Chris Schwartzbauer’s Post

⤴️ How to spin out a corporate venture - PART #2 🚀 When is the right time for a corporate venture to spin out (with an external co-investor)? A tough question that of course depends on the circumstances of the idea and the market environment. In our conversation with Ralph Hartmeier from rready AG we discussed the pros and cons of spinning out vs. staying part of the corporate mothership. 💡 #Main #Learnings: - Corporate assets like the brand and market credibility, the network of management, and development resources are key to developing an early version of the solution and acquiring first test customers. - To achieve fast growth beyond the early stage a spin-out can be beneficial to take control of the venture brand and hiring. - A spin-out is the right path if the new business model does not fit in with the corporate business and core competencies or if the corporate acts regionally while the venture aims for a global scale. ➡ Read more in our blog part #2: https://lnkd.in/dhqKaPwG ➡ Download the summarized learnings here: https://lnkd.in/enR_4acf Stay tuned for further corporate entrepreneurship stories being released soon. #inspire #empower #create #corporateinnovation

We know, the startup journey is exhilarating yet challenging. As founders, we often find ourselves unprepared for the intricate world of investments and fundraising. Imagine standing before investors, brimming with enthusiasm, only to face questions about valuation, equity distribution, and dilution – concepts that can make or break your startup. 😊 A brilliant idea isn't enough. We need to master storytelling, articulating our vision in a way that resonates with investors. We must understand equity fundraising, negotiations, and the long-term implications of our decisions. Founder grooming equips us with the knowledge and confidence to navigate fundraising gracefully. It's about learning to speak the language of investors, understanding their mindset, and aligning our aspirations with their expectations. We cannot afford to be blank slates when it comes to investment readiness. By investing in our growth and educating ourselves on fundraising nuances, we increase our chances of securing investments and demonstrate our commitment to long-term success. Embrace founder grooming as an essential part of your entrepreneurial journey. It transforms us from dreamers into leaders, capable of turning visions into tangible realities that shape the future. 🤗 #founders #grooming #pitchourway #pitch #success #chances #successful

Realistic Expectations setting is as important as Strategic Planning and Flawless execution The urgency to boost top-line figures as a success indicator is evolving. Investors are now recognizing the importance of a comprehensive approach, urging startups not only to prioritize top-line growth but also to develop a solid plan for bottom-line sustainability. Hence expectations need to be set to convey the importance of a balanced approach between short-term goals and long-term vision. Once the goals are set, it's about doing things right. A large part of success is about executing plans rigorously. I stress the importance of practical execution, like market viability research, consumer research, test marketing before market expansion, competitive analysis, talent acquisition, partnerships, collaborations and technology integration, that will help in efficient expansion. By talking openly with my clients, explaining the time and effort needed for meaningful results, together, we prioritize goals, finding the right balance for steady and sustainable growth while meeting the startup's urgency. Setting Realistic expectations is the Starting point of sure shot and sustained growth. What say? Series on "Maximizing growth at Least Learning Cost" @ Bridge to Ocean 29. #strategicplanning #business #growth, #sustainable #startupstrategy #bridgetoocean29

🚀 **Essential Elements of a Pitch Deck🚀 If you an entrepreneur preparing to pitch your startup to investors, and you don't want to spend 15 minutes looking at my video (link in the comments), here are the essential elements every pitch deck should include to attract funding: 1. **Problem Statement**: Clearly define the problem your startup addresses. Ensure it’s significant, timely, and not trivial.    2. **Solution**: Describe your offering and how it solves the identified problem. Include details on your business model. 3. **Market Size**: Present the Total Addressable Market (TAM), Serviceable Available Market (SAM), and Serviceable Obtainable Market (SOM). Be realistic about your market share potential - hint, it's not more than 30%. 4. **Competitive Advantage**: Showcase how your solution stands out against competitors. Use comparison matrices or feature tables. 5. **Traction**: Provide evidence of your startup's growth—annualized revenue, customer numbers, or retention rates. Awards and advisors are not as interesting. 6. **Team**: Highlight the strengths and experiences of key team members, particularly the founders and CEO. 7. **Funding Request**: Specify how much funding you seek and detail its intended use. Be transparent about your valuation with the realization that investors set values. **Bonus Tips**: Make your pitch deck easily accessible (avoid restricted links), and consider including customer feedback or case studies as nice-to-haves. If you’re in fintech, B2B SaaS, or commerce enablement and ready to seek seed stage funding, please consider Serac Ventures and provide your information at https://lnkd.in/gH29ujWE 📈 Prepare your pitch deck with these fundamentals in mind, and increase your chances of securing the funding you need! #Entrepreneurship #PitchDeck #VentureCapital #Funding #StartupAdvice

We’re here to empower Startups, and SMEs with tailored solutions for success: 🔹 Crafting Strategy & Robust Business Plan 🔹 Setting KPI Targets & Monitoring Performance 🔹 Business Performance Evaluation & Recommendation 🔹 Business Restructuring and Turnaround 🔹 Controls Assessment & Enhancement 🔹 Developing Policies & Procedures 💡 Whether you're launching a new idea or scaling your business, Synergysta is your trusted partner to navigate the journey. visit us at synergysta.co.uk for further information. This is more than just consultancy—it’s about unlocking potential, transforming ideas, and driving results. 🚀 We’re thrilled to start this conversation, and we’d love to hear from you: 👉 What’s the #1 challenge your business is facing today? 💬 Let’s talk in the comments below or send an email to hello@synergysta.co.uk today! #BuildingSuccessTogether 💼 #ManagementConsulting #StartupSupport #BusinessStrategy #LondonBusiness #BusinessDevelopment #KPIManagement #BusinessRestructuring #InternalControls #StartupGrowth #BusinessPlanning #EntrepreneurshipJourney #SMEConsulting #PolicyDevelopment #BusinessTurnaround #ScalingSuccess

Thanks for sharing these helpful tips, Chris Tsakalakis. This is great information for founders to help them improve their pitch deck.

🚀 Cracking the Code: Why Scalable Businesses Attract Investors 🚀 📖 Discover why scalable business models captivate investors and how they achieve unstoppable growth with our co-founders Mohamad & Greta as they unravel: - What makes a business scalable - Why venture capitalists love them - Tips for scaling any business ✍️ Share your thoughts and questions in the comments 🔔 Follow us at Quasar for more insights and updates #businessgrowth #scalability #venturecapital #entrepreneurship Link to blog post👇 https://lnkd.in/dNKAxXye

𝐆𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬? 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞. 𝐌𝐜𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐲’𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐒𝐌𝐄𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 10,000 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞? 𝐀𝐭 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩, 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐜𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐲’𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲. 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 "𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐂𝐄𝐎𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡" 1. 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐥𝐲: Instead of spreading resources thin, you get a higher return by investing 20% of your growth capital in one key venture. McKinsey shows that this focused approach can drive faster growth. Imagine launching a new service and doubling your returns! 2. 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞-𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬: Build ventures that play to your strengths—whether that’s a new service, product, or technology. McKinsey’s data shows companies that lean into their unique value grow faster and more sustainably. 3. 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: New ventures thrive on autonomy but grow faster when they leverage your existing customer base and resources. SMEs who get this balance right see stronger, more sustainable growth. 4. 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦: Having leadership support and dedicated resources early on makes a world of difference. McKinsey’s insight? Treating a venture like a side project rarely succeeds. The businesses that commit from the start see double the success rate. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 Don’t let the complexity of big-business advice slow you down. Here’s what you really need to know: Focusing on a well-funded, strategic venture aligned with your core business can transform your growth trajectory. These steps mean faster, more resilient growth—McKinsey’s findings prove it. Got questions? Want to see how these steps could work in your business? Let’s talk growth strategies. bizval #dougsview #GrowthStrategies #SMELeadership #McKinseyInsights #BusinessInnovation #VentureBuilding

It's Friday, so a good time with fewer emails to knuckle down and concentrate. Speaking of which, here is a quick guide below on the often controversial topic of dilution (and anti-dilution), pitfalls and what this can mean for your shares in a company, whether as a founder, investor or share option holder. 🥤

As founders, understanding the intricacies of dilution and company equity is crucial for the long-term success of your startup. Here are some key considerations: 1️⃣ Know Your Cap Table 🧾 Always be aware of your cap table and how ownership is distributed. Regularly update it to reflect new investments and employee stock options. 2️⃣ Evaluate Funding Rounds Carefully 💸 Each funding round dilutes your ownership. Consider how much equity you're giving away and the long-term impact on control and decision-making. 3️⃣ Negotiate Smart Terms 📝 Understand the terms of investment deals, including liquidation preferences and anti-dilution provisions. These can significantly affect your equity in future rounds. 4️⃣ Plan for Employee Equity 👥 Allocate a portion of your equity for employee stock options. This can attract top talent but also affects overall dilution. 5️⃣ Think Long-Term 📅 Balancing short-term needs with long-term vision is key. Sometimes, taking on more dilution now can drive greater growth and valuation later. 6️⃣ Seek Advice 📊 Engage with advisors or mentors who can provide insights into managing equity and dilution effectively. Remember, equity is more than just ownership—it's about control, value, and the future of your company. Stay informed and make strategic decisions to ensure your startup's success! 🚀 #StartupLife #Founders #Equity #Dilution #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth