“What’s your exit strategy?” “Come back when you have revenue.” “Are you lean?” “What’s the business model?” Raising capital is less about the answers to such questions and instead, having the passion for and ambition to not take no for an answer, networking, networking, networking, creating excitement and engagement, and knowing your audience (no, not your customers: the investors). When you know your market and the stage in which you find yourself, there are a common set of expectations for your business such that raising capital is as simple as ensuring you’ve met those expectations, knowing how to tell your story, and recognizing that no two VCs think nor angel investors alike. Let’s talk about how to do that and how to get ready for the different expectations of different investor communities. To get the talking points and details from the presentation, visit http://seobrien.com/what-it-takes-raise-money

1. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
What It Takes
To Raise Money

2. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
If you're creative, you
have to keep innovating
bigger!
- whurley; Chaotic Moon

3. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
Innovation is about
conveying your
imagination to someone
else.
- whurley; Chaotic Moon

4. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien

5. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
- Peter Drucker; invented
Management by Objectives
The only things that matter

6. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
Innovation
and
Marketing
- Peter Drucker; invented
Management by Objectives

7. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
Because the purpose of
business is to create a
customer, the business
enterprise has two–and
only two–basic
functions: marketing and
innovation. Marketing
and innovation
produce results; all the
rest are costs.
Marketing is the
distinguishing, unique
function of the business

8. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
And yet...
Typical Priorities
1. Finance
2. Sales
3. Production
4. Management
5. Legal
6. People
1. Finance
2. Sales
3. Production
4. Management
5. Legal
6. People
1. Finance
2. Sales
3. Production
4. Management
5. Legal
6. People
1. Finance
2. Sales
3. Production
4. Management
5. Legal
6. People

9. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
There's hope
1. Finance
2. Sales
3. Production
4. Management
5. Legal
6. People
1. Finance
2. Sales
3. Production
4. Management
5. Legal
6. People
Typical Priorities
1. Finance
2. Sales
3. Production
4. Management
5. Legal
6. People
1. Finance
2. Sales
3. Production
4. Management
5. Legal
6. People
Startup Priorities
1. Talking to customers
2. Improving account metrics
3. Understanding the market
4. Content marketing
5. Acquisition
- Activation
- Retention
- Referral
- Revenue
Ideas popularized by Steve Blank and
Dave McClure

10. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
Fundraising Priorities
1. Know What's In the Box
2. Marcom Foundation
3. Culture Over Strategy
4. Understand Investors

11. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
Know what's in the box
Everything has an adoption curve

12. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
Know what's in the box

13. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
Know what's in the box
Business Owner Comfortable Living
Product / Market Change the World

14. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
Know what's in the box
Business Owner Comfortable Living
Product / Market Change the World
Innovator
Marketer

15. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
It defines your future
Product / Market Change the World

16. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
Product / Market
Seed MVP Monetize Scale Pivot

17. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
Change the World
Friends & Family Seed (Angel) Scale (Series A) Monetize (Series B)

18. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
The aim of
Marketing is to make
selling superfluous

19. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
Marcom Foundation
* Business Intelligence & Analytics
* User Experience & Design
* Website Architecture
* Content Marketing
* Optimization & Capture

20. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
Marcom Foundation
What is your
engagement
model?
Acquisition, Activation,
Retention, Referral,
Revenue

21. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
Foundation
Function
Finesse Culture & PR
Engagement Creates
Synergy
Performance &
Intelligence
Marcom Foundation

22. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
Culture Over Strategy

23. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
Culture Over Strategy
Passion, purpose, story,
branding... Marketing
Culture defines your approach to
attracting and retaining:
1. Employees
2. Partners
3. Customers
4. Investors

24. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
Understanding Investors
Not about what
you're doing nor
you're exit, but what
comes after that

25. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
Understanding Investors
Never tell an investor
they are wrong

26. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
Understanding Investors
Because they don't
know your business
better than you do

27. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
Understanding Investors
Engaged Investors
Question Everything

28. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien

29. #CaptivateCon
@seobrien
paul@seobrien.com
http://seobrien.com
1. Know What's In the Box
2. Marcom Foundation
3. Culture Over Strategy
4. Understand Investors