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When it comes to raising capital, many startup founders chase investors before pursuing investors. I have been on both sides of the conversation, collecting funds as a businessman and helping the founders a position to develop themselves. Venture Capital does not avenge the world effort. It reveals traction, explanation and elimination of danger.
Good news? Making your startup attractive to VCS is not about smoke and mirror. It’s about being strategic from day one.
Related: 4 ways of preparation to enhance venture capital
1. VCS don’t buy ideas – they buy speed
Every founder thinks that they think is wonderful. But VCS does not fund ideas. They fund implementation.
If you have not tested the market, produce initial traction or proven demand, you are not making startups – you are writing thesis.
Speed can look like initial revenue, an active weightlist, a successful beta rollout or even a partnership that corrects product relevance. You do not need millions of people to show the movement. You need indications that your idea works in the real world.
Often, I see the founders spend months on pitch decks and branding before talking to a user. Flip that construction, testing, better, then pitch.
2. Be clear from the madness on the issue you are solving
VCS invest in problems, not just products. The bigger and more important the problem is, the more the opportunity will be.
The biggest red flag I see in the startup decks is the statements of the confusing problem. “Our app makes life easier” is not compelled. “We reduce failed delivery for e -commerce businesses by up to 30 %”.
I say the founders regularly If a 10 -second lift pitch does not lift the investor’s eyebrows, you are not close to the point of pain.
Deep drill. Use data. Use emotions. Use live experience. And then show how your product offers measuring relief.
3. Your team is half pitch
At an early stage, VCS is more betting on people than products. This means your team, or at least your founding story, is deeply important.
I often ask, “Do I want to work for those people?” If there is no answer, why does anyone want to back them?
What is the point of solving this problem your team uniquely positioned? Is this domain skills? Internal experience? Past success?
If your team looks like four college friends who thought an app on Friday night, that’s fine, but you need to prove that you can process like an experienced unit. Handle your operational discipline, the pace of learning and how u uncertainty you together.
Related: What do Venture Capitalist find when investing in Startup
4. Brand signals are more important than your idea
This may seem strange by the founder of the Digital PR Company, but the fact is: The brand is a matter of VCS. A clean statement, strong digital presence and media coverage earned are all aid in the understanding of the credibility.
I have seen the trim sheets rapidly for the founders who seemed to invest online, even when the number was the same.
Investors are human. They go to you. They scheme you LinkedIn. They check whether you are mentioned in the relevant media or podcast. Make sure that what they get is a confidence, not confusion.
Invest in your digital footprint initially. It doesn’t need to be perfect – it needs to be deliberately.
5. Make it easy to say yes
VCS do not invest on a mere capacity. They invest on the basis of pattern identity and risk management. Your job is to remove friction from the decision.
This means to be transparent from your number, your roadmap and your current space. This means keeping your data room in order. It also means speaking the language of the investor.
I warn the founders of the early stage, “If your pitch looks like an advertisement, not a strategy, you are in trouble.”
Make it easier to see the capital deployment opportunities, upside down and the project. Do not monitor the best founders. They invite explanation, document and cooperation.
6. Want to back the VC founders, don’t want to fix them
One of the easiest and most difficult truths in Venture Capital is: VCs want to invest in people whom they trust they rely on making good decisions without holding a hand.
This does not mean that you need all answers. This means that you need the mentality of learning, the humility of taking feedback and the power to guide them.
I often look for founders who can be both teachers and students, who trust their vision, but continue to develop.
In your pitch, show how you have molded, better and bounce. VCS likes GRIT, and they respect the reflection.
Related: VC Funding Search? Make sure you have answers to these 5 questions
Final Think: Think like an investor before you put someone pitch
The founders of the most investing are the ones who understand the capital as a notol, not a trophy. They are not out of frustration. They pitch because they have worked, made speed and are now ready to measure on a pre -working scale.
Before pursuing funding, build a smart investor what he wants to buy: explanation, traction, a reliable team and a repetitive growth engine.
“A VC is not looking for you to save B (b (b ( They want to join you, “I remind every founder to my guardian.
At the end of the day, you are not just patching a company. You are inviting someone to help you.
Make sure this is a story capable of joining.