Virginie Verdon’s Post

Key Board Decisions and Processes The next Startup Board Academy Online Workshop is coming on July 2nd 📅12:30 PM - 2:00 PM CEST Workshop Highlights: 🔹Key Board and Shareholder Decisions: Master effective decision-making processes. 🔹Key Board Processes: Streamline and optimize board operations. 🔹Strategy: Develop and refine your business strategy. 🔹Risk Management: Recognize potential risks early, assess impact, and implement effective mitigation strategies. 🔹Mini Business Case: Practical application of concepts. 🔹Fundraising: Strategy, financing needs, types, and timing. 🔹Exit: Plan and execute successful exit strategies and understand the board's role in the process. Why This Workshop Is Useful for You 🔸High-Level Expertise: Learn from board experts with deep startup 🔸experience. 🔸Strategic Networking: Connect with peers in the startup ecosystem. 🔸Interactive Workshop: Engage in a tailored board workshop. 🔸Convenient Schedule: Held during lunchtime for ease of attendance. This workshop is designed to empower board members with the skills needed to navigate complex governance challenges, ensuring your startup’s long-term success. 👉 register here: https://lnkd.in/dxKzfYGG Virginie Verdon Benedict Stalder Brigitte Baumann Gervais

HOW TO CONNECT WITH INVESTORS outside your network? HOW TO INCREASE YOUR ROUND-CLOSING CHANCES? June 7th 18-19.30 You'll get all the answers - just ✌ Register here: https://lnkd.in/eUEBZz8p 😍 Join us for this free, exclusive online masterclass with Daniel Sawko from shipshape.vc designed to equip founders and startup teams with essential strategies to connect with investors and secure funding. Whether you’re struggling to get replies or unsure how to showcase your startup’s potential, this session will provide the tools and strategies you need to effectively capture investor interest. Event Highlight: 👉 A tactical guide to plan and execute your cold outreach and a live demo of the process 👉Q&A part, allowing attendees to ask questions and engage with the speakers 👉Networking opportunities with fellow entrepreneurs, investors, and industry professionals 👉Information on the Ship Shape platform and the Founder Institute’s accelerator programs and how they can help startups secure funding and grow What You’ll Learn: 👉Investment Thesis: Learn how to align your startup with the investment strategies of potential investors. 👉Fund Lifecycles: Gain insights into the stages of fund investments and how this impacts funding availability. 👉Current Portfolio Analysis: Discover how to analyze an investor’s current portfolio to gauge interest in your startup’s sector. 👉Domain Knowledge Identification: Understand the importance of reaching out to the right investors who have a history and interest in your industry. 👉Effective Outreach: Learn who to contact, when, and how to craft messages that stand out. Rikke Klitskov with Ferdinand Mühlhäuser 🇺🇦🌍, Kai Malkwitz, ✯ Nathan Evans ✯, Amanda Fornal, Sara Maki, Mohammad Hossein Tavangar and Eva Dimitrova Worst

👩🏫 How do VCs prepare to board meetings? 📚 Sunny Saturday, black coffee, and board papers! I am all ready and excited for 3 board meetings this week across very different startups. It's important for me to be well prepared, so I give the papers a first read-through over the weekend. I note what happened, and the outlook, separating facts and numbers, from interpretations and ideas. I write down the most obvious questions that pop into my head, and then 'read between the lines' to go deeper. 📈🧐✍️ I also catch up on my notes from previous board meetings, connecting the dots. This time, the board papers were excellent, making my weekend reading smoother! In the days leading up to each meeting, I'll refine my thoughts, probably making a quick call to the chairs, NEDs, or my fellow VCs, to get their perspectives 📞. For me startup boards are not just about monitoring, it's also ensuring we focus on what truly matters. 🤝 #BoardPrep #VC #StartupJourney #BehindTheScenes

Get ready to transform your planning process at our #StrategyBootcamp! 🌟 Join us for "Unlock Rapid Execution: Say Goodbye to Extended Planning Cycles," where you’ll learn how to accelerate your strategy, cut misaligned projects, and drive results faster than ever. 🎤 Leading the session is Laura Blackmore, Cascade's Head of Strategy Execution. With over a decade of experience scaling startups and building high-performing strategy teams, Laura brings the insights and expertise you need to execute smarter and faster. 📅 When: December 11th, 11:00am EST 💻 Where: 100% online 💸 Cost: FREE! 👉 Register now—link in the comments! #StrategyBootcamp #Strategy #StrategyExecution #StrategyPlanning #Alignment #FasterDecisions #Free #Event

Have you heard that what gets you to one point won't take you to the next? This applies to pitch decks as well. The deck that secured your pre-seed funding won't suffice for your seed round. Nor will your seed deck be enough for Series A. Why? Because expectations change, information evolves; the old becomes outdated. I've worked with many startups that understand this. They know the pitch deck must evolve just as their business does. They're interconnected. Yet, some startups cling to their original deck, thinking past success guarantees future results. It doesn't. Always adapt, always update. You can also find this information and more in my pitch deck resource that you can download for free. Link in my bio.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸: 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟮𝟯 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝟭𝟮𝗣𝗠 𝗘𝗗𝗧! If you haven't yet, you can sign up here: https://bit.ly/3Y6tpgD As we countdown to the event, this audio clip gives a sneak peek of what you can expect. We'll be diving deep into the key fundamentals of startup fundraising and cover key topics like: 1. Getting investors excited about your startup 2. Crafting a pitch deck that is versatile 3. Running a strong fundraise process 4. Preparing an internal Q&A doc 5. Researching the contours of your fundraise If you have any additional topics you'd like me to cover... send those in, too! 📩 #StartupFundraising #VentureCapital #AngelInvesting #StartupFundraisingTips

🚀 𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 – 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲! I’m happy to cohost this game-changing webinar with Abdul Golden. This event is designed to help you elevate your pitch and secure the funding your startup deserves! 💡 Shujaa Capital is bringing you an exclusive, FREE webinar on "Pitch Deck Secrets: How to Stand Out and Secure Funding." Together, we’ll dive deep into what it takes to captivate investors and turn your vision into reality. 🎯 Whether you’re preparing for your first round or perfecting your pitch for scale, this session is your chance to learn and get ahead of the curve. 📅 Date: 15th January 2025 ⏰ Time: 11AM (WAT) 📍 Location: Online (Google Meet) – Don’t wait, sign up now! 🚨 Spaces are limited, and you don’t want to miss out! This is your moment to take the leap and secure the funding that can transform your startup’s future. 👉 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://bit.ly/shujaapitch I can’t wait to see you there and help you unlock your potential! Let’s make 2025 your breakthrough year. 🚀 #PaschalOffordum #Founders #StartupSuccess

The final week of online workshops in the Time to Raise program is done! And we ended the workshops on top!🔥 This week, we had the privilege to be joined by serial entrepreneur, chair and angel investor Emma Rees as well as Susan Lin, partner at Felix Capital. Emma talked about the science behind pitching and how to use question-science when responsing to investors' questions when fundraising. It was an interactive workshop where we got to practice how to answer prevention v.s. promotion questions with promotion answers. 💡 Key takeaways: - Start your pitch with storytelling. Three entry points are: Founder Origin Story, Data Hook - Big Number, Client Problem. - Humanise your audience. - Don't talk about your passion. Show it! Pitching is a full-body experience. - Make sure the person you bring to a meeting gives you positive energy and confidence, and not the other way around. - ✅ Examples of promotion words: aspiration, advancement, attain, desire, earn, expand, grow, gain. - ❎ Examples of prevention words: avoid, careful, defend, conservative, loss, prevent, protect, risk, safety Susan talked about the business model of VCs, metrics to track, show and understand in different stages of your fundraising and for different types of business models. She also shared some stories and examples of well-known brands and how they initially presented their metrics. This too was a very interactive session with a lot of questions from the startup founders. 💡 Key insights: - How the type of LPs a fund have onboard can guide their decision making. - What early-stage VCs typically look for: Great founders/team that can attract money and great team, Large market opportunity, Differentiation/unique value proposition, Product market fit & scalability (for seed+). - How to think about and calculate your TAM. - What metrics your are expected to show for a series A round. - What kind of investors to talk to depending on your business model and industry. Thank you Emma and Susan for your valuable insights and for good discussions! Next week, cohort 5 meet in Stockholm for on-site workshops and final event 🎉 #workshop #fundraising #entrepreneurship

Business Angel in water market As a Business Angel in water treatment market, I am passionate about empowering early-stage startups to turn their innovative ideas into successful businesses. My role goes beyond providing financial backing: I offer valuable mentorship, expertise and networking opportunities to help aspiring entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of launching and scaling. Startups often face significant risks and funding gaps, which is where I step in not just with capital, but with strategic guidance and connections to industry leaders, potential customers and investors. My goal is to bridge that gap, helping businesses grow sustainably and drive technological progress. Mentorship is the key to success. By sharing my experience, I help emerging enterpreneurs refine their business models, develop go-to-market strategies and build the foundations for long-term growth. I'm proud to support the next generation of business leaders and contribute to a thriving ecosystem that creates jobs and drives innovation. Are you ready to start your journey into water market? I am at your disposal to support you.

Webinar wrap-up: Sales and GTM Metrics for Startup Success by 🧲atTRACTION: Connecting Deep-Tech Innovation Ecosystems x Tech-Park Kaunas! With Cedric Charpenet, founder of CharpStrat - Sales Coaching and Complex Deals, we dove deep into sales and GTM metrics, unlocking the key indicators driving startup growth and investment decisions. Here's what we uncovered: ➡️Decoding Sales Metrics: From ARR to CAC, we explored how to make sense of the most important numbers. ➡️GTM Success Indicators: Cedric shared practical insights into identifying valuation signals and strategic opportunities. ➡️Metrics as Investment Tools: Startups and investors gained actionable strategies to leverage data for decision-making. ➡️Practical Takeaways: Everyone walked away with tools to evaluate growth potential and implement impactful changes. Kudos to Cedric for sharing his expertise and to all the participants who joined us online. Your energy and engagement made this event a true success! Couldn’t make it this time? Stay tuned—we’ll be bringing more webinars packed with insights to help startups thrive and investors excel 🤜✨🤛 #Startups #Investors #SalesMetrics #deeptech #HorizonEurope