

Entrepreneurs: Do Not pay to present to VCs - pixelbath
http://www.geekrebel.com/entrepreneurs-do-not-pay-to-present-to-vcs

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pedalpete
I find it surprising that VCs attend these things (with the exception of
something like VanTech angels where they charge each entrepreneur $15 so it
covers the cost of renting the space, coffee, etc).

Shouldn't a VC think that if an entrepreneur isn't resourceful enough to get a
direct intro for free, then they shouldn't be running a business. Or are
businesses throwing away $1500 just to pitch to the VCs who don't have enough
deal flow/opportunities that they need to attend these events (I think the big
name VCs are invited to these things for free).

Sure, it's nice to get the 'opportunity' to pitch in front of 80 VCs. But
hopefully you've already pitched to 1 or 2 in private.

Also, when you're pitching to a large group, assuming that there are 50 other
companies pitching, is your opportunity getting lost in the drone? I think it
is safe to assume that if you meet a VC during their office hours, they are
likely excited to hear about a new opportunity. It should be a refreshing
break from their busy day answering emails, going through financials, due-
diligence, and other managerial parts of the VC life that most people probably
never consider.

Save yourself $1500 (or whatever it costs) pay yourself $100/hour to do some
research on a few local VCs or Angels you like (read their blogs, don't aim
only for DFJ) select a few and then work on getting intros. Go through the
history of companies they've funded previously, see if there is a connection
through a friend who knew the CEO or Marketing person and see if that person
will get you an intro, or something like that. (this is how I met with Jeff
Clavier, but I didn't get funded. he had met with the CEO of a company I used
to work for, he didn't fund them either)

Be resourceful, show that you're resourceful. You're going to need to do more
than throw money at minor twists in the road if you're going to build your
startup into a growing concern that real VCs would be interested in.

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ultrasaurus
I can't understand how "I spent $1500 to talk to you" does anything but
pollute the message. Consciously or subconsciously, it must send the message
that you're not well connected at the very least and less valuable at worst.

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rjett
If youngstartup is so confident that they're adding value by bringing
investors and entrepreneurs together in one place, why isn't the financial
burden placed on the VCs who attend the conference? After all, they're getting
to see all the hottest startups present in one event. Certainly $1500 wouldn't
break a startup, but that burden would hurt a VC even less.

I don't think events like these should be money-makers. I think participants
should be charged up to the point that the cost of the venue is covered, but
anything above this amount seems like it would be deadweight loss to most of
the participants involved.

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pedalpete
I think many of these events charge the VCs also. But I'd assume the big name
VCs don't pay as they become a draw for both VCs and Entrepreneurs.

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pw0ncakes
_The fact that you won't be joining us will not have a negative affect on the
summit - we will sell out and have a waiting list....it's completely your
lose!_

