What Investors are Looking For

1. WHAT ARE
INVESTORS
LOOKING FOR?
ADAM BENAYOUN - SEPTEMBER 27
2016

3. WHAT ARE
INVESTORS
LOOKING FOR?

4. IT DEPENDS

5. TEAM

6. TEAM
▸Obsessed, Grit, Resilient
▸Cross functional team
▸Engineering, Product/Design and Marketing/Sales
▸Domain knowledge can be a hindrance (Shocking!)
▸Airbnb, Uber, Amazon
▸Not the time to be humble

7. PRODUCT

8. PRODUCT
▸Functional prototype or product
▸OSS, API, CLOUD = building product is cheap
▸Solves a problem for a specific target customer
▸Demo the product in person

9. MARKET
SIZE

10. MARKET SIZE
▸Size actually matter
▸Top to bottom = avoid at all costs
▸Bottom to top (based on usage)
▸# of customers * avg txn * n = Big #
▸Market growing (xx% per year)
▸Adjacent markets

11. TRACTION

12. TRACTION
▸Measurable traction speaks louder than words
▸Subjective and dependent on industry/business
▸Profitable (or near) unit economics
▸Strong engaged users
▸Growth / Momentum

13. STORY

14. STORY
▸People hate pitches but love stories
▸A good story is memorable
▸Pitching can feel impersonal and unentertaining
▸Pitch = cram everything into a tight amount of time
▸Coherent, Authentic, Organic
▸Create tension with the problem

15. INVEST IN
LINE,
NOT DOTS.- MARK SUSTER, UPFRONT
VENTURES

16. ANNOUNCEMENT

17. DISTRO BOOTCAMP
▸2 weeks hands-on education program
▸7-10 companies per batch
▸Will receive some funding
▸NOT an accelerator
▸Framework to:
▸Test assumptions
▸Iterate rapidly
▸Reach Product Market Fit

18. DISTRO BOOTCAMP
▸Requirements
▸Seed Stage companies
▸Raised at least $100k
▸Have a product
▸Traction is optional
Partners

19. THANK YOU
AB@500.CO