Mark Rymsza

❌ Don't blindly use any pitch deck template ...that being said, here's the one I always start with 😃 At the very least add 3 slides at the beginning of any template to make it truly unique to you 🌟 Title Slide - 1 sentence to give the VC context? 🥳 Wow Slide - what’s your most exciting thing? 🤔 Why You Slide - why were you able to get that? Okay, here's the template I always start with... 1️⃣ Why Now Story First tell a story around the VCs biggest question ❗️ Why Now - we live in a new world… 🚨 Problem - and if they stick with the status quo… ❓ Opportunity - but what if? I like to start by agreeing on something to get their heads nodding And if you’ve done it right, you'll pause here so they lean in to ask how? Which you'll answer with... 💡 Solution - here’s why we’re different 🚘 Product - and why it adds value for customers And that's your opening Why Now Story! Okay, stories are great but… 2️⃣ Proof Now you'll need to show proof And there’s lots of ways to do that at pre-seed and it only gets better as you get to seed, series A, B, C... And remember there's 2 parts to PMF First you need happy customers. Then you need to build a factory that can acquire $1M+ worth of (new) happy customers every year So... 🥰 Value - customers love us because… 📈 Traction - so far we’ve accomplished… But VCs don’t care about points in time, they only care about growth... So keep that in mind when putting these together as a foundation for your GTM strategy next 3️⃣ Go to Market Now this is where we transition to the future 💰 Model - an average customer is worth… 🏭 Go to Market - we’re starting with… 🌎 Expansion - which will help us expand to… PMF is all about happy customers and a factory to produce happy customers But now we need to be capital efficient... So we want that all to come from a one well defined segment / use case The model is your building block. Your GTM is all about your first few segments and your expansion is about bigger steps to the future And now we’re in the final stretch! 4️⃣ Advantage Obviously you aren’t the only ones that see a big opportunity out there So focus these slides on the customer and not you 🤼 Competition - and we’re winning because… 🏆 Advantage - we’ll build an advantage over time… 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Team - and we’re the right team because… Why are customer (or will they) chose you? Hint - it’s not because of features How will you build an advantage over time that’ll help you win more customers? And why is your team the best to build factories that can product $1M worth of happy customers? Now all that’s left is to recap and state your ask… 5️⃣ The Ask This shouldn’t be about how you’ll spend the money ✋ Ask - now we’re raising so we can… Instead it's about where you'll get to with the money (and is that enough to unlock your next round?) -- ♻️ Repost to help a founder in your network Click 'visit my website' at the top of this post to register for my Seed to Series A session

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❌ Don't blindly use any pitch deck template ...that being said, here's the one I always start with 😃 At the very least add 3 slides at the beginning of any template to make it truly unique to you 🌟 Title Slide - 1 sentence to give the VC context? 🥳 Wow Slide - what’s your most exciting thing? 🤔 Why You Slide - why were you able to get that? Okay, here's the template I always start with... 1️⃣ Why Now Story First tell a story around the VCs biggest question ❗️ Why Now - we live in a new world… 🚨 Problem - and if they stick with the status quo… ❓ Opportunity - but what if? I like to start by agreeing on something to get their heads nodding And if you’ve done it right, you'll pause here so they lean in to ask how? Which you'll answer with... 💡 Solution - here’s why we’re different 🚘 Product - and why it adds value for customers And that's your opening Why Now Story! Okay, stories are great but… 2️⃣ Proof Now you'll need to show proof And there’s lots of ways to do that at pre-seed and it only gets better as you get to seed, series A, B, C... And remember there's 2 parts to PMF First you need happy customers. Then you need to build a factory that can acquire $1M+ worth of (new) happy customers every year So... 🥰 Value - customers love us because… 📈 Traction - so far we’ve accomplished… But VCs don’t care about points in time, they only care about growth... So keep that in mind when putting these together as a foundation for your GTM strategy next 3️⃣ Go to Market Now this is where we transition to the future 💰 Model - an average customer is worth… 🏭 Go to Market - we’re starting with… 🌎 Expansion - which will help us expand to… PMF is all about happy customers and a factory to produce happy customers But now we need to be capital efficient... So we want that all to come from a one well defined segment / use case The model is your building block. Your GTM is all about your first few segments and your expansion is about bigger steps to the future And now we’re in the final stretch! 4️⃣ Advantage Obviously you aren’t the only ones that see a big opportunity out there So focus these slides on the customer and not you 🤼 Competition - and we’re winning because… 🏆 Advantage - we’ll build an advantage over time… 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Team - and we’re the right team because… Why are customer (or will they) chose you? Hint - it’s not because of features How will you build an advantage over time that’ll help you win more customers? And why is your team the best to build factories that can product $1M worth of happy customers? Now all that’s left is to recap and state your ask… 5️⃣ The Ask This shouldn’t be about how you’ll spend the money ✋ Ask - now we’re raising so we can… Instead it's about where you'll get to with the money (and is that enough to unlock your next round?) -- ♻️ Repost to help a founder in your network Click 'visit my website' at the top of this post to register for my Seed to Series A session

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Venture Debt vs. Venture Capital: 8 Key Differences So, you're looking for funding. But which path do you choose? Venture Debt or Venture Capital? Here's the breakdown: 1. Ownership • Venture Debt: Lenders don't usually take a piece of your company. • Venture Capital: Investors grab a big chunk of ownership 2. Returns • Venture Debt: Interest rates are fixed from day one. • Venture Capital: Company value can skyrocket... or plummet. 3. Payback • Venture Debt: You pay back the loan plus interest over time. • Venture Capital: Investors cash out when they sell their stake. 4. Valuation • Venture Debt: No need to haggle over what your company's worth. • Venture Capital: Get ready for intense negotiations on valuation. 5. Use of Funds • Venture Debt: Spend it on any business need. • Venture Capital: Same deal - it's your money to grow the business. 6. Board Seats • Venture Debt: Lenders typically don't join your board. • Venture Capital: Investors often demand a seat at the table. 7. Financial Covenants • Venture Debt: Usually no strict rules about company finances. • Venture Capital: Same here - but they'll watch your every move. 8. Due Diligence • Venture Debt: Less intense scrutiny of your books. • Venture Capital: Prepare for a deep dive into your financials. The choice isn't just about money. It's about control. Growth. Future. Venture Debt = Keep more ownership, fixed costs. Venture Capital = Give up equity, potential for massive returns. Which path will you choose? Remember: There's no universally right answer. Only what's right for YOUR business. Choose wisely. Your startup's future depends on it #BrainDumps | BrainDump #96

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I keep a close watch on various sources, including Y Combinator's Request for Startups (RFS), which outlines the ideas YC wants to see startups focus on (https://lnkd.in/g2AgszMm). One of the areas that has caught my attention is #Robotics, and it's exciting to see it featured prominently in the RFS. For decades, everyone has known that robots are the future, as any science fiction novel will show. However, that future proved elusive because previous generations of #robots were expensive and brittle, requiring controlled conditions. With the rapid improvements in foundation models, it's finally possible to make robots that have human-level perception and judgment. That’s been the missing piece. Other changes in the world have set the stage for a resurgence of US #manufacturing. New ML-based robotics systems will make it possible to automate far more, which will reduce the cost-of-labor arbitrage that pushed manufacturing to other countries in the first place. I believe #LLMs will open up a new paradigm of how we program robots as well as communicate with them. In addition, Multi-Agentic AI is set to drive the adoption of agents, humans, and robots collaborating on processes and workflows. Microsoft for Startups will be showcasing #Robotics solutions at the #NRF2025 Show in #NYC in January with Unbox Robotics at the Microsoft Booth. #startups #innovation #retail #retailtech

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New data showing the state of Austin's startup funding & tech talent market. The TLDR: Both are on the upswing and poised to close the year strong. 💰 VC Funding from Peter Walker in Carta's Q3 State of Private Markets: ● Austin's Q3 showed a small QoQ growth ● FYI, Carta captures ~50%, so this aligns with Pitchbook's $1B quarter ● Below bubble peak, but trending above pre-2021 Good place to be and with the momentum of Q4 announced deals & the funding pipeline, it looks like we will close the year strong. 🔍 Where's the money going? Last 12 months: ● Hardware: 50% of capital (defense tech, advanced manufacturing, space) ● SaaS: 20% (our traditional strength) ● Bio & Health: 15% (combined healthtech & biotech) This fits what I am seeing on the ground with our continued strength from Austin's enterprise software roots and the region's growing base of hardtech & deeptech. 👩‍💻Tech Talent Market (CompTIA): ● 4,446 tech job postings (13th in US) ● Austin is the 26th largest metro, so punching above our weight ● +484 MoM increase (3rd highest behind only San Jose & Baltimore) ● One of only 7 growing markets among top 15 metros What's Next?

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How does Austin look when comparing share of VC dollars across stages? The short answer: Pretty consistent with our overall position. The long answer: A surprise or two. No shock that the Bay Area dominates from Seed to Series C, capturing between 30% and 45% of market share. Austin ranks between 5th and 7th place, holding a 3% to 4% share across each stage, matching our overall position of 5th or 6th depending on the dataset. Notably, Austin's highest rank is at the Series C stage, which I wasn’t expecting. My guess is this is less about a surge in Austin’s late-stage investments and more about Seattle’s drop-off at this stage. Here’s how venture dollars in Austin are distributed by stage: Seed: 12% Series A: 32% Series B: 33% Series C: 23% For comparison, the Bay Area's distribution is: Seed: 12% Series A: 26% Series B: 32% Series C: 30% Given the size of the rounds, it's logical that later stages command a larger share of total capital. To ascend to the next tier, Austin needs more companies to have both the demand for late stage funding and be able to secure it. 🙏 A big thanks to Peter Walker and Carta for continually providing such insightful data. What’s Next?

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🤠 As an Austin-based founder and a proud Texan, Layerpath was incorporated as a Texas C-Corp—as opposed to the popular belief that a Delaware C-Corp is the way to go, where 99.99% of startups incorporate. I'm proud to be in that 0.01%! 😉 Jokes aside, here are some movers and shakers who made Austin home before, alongside, and after me! 🚗 Tesla and X (Twitter) – making waves in the tech scene. 🚀 Jason (LAUNCH) has made Austin home for Launch. 🔍 Joe (co-founder, Palantir Technologies & GP 8VC) is building big ideas here. 🎙️ Joe Rogan experience – the podcast king, now broadcasting from Austin. 💡 Drew (Founder & CEO of Dropbox) also calls Austin home. 🏢 Oracle moved its headquarters to Austin in 2020. 📦 Amazon employs 7,000 people in Austin. 💻 AMD, Intel Corporation, and Microsoft have thousands of employees driving innovation in the area. 🌟 And, of course, Dell Technologies—an Austin icon forever! But here’s where things get interesting… 🧠 💭 Texas vs. Delaware C-Corp ↳ Regarding incorporation, Delaware often tops the list of preferences, especially for VCs. ↳ But as I’ve been diving deep into this conversation with my CPA, legal counsel, and some investors, I’ve learned that many states, including Texas, have modernized their corporate laws to rival Delaware’s appeal. ↳ A Texas C-Corp can be just as efficient and cost-effective if you’re not expecting major legal battles or massive fundraising rounds immediately. 📈 My Takeaway for Texas Entrepreneurs? ⇢ Start in Texas, grow in Texas, and only consider transitioning to Delaware if it makes sense for your company’s journey. ⇢ Why rush into something costly when you can leverage the friendly business environment in Austin? ⇢ The best part: every conversation I’ve had has been a learning experience—whether it’s understanding why Delaware is the default for many or why staying put could make more sense right now. San Francisco (a city I love and always will) and the Bay Area are where Silicon Valley tech unicorns thrive. Austin is the Silicon Hills, where tech innovation meets a bit of BBQ, a lot of cowboy spirit, and tech dreams grow as big as Texas! 🌵🤠 ❗ Disclaimer: This is not legal or financial advice—I’m still learning the ropes! However, sharing my journey might help other founders make similar decisions. Because, in the end, it’s all about what’s best for your startup and its unique path. 💡 #AustinTech #TexasPride #StartupLife #FounderJourney #DelawareVsTexas #BuildingInTexas #NeverStopLearning #Layerpath

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Move over, Silicon Valley! Austin claimed the top spot on Inc.'s list of best places to start a business. We're growing 4x faster & stealing your talent. (They said it, not me. Sorry?!) 😏 🏆 Inc’s Top Ten: 1. Austin 2. Salt Lake City 3. Raleigh 4. Nashville 5. San Francisco 6. San Jose 7. San Diego 8. Denver 9. Orlando 10. Portland The ranking rewards cities punching above their weight in terms of population, evaluating all businesses not just venture-backed startups. In fact, the authors specifically mention that New York City didn’t make the top of the cut because, while it boasts a massive number of new businesses, that’s expected from the U.S.’s largest city. 📊 How did Austin make it to the top, here are the key metrics: 1st in Population Growth 3rd in High-Growth Company Density (per 100K people) 4th in Early-Stage Funding Deals (per 100K adults) 6th in Job Creation 💡Inc’s final takeaway: "Austin still has lots of live music, but today the city's creative class is creating business as much as art." Austin is where creativity, tech, entrepreneurship, & building converge. Now, do I actually believe we're the top place for starting a business? No…Not yet. NARRATIVES MATTER as they attract talent, capital, and companies. The story of an ecosystem story should be 2-3 years ahead of reality, so we can grow into it. Let’s Go!!

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Big Company or Big Network: Which is the better partner? When you think partnerships, It’s easy to think of collaborating with companies. But have you considered partnering with a network? When I was in Austin, I struck a deal with Capital Factory. Community of 100,000 entrepreneurs. Portfolio valuation of $21 billion. This partnership opened doors to New brands, New investors, New level of growth. The takeaway? Partnering with a network doesn’t just add value— it channels it 🔮 #Networking #Innovation #Entrepreneurship

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The average time to exit for acquisitions has jumped from 4.6 years in 2005 to 6.3 years (2024). 6.3 years ago the YC 2018 Winter Batch was just wrapping up its demo day. From this YC cohort there were two major ($150M+) exits. Sqreen - exited to Datadog for ~$250M. Bear Flag (robotics) - exited to John Deere for ~$250M As the exit landscape evolves, I am still confident YC remains one of the best sources for outsized returns.

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Here’s a concise summary based on the "Extend Runway" document by Sequoia: Extending Your Runway: Key Takeaways for Founders - Understand Your Runway: Runway = cash balance divided by monthly burn rate. It’s crucial to calculate it accurately, accounting for debt and future cash outflows. - Set Realistic Goals: Figure out how long it’ll take to reach your next milestone (e.g., next funding round or cash flow positive) and aim to have 12 months of runway beyond that. - Break Down Your Costs: Dive deep into your P&L. Identify where your losses come from (gross margin vs. operating expenses) and understand what’s efficient vs. wasteful spending. - Make Hard Decisions: Reducing burn may require tough decisions, like cutting staff or increasing pricing. - Plan for the Worst: Hope for the best, but always have a contingency plan in case things go south. - Stay Focused: The sooner you execute on these actions, the better position you’ll be in to survive and thrive in the long run. Remember, it’s not just about raising money but about ensuring sustainability for the long haul. If you're diving into the investment world, keen on joining a forward-thinking community of investors, here's your chance. 💼🌟 Join our Inovexus Deal Club today by commenting 'DEAL CLUB' below! Dive into a network where smart funding meets groundbreaking ideas ✨ #startups #entrepreneurship #venturecapital #investing #finance #crossborder #inovexus #startup #VC #earlystage

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Want to know what metrics venture capitalists really care about? Aumni's latest analysis dives into 10,000+ data points from portfolio companies at all stages. Here's what we uncovered: 1️⃣ Revenue, net burn rate, FT headcount, and gross margin are the hottest metrics. 2️⃣ Most VCs request 6-9 specific metrics per quarter from each portfolio company. 3️⃣ Cash is king in the early stages but loses its throne as companies grow. 4️⃣ Operational metrics dominate at Series D+, taking up half of the top ten. Key insights: - Cash-on-hand and cash runway plummet in importance from a combined ranking of 3.5 in the seed stage to barely making the top ten by Series D+. - Metrics spotlighting operational efficiency, like gross margin, total OpEx, EBIT, bookings, and debt balance, become crucial as startups scale. PS. check out 🔔 for a winning pitch deck the template created by Silicon Valley legend, Peter Thiel https://lnkd.in/ejp-Bhnu

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YC Guide to Seed Fundraising Every Founder Needs to Read It includes 1. Why raise money? 2. When to raise money? 3. How much to raise? 4. Different types of Financing options- Convertible Note, SAFE Note, Equity, Debt 5. Valuation- what is your company worth 6. Different types of Investors- Angel Investors, Venture Capitalists 7. A note on Crowdfunding 8. How to meet investors 9. Negotiating and closing the deal 10. Documents you need 11. Some Fundraising rules to follow 12. What Not to Do While Communicating with Investors 13. A Brief Glossary of Key Terms Source: Geoff Ralston ~~~~~ ♻️ Found this helpful? Repost it so your network can learn from it, too. And follow me, Fazlur Shah for more content like this. #startups #entrepreneurship #venturecapital #investing

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Day 74: 10 Pro Tips to Make Your Startup Pitch Deck Pop! Nail Your Pitch: Essential Startup Pitch Tips from the Founder Institute. Happy Friday, Friends! Today, I’ve got a 🔥 resource for you from the Founder Institute Texas that you NEED to check out if you’re working on a startup pitch. After seeing 1000s of pitches over the last 5+ years, I can tell you that nailing your pitch is an ongoing journey. You'll always find ways to sharpen it, tighten it, and make it hit harder. Trust me. So, to help you along, here are 10 tips to make your pitch deck pop and leave people saying, "Wow, this founder knows what's up!" 1️⃣ Focus on storytelling: No one cares about just facts—give them a story that pulls at their heartstrings (or at least keeps them awake ). 2️⃣ Structure matters: Follow a simple flow—problem, solution, market, traction, team. If you can’t explain it in that order, are you even solving a problem? 3️⃣ Keep it concise: You’ve got 10 minutes max. If you're taking longer, they’re thinking about lunch. 4️⃣ Prioritize content over design: A slick design is cool and all, but can you just make sure your content isn’t cluttered first? Please. 5️⃣ Use conversational language: Ditch the tech jargon and buzzwords. Talk to them like you're explaining it to a 10-year-old—simple, clear, relatable. 6️⃣ Show, don’t just tell: Demos, screenshots, whatever you’ve got—use them. Don’t just talk about your brilliant idea; prove it works. 7️⃣ Practice, but don’t aim for perfection: Things will go wrong. It's fine. Be prepared to roll with it. 8️⃣ Be prepared for questions: If someone stumps you with a question, don’t ramble. Take a beat, answer, and move on. Less awkward that way. 9️⃣ Demonstrate execution ability: Ideas are cool, but execution is KEY. Show you’re not just dreaming—you’re doing. 🔟 Build relationships: Your pitch isn’t a one-off—it's the start of a relationship. Get them hooked so they want to see you again. Want more? Check out the Founder Institute NTX’s cohort and get the tools and support to build something amazing: https://fi.co/dallas Your pitch is just the beginning—go make them believe in your vision! Who's ready to crush their next pitch? Tell me what part you struggle with the most in the comments. Let’s make the next days of our journey count, filled with more stories, inspiration, and community impact! P.S. Want to get involved? If this resonates, repost, to share with others ♻️ and follow Javy Martinez for more in the future.

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VCs rate STARTUPS, should the SBA or BBB (Better Business Bureaus do the SAME? Often a complicated and lengthy process for complaints reduces feedback. By Providing a RATING (like RESTAURANTS receive from the health department (ABCD)) that provides a clear metric 📊 on our local SERVICE PROVIDERS who too often can hide 🙈 TRUE results behind SEO (Search engine optimization) or (PPC) pay-per-click that many seniors and homeowners mistake for objective reviews? Whether raising future FUNDING from investors or calculating VALUE, how can consumers better understand and reward great service? How can COMSUMER PROTECTION learn from and mimic VCs IDEA: Dept of Due Diligence ?

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🔎Investing in Deep Tech? Not yet...🤦‍♂️ Check below why you should consider investing in Deep Tech startups and VC funds🤝 💡Hint: Deeptech VCs achieved an IRR of 17% in comparison to traditional Tech VCs IRR of 10%, according to a McKinsey & Company survey of 115 Deeptech VCs and 1,572 traditional Tech VC funds Thanks to Francesco Perticarari for sharing ✅ Looking to invest your capital into #VC funds?   🤝 Need warm #GP introductions?   📝 Selling #secondaries to increase liquidity?   🧐 Looking for co-investments (Series A/Series B)?   ▶ G+QUANT's link for inquiries: https://lnkd.in/gjC_EuTE     #VentureCapital #VentureFunding #VentureDebt #Fundraising #Innovation #Technology #Entrepreneurship #Investing #Network #Investors #LPs #GPs #EmergingManagers #FamilyOffice #Markets #Economy #Business #Founders #Startups #StartupFunding #ai #artificialintelligence #unicorn #secondaries #secondarydeals

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If you're a start-up founder, here's why you need to understand graduation rates 👀 Getting into this juicy data from Carta, you can see that a higher share of seed startups made it to series A within 2 years in the boom times than are making it in more recent cohorts. This jump from seed to series A is measured and referred to as the graduation rate and is incredibly important to early-stage investors. For most early-stage investors, this is one of the key metrics they will be judged on by LPs (the investors in a VC fund). For founders, the jump from seed to series A is largely driven by your growth rate on various metrics: revenue, users, logos, etc. Being back on the founder side, I'm now more aware of how investors view graduation rates. It directly impacts: 👉🏼 Your likelihood of raising subsequent funding. 👉🏼 How you assess product-market fit and whether you're tracking the right metrics. 👉🏼 How you allocate resources to drive growth. If you're considering raising a series A round, do a deep dive into your company metrics and benchmark them against investor expectations. #founders #vc #startup #investment

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