Travis Starkey’s Post

🚀 Elevate your investor pitches by focusing on traction metrics that showcase real value. From ARR to LOIs, discover how to position your startup for maximum impact. Ready to communicate your scalable potential to VCs? [https://lnkd.in/ew4Uf-gH)

We're here to be the catalyst that accelerates your growth, providing the resources and support to turn your startup into a thriving enterprise. We know the challenges of launching and scaling a business. Which is why we're committed to being the driving force behind pre-seed founders' success, especially those from underrepresented communities. Learn more about what we do at: catalystlabshq.com

4 key questions to ask to figure out if a start-up will be successful: 1️⃣️ Do they have the right management team in place at the right time? 2️⃣️ Is this truly an idea that solves a problem at scale? 3️⃣ Are the underlying unit economics profitable? 4️⃣ What makes the company different from others trying to do similar things? Learn more from William O'Donnell, our managing director and founder of Prologis Ventures:

Don't let your investor rip you off! 💥 No single piece of paper is more important for your startup than your term sheet 📜 It lays out the basic terms of a deal between you and your investor: ✔️ How much money the investor will give ✔️ How much ownership the investor will get ✔️ Who gets to make company decisions While it's not a final contract, it's a BIG starting point for negotiations. So you need to get it right. That's why you can now register for our exclusive term sheet workshop for founders. You'll learn how to dissect a term sheet – and how to quickly negotiate one in your favour. Grab your spot live in Melbourne now 👇👇 https://hubs.ly/Q02JlWDC0

Sharing my thoughts on pitching for founders! After working with a lot of founders, attending hundreds of demo days, pitch nights, and investor calls, I’ve noticed essential traits that successful founders consistently exhibit. Here are three crucial tips every founder should embrace when pitching their startup: 1. Confidence: Your ability to confidently discuss your idea, product, and its impact is crucial. Investors are drawn to founders who are passionate and steadfast, as this suggests resilience during inevitable challenges. 2. Know Your Numbers: Mastery over your business and revenue model is non-negotiable. Understand not just how you’ll spend investor funds, but how you’ll generate returns, regardless of your current revenue stage. 3. Know Your Worth: Before entering deal negotiations, align with yourself and your co-founders on what terms are acceptable. Clear understanding of your worth can empower you to walk away from deals that don’t meet your standards. I'm glad to hear your thoughts on this! If you’re preparing for your next pitch or refining your approach, let’s connect!

🚀 Today, I've got some golden nuggets from Index Ventures for you! Partners Martin Mingot and Dominic Jacquesson spill the tea on what they've learned from 210 startups that hit 1,000+ employees. Their article dives into the essentials of hiring, nurturing talent, corporate culture, and how founding teams evolve as companies scale. Plus, it compares seasoned entrepreneurs with first-time founders. Oh, and they dropped a book called "Scaling Through Chaos"—haven't read it yet, but it sounds like a wild ride! 📚✨ Good luck growing your biz! 👉 [Check it out here!](https://lnkd.in/g9NmMVQk)

EXPERIENCE Sending a pitch deck via email to VCs for an early-stage startup can be challenging. VCs often don't provide feedback and may not even reply if they're not interested. This difficulty makes our process tougher. We can't simply send the pitch deck to one VC and wait for their response before approaching another VC. In our experience, pitching in person has been more effective. Analysts understand our vision better, but when they summarize it in the pitch deck for others, the essence can be lost. Without feedback, it's hard to pinpoint what needs improvement. We're continuously refining our pitch, but each rejection due to misunderstandings reduces our chances. We know all such things are natural and happens with all new businesses and we also know it is matter of chance that one day one perfect pitch will encounter with that one VC, And that one day is getting close to us day by day. 🚀

🎙𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿? Check out this short clip where Michael Hochholzer shared an invaluable insight: approaching investors is all about 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵. Keep it sharp, clear, and compelling, remember, it's a 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀! A huge thanks to Michael and Matthias for offering their expert perspectives on getting your startup ready for a funding round 💎 For those who missed it, here's the link to the whole webinar 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dVKj2djB #TheStartupCFO

Ubiful is all about supporting startups and established companies as they gear up to connect with investors. We're here to help you nail down your pitch, making sure you communicate your business's trustworthiness, capabilities, and potential for success flawlessly. Our personalized 1-to-1 Pitch Preparation Deck and Pitch Practice Program are designed just for you. Get in touch for more info!

The crucial question to ask at the end of the first pitch call ⬇ ⬇ ⬇ I was on the 200+ pitch calls so far. → Bad → Good → Terrible → Masterly All founders with masterly pitch skills are the ones who don't use decks and have strict pitches; they have a conversation. They are aware that a confused investor doesn't become an investor. Experience founder also knows that the investor on the call is not the only decision maker and he/she needs to represent startups to the whole team. To be sure that the founder can solve the problem before it is too late, the crucial question they ask to investors on the call is: -----> "Based on this 30-minute call and first impression, what do you think can be a deal breaker for you and the team in the future process?"<----- 📢 Your focus in the last 5 minutes should be on resolving obstacles that investors have and helping him/her pitch your idea at the partner meeting. Anything to add? 🤔 How do you think that investor call should end?