Adjunct Professor (Marketing, Management, Entrepreneurship), Helping Tech CEOs Secure Seed Funding and Build an Impactful Personal Brand
If you were an investor with capital, what would you want in return for your investment? Every investor, whether it’s a venture capitalist, angel investor, or even a family member, has their own unique “sweet spot.” These are the specific things they care about most, and it’s crucial to tailor your pitch to match their interests. Take this example: an entrepreneur once raised $20 million by meeting with around 100 investors, one-on-one, in various settings. Each investor had a different sweet spot. Some cared about healthy profit margins, while others were more interested in intellectual property protection. You might think, “Who wouldn’t want profit margins?” Well, when Mark Zuckerberg was raising funds for Facebook, he didn’t have profits or even sales to show. What he had was a clear path to customer acquisition. When Facebook had about a million users, the famous Peter Thiel, said, “I’ll give you $5 million if you can show me how you’ll get to ten million users.” Mark did exactly that, and Peter got 10% of Facebook for his $5 million investment. In 2012, Peter cashed out for $1 billion. Not a bad return!!! So, when pitching to investors, focus on their sweet spot: - SHOW A REAL PROBLEM that needs solving. - CONVINCE THEM that NO ONE ELSE is solving it quite like you. - Look for a MAGICAL TRANSFORMATION, for example, something in your product or service that will make a significant, visual, and lasting IMPACT on people’s lives. The clearer and more aligned your pitch is with what your investor cares about, the more likely you are to secure the funding you need. --- If you're currently raising funds, especially seed funding, for your startup, let's connect. I help tech startup CEOs refine their pitch, target the right investors, and secure the capital they need to grow and scale. #raisingfunds #startups #seedfunding #techceos
