The document outlines strategies for securing seed funding for startups, emphasizing the importance of innovation, collaboration among multiple founders, and building trust with investors. It highlights that only a small percentage of startups succeed and stresses the need for a supportive ecosystem to foster more 'unicorns'. Key points include the significance of sweat equity, the traits of effective teams, and the critical role of investor relationships.

1. 1
How To (Virtually) Guarantee Seed
Funding For Your Startup
Anthony Pash
12th September 2019

2. 2
Agenda
1) Startups as investments
2) Getting past “no” and boosting your odds
3) Playchat - my investment story

3. 3
Startups as
Investments

4. 4
The OLD Way of getting SEED money – not anymore
Buck’s Restaurant
Ø Netscape
Ø Hotmail
Ø Paypal
The Creamery
Ø Can get $300k deals over a coffee?
Ø Happened often at the Creamery

5. 5
Startup Economy in Thailand
1) Lots of NEW silicon Valleys emerging
2) Thailand can be one – needs a “VIRTUOUS CYCLE”
3) Deal flow is the key
4) Everything else is downstream from deal flow
SUCCESSFUL STARTUPS, UNICORNS
PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR “ACTION”
STARTUP ECOSYSTEM
DEAL FLOW
INCENTIVES FOR STARTUPS AND RISK-TAKERS

6. 6
78%
22%
Startup Economy – WHY?
Ø Provides jobs and innovation
Ø Startups expand GDP
Ø Enlarges country footprint in the world
Ø The world is at a CROSSROADS – A.I. can disrupt entire countries
Ø To propel the 3% that succeed into orbit, we need the engine of the 97%
that fail / partly fail
Ø Treat the 97% as learning experiences
3%
97%
UNICORNS ARE THE BY-PRODUCT OF A VIBRANT ECOSYSTEM

7. 7
80% of startups fail completely
100% capital loss is likely for most seed investors
M.V.P. is difficult
2-3% become something truly great
Default position is “NO THANK YOU”
Execution and people are everything
01
02
03
04
05
06
What Investors Know

8. 8
So Why Do Investors Like Startups?
Scalability /
Exponential
Growth
Adventure Making A
Difference
Potential
Payback
Team /
People

9. 9
Getting Past
No
THE MAGNIFICENT 7

10. 10
(1) Innovation
Ø “If you want something new, you have to stop doing
something old”
Ø Spend time curating a great idea
Ø Create a point of difference
Ø Start at the end and work backwards
Ø Buy-in innovation if necessary
UNIVERSITIES, PHD STUDENTS, PROFESSORS

11. 11
(2) Use Multiple Founders
1) Each Founder bring capital and experience
2) Multiplier effect – e.g. Two founders add customers 3x as quickly
3) Choose carefully / Founder matrimony
4) Prehistory together
5) 3 types in the team – Visionary / Technical / Manager
6) By definition they will cause “positive friction”
7) Solo founder is a social statement (a red flag)

12. 12
(3) Great Founder Traits
Ø Courageous
Ø Persistence
Ø Hard work
Ø Good recruiters
Ø Good contemplators
Ø Laser focus
Ø Partly “nuts” / break the mold
Ø Strange mixture of obsessive and instinctually quick
Ø “Hold on tightly let go slightly”

13. 13
(4) Great Team Traits
Ø Psychological safety – Musk Test!!
Ø Dependability
Ø Structure and clarity
Ø Purpose to their mission
Ø Industry-specific experience
Ø Collaborated before (as a team)
Ø Lots of personal development / growth

14. 14
(5) Investor Matching
Ø Seek out synergistic investors
Ø People that share your vision and are likeminded
Ø People that will understand your product
Ø Target specific individuals
Ø Stroke their ego – and mean it!!
Ø Max 6 degrees of separation away

15. 15
(6) Sweat Equity
Sweat Equity Is The Most
Valuable Equity There Is
Mark Cuban
The best equity you can get!!
Adds credibility
Reduces investor burden
Sweat equity is a sign of innovation
Investors won’t feel so lonely
01
02
03
04
05
Be choosy06

16. 16
01 03 0502 04
(7) The Trust Relationship
Spend time with a
potential investor (3-6
months)
Build a trust
relationship
Smooths out the
running of the startup
Don’t sweat the small
stuff
Be 100% transparent
on everything!!

17. 17
Failure to test the
market
Founder divorce
Startup Killers
Loss of Control
=
Too much money
too early
Premature Scaling
=
Too fast too soon

18. 18
PlayChat - Founder
1) Built a trust relationship over 6 months
2) We view the world in the same way
1) Not in a hurry / strategic steps
2) Has raised $15M in an earlier startup
3) Laser focus – dropped everything else
4) Lots of sweat equity in the team
5) Has higher values than money
6) His advice is sought by many startups
7) Spent 2 years building a VC Fund

19. 19
PlayChat - Product
1) Truly innovative product
2) Evolving for 10 years
3) Highly patentable
4) Highly Scalable
5) Disruptive / reinventive
6) Potential to create millions of collaborations
7) Multiple revenue streams / monetization possibilities
8) Market timing is perfect
9) Core team have worked together

20. 20
Stack the odds in your favour:
1) INNOVATE – NO MATTER WHAT
2) MULTIPLE (BALANCED) FOUNDERS
3) BE A GREAT FOUNDER – PARTLY “NUTS”
4) BUILD GREAT TEAM(S)
5) SEEK OUT SYNERGISTIC INVESTORS – 6 DEGREES
6) INTEGRATE SWEAT EQUITY
7) BUILD THAT TRUST RELATIONSHIP – ITS CRITICAL
Summary