The art ofFundraising

2016

by Omkar Pandharkame

Nail the Pitch

K . I .S .S ( KEEP IT SIMPLE SILLY)

How big is your problem you are solving?

At the end of the day , it all boilsdown to 3 questions :

- How big is your problem?

- How cool is your Solution?

- Why are you the best person tosolve the problem?

When is it right?

TIMING IS THE KEY

Dont even think of Funding until you have

- A fully functional product- Early good traction- First 5-10 Paying Customers ( Depends onyour business)

The AwkwardFollow up

DONT BE DESPERATE

Dont be that ex- girlfr iend

Treat your potential Investor as yourclient . Also never rely one single investorfor your funding needs .

- Have 1 lead investor and then peoplebacking him .

- Having a single investor is rare and maynot be beneficial .

Smart Money

PEOPLE MATTER

Not all money is good money

When raising investment ask threequestions

- What locks will the money open?

- How involved will the investor be?

- Can you benefit from the investorother than his money?

Dont Fake

BEING REALISTIC

Real people get the real money

Your business predictions should bereasonable . I f you are fooling theinvestor , then you dont have the rightinvestor . Work out this prediction sheet

- 3 year Plan- Account unforeseen expense- keep 15-20% Contigency

CockroachStartup

SUSTAINABLE PROFITS

Money to grow , Not to survive

Ensure you are raising the money togrow and not survive .

Investment should be raised for :

- Developing a better product- Expanding to newer market- Upsizing the team

Funded doesn 't meansuccesful

BURN MATTERS

Not the end of your journey

Funding is your shift from 1st gear to2nd gear . A funded startup doesn 'tmean a successful startup .

- Keep the burn l imited- How many months you would surviveif you dont do any business- Dont spend l ike a shopping mall onsale

People get invested ,Not ideas

YOU ARE THE INVESMENT

Do you have what it takes?

An average idea but with greatexecutioners is a great investment ,but the opposite isnt . Investors look at

- Are you doing it because there is abusiness opportunity or you arepassionate about it?-

02

Keep the good work up!