeff Davison, General Partner, Inflection Point Ventures; Chris Starr, Managing Director & VP of Investments, Innovation Philadelphia; Sita Vasan, Senior Manager, Strategic Investments, Intel Capital; Scott Kehoe, Managing Principal, Inverness Capital Partners; Sookja Han-You, Managing Director, Korean Technology Investment Group; Randy Domolky, Managing Director, Liquid Capital Group; John Patberg, Program Chairman, LORE Associates; Daniel Flatley, General Partner, Masthead Venture Partners; Richard Dumler, General Partner, Milestone Venture Partners; Dan Borok, Senior Associate, Millennium Technology Ventures, LP; Bob Gailus, Angel Investor, New York Angels; Howard Morgan, Angel Investor, New York Angels; Philip Deutch, Managing Partner, NGP Energy Technology Partners; Brett Topche, Associate, NJTC Venture Fund; Joe Falkstein, General Partner, NJTC Venture Fund; Robert Wilson, Principal Owner, North Sea Ventures; Matthew Gorin, Partner, Oncore Capital; Darren Wallis, Managing Partner, Osage Venture Partners; Habib Kairouz, Managing Partner, Rho Capital Partners ; Lou Mazzucchelli, Venture Partner, Ridgewood Capital; Jeff Allen, Managing Director, Rocket Ventures; Ramana Jampala, Partner, SAS Investors; Salvatore Gaglio, Angel Investor, Sceata Technology Group; Elad Yoran, CEO and Founder, Security Growth Partners; Alfred Puchala, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Signal Equity Partners; Hugh Cullman, Principal, Silicon Alley Venture Partners; Jordan Levy, Partner, Softbank Capital; Chip Purrington, Managing Partner, Startup Massachusetts; Jeanne Sullivan, Partner, StarVest Partners; Sid Mohasseb, Member, Tech Coast Angels & Venture Farm; Christian Mayaud, Founder, The Verticom Group; Ellen Sandles, President, TriState Investors; Don More, Partner, Updata Capital; Connor Mullett, co-founder and General Partner, Updata Partners; Irvin Barash, President, Vencon Management, Inc.; Michael Hennessy, Principal, Wasatch Venture Capital;
Click Here for more information on the "Perfect Venture Conference."
"I participated as a panelist for a FundingPost conference in April of 2006, and was impressed with the caliber of early-stage companies represented at this event, and we are following up with several of these opportunities that are particularly relevant to our investment strategy and industry focus." - Anthony Buffa, Endeavor Capital Management
Pitching Workshops: February - April 2005
In Q1 2005 FundingPost put together 11 sold-out Pitching workshops in NYC, Phili, DC, Miami, Tampa, Seattle and Silicon Valley. The workshops covered exactly how to give a good pitch to investors. Very often entrepreneurs have their few minutes to impress an investor and they don't succeed - and it's usually not because they don't have a great business, it's because they don't know how to tell a great story!
This event series had 63 VCs and Angel Investors discussing what to say, how to say it, and what order to say it in - They also covered what not to say.
After the panel discussions, every entrepreneur in the room got their chance to take what they have learned and give their pitch! After adding up the feedback from the investors on each pitch, we found that over 55% of the companies that pitched had requests for more information from at least one of the investors they pitched to!! In NYC, that number was around 70%!
Venture Speakers for the Events: NY, NY - February 7, 2005
Moderator: Ellen Corenswet, Partner, Covington & Burling
Kevin Ambrosini, Associate, Dolphin Equity Partners
Habib Kairouz, Managing Partner, Rho Ventures
Venetia Kontogouris, Managing Director, Trident Capital
Hugh Cullman, Business Development Principal, SAVP
Scott Kurnit, Angel Investor, NY Angels (founder About.com)
Saul Richter, General Partner, Starling Ventures
Moderator: Carolyn Taylor, Partner, Covington & Burling
Conor Mullett, General Partner, Updata Partners
David S. Rose, Angel Investor, New York Angels
Chip Meakem, Principal, DFJ Gotham Ventures
David Stoffel, Associate, Radius Ventures
Shayne Veramallay, Associate, NJTC Venture Fund
Charles Crockett, Founding Partner, Ascend Venture Group
Philadelphia, PA - February 16, 2005
Moderator: Jay Coogan, Partner, Wolf Block
David J. Reuter, Vice President, LLR Partners Inc.
Doug Petillo, Principal, Edison Venture Fund
Ellen Sandles, Exec. Director, Tri-State Private Investors Network
Philip Eliot, Vice President, Core Capital Partners
Sidney Williams, Angel Investor
Guy Winters, Partner & Gen. Counsel, PA Early Stage
Laura Lukaczyk, Founder & General Partner, Avansis Ventures
Moderator: David Gitlin, Chair Corporate/Securities, Wolf Block
Scott Nissenbaum, Partner, PA Early Stage Partners
Lior E. Yahalomi, Managing Director, BDY Ventures
Eric Janszen, Entrepreneur in Residence, Trident Capital
Sandy Roskes, Investment Mgr, Portview Communications Partners
Wayne D. Kimmel, Managing Director, Eastern Technology Fund
Rusty Griffith, Principal, Walker Ventures (and Maryland Angels)
Joseph R. Zell, General Partner, Grotech Capital Group
Silicon Valley, CA - March 15, 2005
Moderator: Scott Blickenstaff, Partner, Orrick
Brian Ascher, Senior Principal, Venrock Associates
David Adams, Managing Director, Rocket Ventures
Robert C. Marshall, Managing Director, Selby Venture Partners
Alex Osadzinski, Venture Partner, Trinity Ventures
Kai Tse, Principal, GKM Ventures
Alexander J. Rhea, Founding General Partner, Pyramid Technology Ventures
Peter Wolken, Special Limited Partner, Diamondhead Ventures
Bret Wilbur, Regional Sales Consultant, Trinet
Mickie Winkler, Mayor of the City of Menlo Park
Moderator: Peter Cohn, Partner, Orrick
Ho Nam, General Partner & Co-Founder, Altos Ventures
John Hall, Managing Director, Horizon Ventures
Ray Rothrock, Managing General Partner, Venrock Associates
Praveen Gupta, Executive Director, CDIB Ventures
Laura Brege, Partner, Red Rock Ventures
Brendan Richardson, Partner, Vision Capital
Nicholas Jellins, Council Member, City of Menlo Park
Seattle, WA - March 17, 2005
Moderator: Vincent A. Ricci, Associate, Corporate, Orrick
Melissa Widner, General Partner, Seapoint Ventures
Russ Aldrich, Managing Director, Guide Ventures
Kevin Cable, EVP, Cascadia Capital
Aaron Coe, Alliance of Angels
Tampa, FL - March 22, 2005
Moderator: Louis Conti, Partner, Holland & Knight
John McCarty, Associate, Peachtree Equity Partners
Tate A. Garrett, Senior VP, Advantage Capital
Al Rossiter, Angel Investor
Miami, FL - March 23, 2005
Moderator: Harvey Goldman , Partner, Holland & Knight
John McCarty, Associate, Peachtree Equity Partners
Peter Hairston, President, New World Angels
Matthew E. Cole, Partner, North Bay Equity Partners
Michael Greeley, Managing General Partner, IDG Ventures
Washington, DC - April 21, 2005
Moderator: Tony Ricciardella, Partner, Grant Thornton
Ed Spiva, General Partner, Anthem Capital Management
Randy Domolky, Managing Director, Liquid Capital Group
Brian J. Giblin, Business Dev Manager, Edison Venture Fund
Jonathan Silver, Managing Director, Core Capital Partners
Laura L. Lukaczyk, Founder & Managing General Partner, Avansis Ventures
John Kim, Principal, HIG Ventures
Joe Hoffman, Partner, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP
Moderator: Jay Schifferli, Partner, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP
Rusty Griffith, Principal, Walker Ventures (and Maryland Angels)
Will Thierbach, Senior Associate, The Grosvenor Funds
Kim Cooke, Founder & Managing Director, Blue Water Capital
Robert Rosenbaum, Partner, Nobska Ventures
Sandy Roskes, Investment Mgr, Portview Communications Partners
Eric Janszen, Entrepreneur in Residence, Trident Capital
Some insight from the event:
There are basic key points to say during a pitch, including, who you are, what you do, your competition, how much you are raising, and, of course the value proposition to the investor! Learn exactly what to say, and how to say it in the short time you have with an investor when you first meet one!
Tell your story 'differently' to investors as opposed to everyone else -
Investors have pitching 'pet peeves' - Learn what they are and be sure to avoid them!!
Feedback from the event: Your FundingPost pitching event was highly valuable. It exceeded not only my expectations
but my highest hopes, as well. After 30 years of pitching, I thought I knew it all, but based
on the pointers provided by your panel of experts, I revised my intended pitch to them on the
fly, twice! As a result, three of the panel members invited us to meet with them further.
Since the session, we have revised our Executive Summary and underlying Business Plan in line
with what we learned there. The substance of our plan hasn't changed, but the way it's
pitched has been dramatically sharpened. Thank you!
-Tom Billings, Chairman, Assurant Software
FundingPost would like to thank the sponsors of this event series:
Angel & Seed Investing - November 18, 2004
Sponsored by Covington & Burling
FundingPost's sold-out NYC Angel Investor Breakfast discussed exactly what an entrepreneur in the tri-state area needs to do when raising their first round of Angel Capital. Over 170 entrepreneurs in the audience heard from, and got to meet 8 Angel Investors - all of them actively seeking new deals to fund.
Venture Speakers for the November 18, 2004, event:
Howard Morgan, Angel Investor, New York Angels
Ellen Sandles, Executive Director, Tri-State Private Investors Network
Robert Birnbach, Private Investor
Salvatore Gaglio, Private Investor
David Rose, Angel Investor, New York Angels
Arun Savkur, Quantum Ventures
Chris Starr, VP of Investments, Innovation Philadelphia
Chris Saxman, Executive Director, New York Angels
Moderator: Ellen Corenswet, Corporate Partner, Covington & Burling
Some insight from the event:
Investors look for those deals where the entrepreneur has not only invested his time, but his money. They want to know that you have more at risk than elbow grease.
Sometimes your competitors can be your allies. Don't always ignore or stay away from them, it may be beneficial to work with them.
Management team is critical - bring on people who can get the job done. As an entrepreneur, you have to know what you need help in - It's all about the execution.
Angel money has to take you to break-even or a prominent milestone. you need to have a definable goal. Accepting capital just to stay in business is not acceptable.
A business plan is not just for the investor, it's for the entrepreneurs - it's a roadmap of how to run your business and a necessity for raising capital.
The FundingPost breakfast was tremendously valuable for me. It introduced me to the Angel investment players and the methods and processes which they use to evaluate opportunities. I came away optimistic, enthused and eager to submit my project. So far, I have begun the submission process with Chris Starr, Ellen Sandles, David Rose and Arun Savkur. I look forward to hearing from them soon.
I look forward to seeing you at the next event.
- Jonah Giacalone, President, Network Arts
Seattle Angel & Seed Investing - Oct 7, 2004
Sponsored by Orrick
FundingPost's sold-out Seattle and early-stage investing event was packed with great information for companies raising their first round of capital - especially if they are located in the North-West United States or the British Columbia region of Canada.
Venture Speakers for the October 7, 2004 Event:
Jon Staenberg, Managing Director, Staenberg Venture Partners & Active Angel Investor
Gary Ritner, Founder, Puget Sound Venture Club (Private Investor Network)
Dave Kowalick, Senior Associate, Guide Ventures
Michael J. Riccio, Jr., Managing Partner, Falcon Partners, LLC
Gerard Langeler, OVP Venture Partners
Hans Lundin, Managing Director, Integra Ventures
Artour Baganov, Active Private Investor, Alliance of Angels
Moderator: Alan C. Smith, Partner, Orrick
Some insight from the event:
Valuations are a sensitive subject to VCs. Early-stage companies should not value themselves too high or they will be ignored. A good idea would be to ask investors you know what they think it's worth, though entrepreneurs don't often like what they hear... You need a realistic and relevant valuation.
Also, if you value your company too high on the first round, and you do get it funded, it will be VERY difficult to get a second round of capital.
On the other hand, if the valuation is too low where the investors "crush down" your percentage, that's bad, too. It gives the entrepreneurs no incentive nor a reason to stick around and work hard.
Early-Stage Venture & Angel Workshop - July 29, 2004
Sponsored by Grant Thornton and Duane Morris
FundingPost's sold-out Washington, DC, Early-Stage Venture & Angel Workshop discussed exactly what an entrepreneur in the mid-atlantic area needs to do when raising their first round of Angel or Investment Capital. 4 early-stage investors, including an investor from in-Q-tel, the CIA's investment arm, spoke about their approach to making an investment and what kinds of deals they are actively looking to fund.
Venture Speakers for the July 29, 2004 Event:
Tony Ricciardella, Partner, Grant Thornton
Roger Widing, Managing Director, SpaceVest
John May, Manager, Active Angel Investors & The Dinner Clubs
Rusty Griffith, Walker Ventures & Maryland Angels Council
Roland Oliver, President & Chairman, Monumental Venture Partners
Jonathan Joseph, In-Q-Tel (CIA & Intelligence Community)
Moderator: Daniel Weitzel, Partner, Duane Morris
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