Investor Pitch How to get a second meeting Ignite Business Growth Brant Cooper David Kaplan www.xleratesolutions.com XLerate Solutions

The Goal Use your network to get a 1 st meeting. No one ever received a check at their 1 st meeting Your goal is to get a second meeting!

Use your network to get a 1 st meeting.

No one ever received a check at their 1 st meeting

Success Factors Quality of Idea Depth of Knowledge Strength of Character

Quality of Idea

Depth of Knowledge

Strength of Character

Unrealistic objectives Unclear value proposition Half-baked business plan Poor homework Arrogance Failure Factors

Unrealistic objectives

Unclear value proposition

Half-baked business plan

Poor homework

Arrogance

Have This Prepared for the 1 st Meeting 10-15 slide deck 10 Back-up slides Intimate knowledge of your proposed business

10-15 slide deck

10 Back-up slides

Intimate knowledge of your proposed business

It Doesn’t Hurt to Also Have This Product Milestones achieved A tested business model Evidence that the model can be monetized Customer ROI validation Relevant Board of Advisors

Product Milestones achieved

A tested business model

Evidence that the model can be monetized

Customer ROI validation

Relevant Board of Advisors

Do’s Simple, but defendable Talk to the slides in15 minutes Defend vision, but demonstrate flexibility Expose assumptions

Simple, but defendable

Talk to the slides in15 minutes

Defend vision, but demonstrate flexibility

Expose assumptions

Don'ts Be unprepared Make claims you can’t substantiate Discuss valuation Underestimate competition Overestimate market

Be unprepared

Make claims you can’t substantiate

Discuss valuation

Underestimate competition

Overestimate market

Deck Template You’re telling a story Change flow if necessary for your story Don’t confuse narrative w/ slide content Less is more, especially for each slide Add another slide before inundating one slide But, do you really need another slide? “ Quick hits” nice to have, but not musts Ice, Ice, baby: Concise, Precise, Entice

You’re telling a story

Change flow if necessary for your story

Don’t confuse narrative w/ slide content

Less is more, especially for each slide

Add another slide before inundating one slide

But, do you really need another slide?

“ Quick hits” nice to have, but not musts

Ice, Ice, baby: Concise, Precise, Entice

Slide 1 Introduction “ Elevator Pitch” What business you are in? What market do you compete in? What will your business accomplish? Quick hit: Significant company milestone or proven metric to date [Slide Objective: Positioning of proposed business in viewer’s mind]

“ Elevator Pitch”

What business you are in?

What market do you compete in?

What will your business accomplish?

Slide 2 Market Need What’s the pain you are solving? Who is ideal customer? How are they faring without you? What is the pain costing them? Revenue? Expenses? Market Share? Time? Risk? Why is your solution a must have ? How will you overcome the inertia coefficient? Quick hit: Personal appeal to viewer; can you evoke personal experience in audience? [Slide Objective: Answer why are you in business?]

What’s the pain you are solving?

Who is ideal customer?

How are they faring without you?

What is the pain costing them?

Revenue? Expenses? Market Share? Time? Risk?

Why is your solution a must have ?

How will you overcome the inertia coefficient?

Slide 3 Your Solution What is your solution to the problem? What is unique? What is your exceptional value to the paying customer? What is your exceptional value to customer influencers? What is the paying customer’s result after your product? Revenue? Expenses? Market Share? Time? Risk? Quick hit: Provide an real life ROI example [Slide Objective: Answer why you?]

What is your solution to the problem?

What is unique?

What is your exceptional value to the paying customer?

What is your exceptional value to customer influencers?

What is the paying customer’s result after your product?

Revenue? Expenses? Market Share? Time? Risk?

Slide 4 Technology How does your solution work? In laymen’s terms, what is your unique mix that produces your claimed benefits? Where do you fit into the existing market ecosystem? How does the product fit into customer processes? What is protected IP? Quick hit: Demo or show something compelling [Slide Objective: What is the secret sauce?]

How does your solution work?

In laymen’s terms, what is your unique mix that produces your claimed benefits?

Where do you fit into the existing market ecosystem?

How does the product fit into customer processes?

What is protected IP?

Slide 5 Market What is the total addressable market (TAM) [provide data sources]? What is the growth trend? What are other relevant trends? What is the small * niche you will first target and how much is it worth? *Small is better than big. Quick hit: Evidence that you can dominate small niche [Slide Objective: What is the long & short term size of the opportunity?]

What is the total addressable market (TAM) [provide data sources]?

What is the growth trend?

What are other relevant trends?

What is the small * niche you will first target and how much is it worth?

*Small is better than big.

Slide 6 Business Model How does your customer buy? How much will they pay? How will your business scale? Do you have a channel strategy? What are your key performance metrics vs. competition? Where is break even? Quick hit: Have real metrics that support model [Slide Objective: How will you make money?]

How does your customer buy?

How much will they pay?

How will your business scale?

Do you have a channel strategy?

What are your key performance metrics vs. competition?

Where is break even?

Slide 7 Competition Diagram competitive landscape Where do you fit in? Compare based on customers’ decision making criteria (Price, Quality, Convenience, Technology, Brand) Re-iterate what you have that they don’t [Slide Objective: How will you crush competition? Quick hit: Customer quote

Diagram competitive landscape

Where do you fit in?

Compare based on customers’ decision making criteria (Price, Quality, Convenience, Technology, Brand)

Re-iterate what you have that they don’t

Slide 8 Go-To-Market What segment are you focusing on and why? Show specific tactics to acquire leads and move them through the pipeline Demonstrate knowledge of buyers’ process Demonstrate how you will test and validate go-to-market assumptions [Slide Objective: What are your tactics out of the gate?] Quick hit: Expose acquisition and conversion metrics assumptions

What segment are you focusing on and why?

Show specific tactics to acquire leads and move them through the pipeline

Demonstrate knowledge of buyers’ process

Demonstrate how you will test and validate go-to-market assumptions

Slide 9 Company Team Team Management team members key strengths and achievements Board of advisor members (if this is a strength) OK to mention needs Quick hit: Tie experience to opportunity: why did this team come together for this opportunity? [Slide Objective: Right team for the job?]

Team

Management team members key strengths and achievements

Board of advisor members (if this is a strength)

OK to mention needs

Slide 10 Financials Realistic financial plan 5 Year estimates – graph is a must Define critical milestones Do not copy and paste spreadsheet! Quick hit: Expose key assumptions and key revenue drivers [Slide Objective: Realistic revenue projection]

Realistic financial plan

5 Year estimates – graph is a must

Define critical milestones

Do not copy and paste spreadsheet!

Slide 11 Funding How much investment are you seeking? Where will the money be put to use? (i.e. Pie: 35% R&D, 25% Marketing, 15% production...etc) How long will the money last? What specifically have you already achieved? What specifically will you achieve with money? [Slide Objective: How much to achieve what?] Quick hit: What will you achieve with this round that will make investors want to participate in 2 nd round?

How much investment are you seeking?

Where will the money be put to use?

(i.e. Pie: 35% R&D, 25% Marketing, 15% production...etc)

How long will the money last?

What specifically have you already achieved?

What specifically will you achieve with money?

Slide 12 Corporate Development 2009 2010 2011 2012 Strategic Planning Phase I Development 1 st Customer Ship Pilot Test X Customers 2013 IPO Mass Production (I) Project Milestones Financial Milestones Fund Raising (I) US$ 1 M Fund Raising (II) US$ 1.5M [Slide Objective: Development over time] Market Milestones

Slide 13 Summary List the strengths unique to your company 3-5 points that you want from your audience to remember when they leave the room Ask for another meeting Leave something behind, e.g., copy of deck [Slide Objective: Close!] Quick hit: Leave login to demo/beta

List the strengths unique to your company

3-5 points that you want from your audience to remember when they leave the room

Ask for another meeting

Leave something behind, e.g., copy of deck

About XLerate Business Planning Marketing and sales support XLerate is: David Kaplan, Founder and Principal Brant Cooper, Principal Blog: http://market-by-numbers.com Twiiter: http:// twitter.com/brantcooper

Business Planning

Marketing and sales support

XLerate is:

David Kaplan, Founder and Principal

Brant Cooper, Principal

Blog: http://market-by-numbers.com

Twiiter: http:// twitter.com/brantcooper