

How to Get a VC Meeting – the flowchart - ridruejo
http://steveblank.com/2012/10/17/how-to-get-a-vc-meeting-the-flowchart/

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CoffeeDregs
The flowchart is both correct and completely useless. It betrays the concern
of a successful entrepreneur (Steve Blank) and focuses on the status of the VC
with whom you will meet (partner, associate or none).

VC meetings are easy to get. Just go to a few networking events, meet some of
them, get their business cards and drop them a note asking for a meeting.
Their job is something like 40% networking, 40% saying "no" to deals and 20%
trying to value deals to which they might or have said "yes". By and large,
I've found them to be very smart, nice and helpful people and I count a few of
them among my friends.

But remember: to get advice, ask for money; to get money, ask for advice. VCs
apply money to fix problems and risks in order to increase growth. Help them
understand how you can help them through helping their reputation, portfolio
(through helping your business) and future opportunities (through helping
you).

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wgoodwin
A slight deviation of topic, but I think this point is too-often ignored: "VCs
apply money to fix problems and risks in order to increase growth." VCs want
you to increase your risk profile, while entrepreneurs focus on getting
capital to decrease the risk of going belly up from undercapitalization. Your
last point seems like the way to avoid those two from coming in conflict from
the outset.

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OldSchool
Just a counterpoint...

Before even trying to get a VC meeting I'd ask myself, "Can I do this without
a VC?" All money comes with strings attached, VC money more than customer
money.

There's no one correct answer but if you really believe that your web startup
can succeed I'd consider first try filling out your team by adding partners
with complementary skills and then put the same effort into sales and
marketing to the customer rather than VC's. VC's could be harder to close than
typical customers.

What's the main motivation for the VC route? Shooting for the moon? Fear of
working without a salary? (nobody's going to pay you while you try to raise
money either)

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bigdubs
My understanding is that VC's, partners or associates, whole job is to source
deals. It's their job to take meetings. What happens after that meeting is the
tricky part.

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cateye
These days everyone is a funding expert for start-ups. Trying to earn money on
clueless founders is I think getting a real big market. Providing services and
training to these founders is apparently easy and without any risk. Is Steve
Blank one of them?

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arbuge
VC meetings aren't that hard... filtering out the VCs who are just fishing for
information can be harder.

