2. My background
been a part of 5 startups since high school, and
even played in the corporate world *gasp*
bootstrapped two startups from scratch
(this means ramen noodles, 7 dirty men in a 3
bedroom, sleeping on the floor, and working
out of a living room)
fund raised in the valley 3 times
tweet me @vlauria
5. How much to raise?
Forecast:
Product roadmap
Traffic estimates
Revenue estimates
Team hires
Enough to carry the company for 18 months
tweet me @vlauria
6. Fundraising
Fundamentals
Have a good pitch
Practice your pitch
Improve your pitch
There are no ‘business plans’ in the valley
tweet me @vlauria
7. Silicon Valley has...
Lots of Capital
Angel Investors who have been through it
before, specifically ‘web2.0’
Investors that are willing to take many big
bets to find a ‘hit’ (think hollywood but for
internet)
tweet me @vlauria
8. What to expect in the valley
No investment until 3-6 months of traction
Demonstrate superior knowledge of your market
Elevator Pitch, Exec Sum (1-page), & Pitch Deck
http://www.garage.com/resources/
tweet me @vlauria
9. Grow Globally?
Start locally - Amazing growth markets next
door:
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Thailand, and Vietnam.
tweet me @vlauria
10. What does Golden Gate Ventures look for?
Anything that touches the internet
Good people willing to be coached
Regional Southeast Asian Play
Companies that are thinking multi-national
Teams aged from day zero to 1.5 years
Technical co-founders
tweet me @vlauria
11. Golden Gate Ventures loves:
Disruption - changing established industries
Payments (i.e. mobile payments using pre-
paid minutes)
Teams w/ previous failures (failcon.sg)
Teams willing to pivot
tweet me @vlauria