
12 Steps to Short-Circuit the Fundraising Marathon - jasonlbaptiste
http://gigaom.com/2008/10/12/12-steps-to-short-circuit-the-fundraising-marathon/
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dhouston
the best way to get a good VC to take you seriously is through a trusted
referral, and then to have something promising to show -- a great prototype or
great traction.

blasting emails is a waste of your time and theirs (hi, i'd like you to give
me $15mm, but can't take the time to email you personally or find a trusted
intro) and it smacks of desperation.

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RKlophaus
I heard an interesting talk at Startup Rockstars last week (an event hosted by
Viget labs in Arlington, VA) given by Jonathan Aberman of Amplifier Venture
Partners.

Speaking about how the current economic "dip" will affect startup funding, he
said that the current situation is a result of people investing in completely
un-transparent things, and then not being able to untangle the mess.

He went on to say that funding for entrepreneurs will not dry up because
people are searching for transparency in their investments, and what is more
transparent than one or two guys working on an idea in a garage?

On the other hand, he said that bigger funding will be harder to get.

Finally, he echoed Sequoia in that the goal now is to become profitable and to
make your company last, and let economics drive your competition out of
business.

It seemed like a reasonable analysis to me. Any thoughts?

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lowkey
That is an excellent process to follow. Now I just wish we had someone on the
team with 29 startup ventures under their belt.

Does anyone know where/how he built the financial model? It looks like it
could come in handy.

