How to Get Investors

How Start-ups can Conduct Business Pitching for Solid Closing

What does Business Pitching Entail? Business pitching means presenting a company’s concepts to another person. As an illustration, you might introduce your fledgling company to possible investors or your items to prospective clients. To get buy-in, a business pitch must clearly explain your strategy or objectives to the audience. Your goods and business are the subjects of your pitch. It is important to note that sharing your concept is never too early. You must always be prepared to make a pitch that’ll make potential stakeholders (investors or customers) interested your company. A pitch is a speech intended to persuade an audience to take a certain action. Your idea dictates its purpose and likely outcomes to anticipate. So the following reasons for a pitch are: To attract early adopters that will use your service To attract investors and/or partners who can help grow your company To request funding Types of Pitches Today, it is not uncommon that investors lack the patience and time to listen to traditional pitches where you reel off all the benefits of your product and then make a “great deal” to close. Here are the various types of business pitches: One-word Pitch: It is important that a word reflects your brand. It is a keyword that summarises the concept of your product or business. It can also give clarity to a first-time hearer about your products/services. This keyword is often coined from the mission, vision, goals, unique point or even the solution offered. Elevator Pitch: This is your go-to pitch for networking events, social media, and elevator rides with potential clients. Every salesperson is expected to have an elevator pitch, allowing you to discuss your product and company’s fundamentals within 30 to 60 seconds. In your speech, you should focus more on the why of your solution. This presents the concept of your product and company more persuasively. Investor Pitch: Here is a speech that describes the issues you hope to address as part of your investor pitch. You should not use industry jargon when presenting; it is exclusively for your pitch deck. In an investor pitch, you describe what you do, the level of business maturity, the size of the market, and your partners. If you can create a large company, investors will be interested. Customer Pitch: In contrast to investors, customers are looking for the problems that your product and business can help them solve. Get them to talk more about the issue than you do, and only then can you determine the appropriate remedy. Presentations can contain industry terminologies because it is considered that the audience is aware of the market. Follow-up Pitch: Here’s a reminder of a concept you’ve already pitched to a listener who hasn’t yet lived up to your expectations. This needs to be handled respectfully and with courtesy. A postal pitch or a cold phone pitch can be used to follow up with an investor or a client. Presenting a Pitch Firstly, when giving a pitch, begin with a short, friendly introduction and a memorable slogan to pique the audience’s interest. Note that you should keep your opening slide above to capture the investors’ attention. In an investor pitch, you should discuss a problem your business or idea addresses, whereas in a customer pitch, you should allow the customer explain their issue. Tell a story to raise thoughts, and then use pertinent data and facts to convince them of your plan (s) to resolve the issue. Furthermore, explain your approach to the audience, outlining the functions of your concept and testing processes. Use visuals to depict your product/service. These could be videos, images, or screenshots. Remember that businesses are not without rivals, but your unique selling point offers you an advantage in convincing your listener that your solution is the best one. Moreover, when making a pitch to an investor, describe your business model to demonstrate that you have a sound strategy for generating income. Your traction is a crucial component of your pitch because it details your past successes. Telling your investor how you intend to expand goes a step further. This demonstrates your maturity and where you see your firm going in terms of attracting customers. Conclusion You definitely do not want to waste your opportunity to close by being unprepared. Before pitching your business to prospective stakeholders, it is critical that you assess your level of readiness. Here’s what you should do below: ➢ Examine your pitch pattern to make sure it’s standard ➢ Improve your confidence level ➢ Memorise and practice your pitch ➢ Learn to focus on keywords to manage your time ➢ Have short versions of your pitch. ➢ Pair your story with a visual document called a pitch deck In your pitch session, sell your solution evidently to potential customers, investors and/or partners.

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Asking Potential Investors the Right Question

We have shared with you tips on how to get investment ready, how to select the right investors; and now we will share with you questions you should be asking potential investors before you take their money.  Here are 15 questions you should be asking your potential investors  What types (or focus sectors) of companies have they invested in, in the past? What kind of support do you provide to these companies? What kind of investments (in terms of value and round) do you provide?  How many investments have you made in a company? Do you typically lead investment rounds? Or do you prefer to co-invest? How many investment rounds have you led? How long does it take to close? What is the first thing we need to do after closing? What do you expect from us going forward if you invest in our company? Will you be personally involved in the company? What metrics would you be tracking? How often would we be required to provide progress reports? What is your most successful investment? Are you willing to share the contact information of 2-3 companies you have invested in? These are questions that should guide your decision-making on whether the investor is the right fit for your company and for you. But most importantly make sure you listen to your gut feeling and ask any other questions that arise from within.  Contact Versa Research your trusted data, research & consulting partner! References https://www.forbes.com/sites/alejandrocremades/2019/02/21/20-questions-entrepreneurs-should-ask-investors/?sh=1c1988d97670

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What Investors Look for in a Start-up

A start-up needs investments in order to reach out to its numerous customers especially when the demand for their product or service is high. The major reason for investments in start-ups is the steady growth experienced. Start-up founders need to understand that an investor is not a friend but an enabler with financial capability to help sustain the growth of the business, who in turn expects to get returns in the form of dividends or equity in the overall stake. Investments in a start-up could be by a venture capitalist, financial institution, crowd funders, family and friends, corporate investors and government organizations. Why Cash Flow for A Start-up Is Better Than Profit Start-up Founders are usually trapped in the need to begin to make profit and might wear themselves out when business does not look profitable. Profitability is not the most important factor to measure the growth of a start-up. Every investor understands that to classify a start-up as ready for investment, it has to show steady cash flow in their financial statements, which is the primary check to showcase the healthiness of the business. Determinants of Start-up Investments Team The success of a start-up depends largely on the team and most especially the experience and expertise they bring to the organization. Start-ups are very fragile and therefore risky to invest in. However, with a qualified team whose portfolio reflects a level of experience and exposure in a similar role or organization proves to the investor that decision making would be properly done and tasks executed with precision. A great start-up team is usually  a team that has knowledge of product development and management and also the ability to connect with people in order to sell the products. Traction Traction is the metric to measure the growth of an organization. How many sales have you made within a specific period of time? How many downloads? How many customers are being served? Traction represents the overall cycle of how deepened the dealings of a business has fostered consistent growth with the customer. The tractions are usually represented in charts to display the gradual progression. Licenses Investors are concerned about the level of work that has been done by the start-up founders and these can be shown in obtaining the necessary licenses, intellectual property and compliances to enable the smooth running of the business. Investors want to ensure their investments are secure and would seek a level of understanding in ensuring that the necessary regulations are being adhered to. Risk Management Policy Investors like to know what the next line of action would be if the plan does not go as expected, it could also be that the plan is executed as expected but then the business experiences difficulty, what would the next line of action be in order to continue to stay in business. Risk could range from personal risk, financial risks as well as health and safety risks. Your Competitive Advantage Investors are aware that there are other existing businesses like your own, one of the ways to showcase that a start-up is ready for investment is to leverage on what makes you better, amplify it in your promotions and show measurably how it has helped to create exponential growth better than your competitor. Bear in mind, that alongside the factors mentioned, the start-up founder with a good portfolio is the capital reason for making capital investment. Without strength of character, staying power, grit, tenacity and resilience, investment in a person might not suffice. Read Also: How to be Investment Ready

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