Whether it’s to survive or thrive, one needs venture capital. Having an idea won’t do the trick, but implementing that idea will. Enter, funding.

Because a lot is riding on that next pitch meeting, any slip-ups or goof-ups with your VC pitch meeting will lead to certain doom and gloom. Don’t stress though! We got you covered!

Preliminaries

The sooner you realize that the work doesn’t start at the pitch meeting but way before it, the sooner you can get started on the things that really matter. While it’s impossible to preempt any hard questions which you might have to answer during the meet, know that the best way to see the ‘bigger picture’ is by simply doing your due diligence. This means:

1. Including the Problem You’re Trying to Solve In Your Pitch Deck

Your venture pitch should include:

• What the problem is
• How you intend to go about solving that problem
• Your core value proposition – rather than making it about your product or service, focus on the essence of what makes your business stand out from the crowd
• Knowing Your Numbers

Investors need numbers; facts and figures – they won’t simply hand the venture capital funds over to you. Make sure you use data across your entire investor pitch and have a legitimate source of the numbers you use.

• Knowing your Exit Strategy

Your blueprint for the business and its projected timeline for it help gain investor insight on when they can expect to see returns down the line. Convey your desired strategy, and provide some context to back that up.

The Meeting

Whether it’s to secure seed funding or startup funding, you need a plan to sweep venture capital firms off their feet. So before you go all guns blazing, understand and follow this simple strategy to get the most out of your VC pitch meeting.

• Oil The Wheels

Ask a little about their background; where they studied, where they grew up and how they got into the business. First impressions are lasting ones, and you better get off the mark with a bang. Now, this doesn’t mean going overboard and hosting a tea party(!) but only 2-3 minute light conversations. This gives them a sense of who you are and breaks the ice a little bit.

• Control Your Hour

Your pitch shouldn’t be scattered, or else you risk sounding confused. What does this mean? Organize your time. Start off with a summary of how the pitch meeting would go down. It could be something along the lines of starting a few minutes by introducing them to your pitch deck, then Q&As, and eventually what steps they would be taking in case the venture capital firm gives the green light.

• Perfect That Pitch:

Generally, most companies are expected to have a business plan, pitch deck, and product demonstration. Having thorough product documentation and references would also be helpful.

1. Your Business Plan:

Nothing too lengthy. Use a software tool online to keep it simple. Make yours stand out by being relevant and concise. Use graphs and charts when needed to convey information more precisely.

• Your Pitch Deck:

Make tailor-made decks for each investor meeting you attend. Why? This will help you connect with venture capital investors more. Keep the pitch deck relevant and convincing to those you intend to show it to. It should include:

• What problem you’re trying to solve
• How you intend to solve that problem
• What are the market conditions you currently face
• What is the product or service you’re trying to sell
• The consumer demand for your product
• Your team and its achievements
• Your competition
• Forecast of your financials
• How much money you intend to raise

• Reveal Your Product:

An actual working product can do wonders simply because seeing it in person humanizes what you’re trying to sell. It puts a name and face to your solution and demonstrating it will do you a world of good for your startup funding efforts.

• Product Documentation:

This includes manufacturing, operations, customer service, and merchandise support processes.

• References:

A venture capital firm’s due diligence would include ringing up your references and asking them several questions. Your references can include recommendations for senior management and customer prospects.

• Q&A Time!

Keep this long enough to make sure that there’s time for all questions to be answered. Never make an investor feel like you’re trying to rush their questions or even worse, avoid them. Make sure that you’re on top of everything; marketing-wise, management-wise, operations-wise, and so on. When you’re asked a difficult question, don’t look disturbed. Instead, be respectful and politely answer with tact.

• Ask Questions From Your Side

It’s natural to ask questions. Don’t worry about looking bad in front of investors. To secure venture capital funds, a lot goes into the details – and you want to make sure you know all of them. Questions like:

• Is there someone you can connect me to further serve our purpose?
• What’s the average you invest in?
• Is there a particular timeframe you follow to make investments?
• Your Next Steps

Ask them if are they ready to make the next step. If yes, what would they be? The entire point here is to get a sense of where this is heading. As always, show your gratitude at the end of the meeting. Never forget to say thank you. You want your business to be in this for the long run. Having etiquette and courtesy goes a long way in doing just that.

• Follow Up

Write an email that covers a quick summary of all the things that were spoken about, and reply to any questions that went unanswered. All done, ideally, on the same day.

Conclusion

There are a lot of things that are outside your control when trying to secure seed funding. So don’t be feeling too blue if things go south. What you can do though, is make sure that you’re equipped with everything that you need to do your best on the big day. For a complete plan of action – and a step-by-step strategy to take your business to the next level, give the pros at Marquee Equity a call at +1-213-600-7272.