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8 Keys To That First Investment From People You Know

Startup Professionals Musings

Friends and family will likely not expect the same level of sophistication on the business model and financials as a professional investor, but they do expect to see certain things. Practice your “elevator pitch,” and end it by asking for the order. If they won’t do it, they why would I as stranger invest in you?

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A New Way to Teach Entrepreneurship – The Lean LaunchPad at Stanford: Class 1

Steve Blank

It was designed to bring together many of the new approaches to building a successful startup – customer development, agile development, business model generation and pivots. Startups are in fact only temporary organizations, organized to search –not execute–for a scalable and repeatable business model.

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10 Key Business Plan Elements Not In A Product Spec

Startup Professionals Musings

Be sure to include this in your “elevator pitch,” which you must always deliver as a prelude to your technology features. Description of the business entity you plan to form. The most common business entity used for startups is a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC), which is the cheapest and simplest to manage.

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Will Your Startup Get Venture Capital or IPO in 2013?

Startup Professionals Musings

The market and venture capitalists are looking for business, but with a continuing focus on proven business models. Here are some key action items that may give your business some visibility: Start with an investment-grade business plan. Practice every step, including the elevator pitch to get the first meeting.

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8 Key Actions for Entrepreneurs Needing Early Money

Startup Professionals Musings

Friends and family will likely not expect the same level of sophistication on the business model and financials as a professional investor, but they do expect to see certain things. Practice your “elevator pitch,” and end it by asking for the order. If they won’t do it, they why would I as stranger invest in you?

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8 Guidelines For Friends And Family Startup Funding

Startup Professionals Musings

Friends and family will likely not expect the same level of sophistication on the business model and financials as a professional investor, but they do expect to see certain things. Practice your “elevator pitch,” and end it by asking for the order. If they won’t do it, they why would I as stranger invest in you?

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Raising Money Using Customer Development

Steve Blank

Chasing funding versus chasing customers and a repeatable and scalable business model, is one reason startups fail. Is there a profitable business model? The Traditional VC Pitch Entrepreneurs who pursue the traditional product development model don’t have customer data to answer these questions.