Luka Erić’s Post

Yesterday we had the Fundraising Strategy, Planning, and Execution workshop with Arturas Svirskis, Founder and CEO at Hexagon Ventures Group and Managing Partner at Cryptexus. Let’s reflect on some key takeaways discussed: 1. Match Your Stage with the Right Investors Align your startup’s stage (pre-seed, seed, etc.) with the appropriate investors, such as angel investors and early-stage VCs, to increase your chances of success. 2. Prepare Before You Pitch Ensure your pitch deck, financials, and data room are well-organized before reaching out to investors. Preparation will make your campaign smoother and more effective. 3. Balance Quantity and Quality in Outreach Reach out to a larger number of investors to improve your odds, but ensure each interaction is tailored and meaningful. 4. Time Your Fundraising Wisely Plan to launch your campaign in active fundraising months like September and October. Avoid slower periods like August when many investors are on vacation. 5. Focus on Real Problems in Your Pitch Clearly define the problem your startup solves and how your solution stands out. Avoid presenting problems that don’t exist. 6. Use Efficient Tools Leverage tools for outreach automation and investor research to streamline your fundraising efforts. 7. Seek More Than Just Capital Look for investors who offer strategic value, not just funding. The right partners can provide connections, advice, and support. 8. Fundraise with a Clear Runway Start fundraising with 9-12 months of runway left to avoid last-minute pressure. Investors prefer startups that are prepared and proactive. Follow us to stay updated with the insights from the #web3growthcamp2 sessions! #yardhub #web3accelerator #web3founders #web3growthcamp

I was at a very effective Techstars dinner with four companies and five investors a couple of weeks ago—a new format for the accelerator to help investors get to know the current cohort ahead of program graduation. (Thanks KJ Singh and Christine Lu Hong for hosting!) Among many things, we chatted about what high quality “relationship building” means in the context of startups and investors. Founders sometimes think that pre-existing rapport with an investor leads to a markedly better #fundraising experience. It can, if the alignment is genuine and the follow up is thoughtful. But a meaningful conversation or two with a #VC in a social setting isn’t always the fundraising hack you hope it is. That said, smaller gatherings unquestionably accelerate mutual fit assessment and facilitate higher value connection if the fit is there. As an active member of the New York #startup ecosystem, I attend and organize events designed to connect investors with founders in all formats: from large group settings, somewhat formal in nature, to curated dinners, and the smaller yet Capital Markets Tech Founder coffees I personally host. I am a big believer in the power of relationships and always prefer intimate group settings that can jumpstart trust building. But what’s really needed to close a funding round is urgency. My quick word of advice to #founders is: as you develop a VC relationship-building strategy, continuously ask yourself, what is it about me, the space I’m building in, or the company I’m creating that establishes this opportunity as an urgent one? Help the investors you’re nurturing a relationship with to understand those answers as this is where that established connection can really help: they can become a champion backer and can help turn the urgency in your storytelling into deal momentum by promoting the deal to their network and beyond. #venturecapital Altari Ventures

At HETCH we believe startup success is fueled by learning from the best. That’s why we host Investor Fireside Chats every month. This October, we welcomed VC firms PSV and byFounders from Copenhagen. Here are some of the key takeaways. 👉 Focus on building a business, not just fundraising Start with building a business - validate the problem, build the product, and get some customers, instead of building a pitch deck and try to book meetings with investors. Traction trumps ideas. 👉 Everything starts with the founding team The founding team is a startup’s first challenge, setting a founder team, and aligning the founders around roles, tasks and goals. 👉 Nordic founders score lower on vision than US founders Being visionary means painting an image of where the world is heading, telling the story of why their specific company will be part of that exciting new future. Nordic founders need to improve on their visionary skills, while maintaining the focus on execution. 👉 What metrics are VC:s looking at Potential returns in the range of 50-100x, and show a clear path to reaching $100M in annual revenue within eight years. Market wise, a TAM of $1B is considered too small. 🗒️ We wrote a longer piece on the topic that you can find here: https://lnkd.in/dS4NP3cf Johannes Ivarsson Sebastian von Wildenrath Wegmann Daniel Stenson

#StartupAdvice #CoFounderExit #DeepTech #InvestorRelations Hey everyone! 👋 I’d love to hear your thoughts on handling a tough situation we’re currently facing. So, here’s the scoop: We’re a deeptech startup founded by two friends, and we later brought on a co-founder who took on a marketing role. Things have been moving along nicely since we raised our pre-seed round and are now deep into our seed fundraising. However, we just learned that our co-founder wants to exit. His reasons revolve around unmet work expectations and pay, and he simply doesn’t see a future with us. This scenario presents some unique challenges: Impact on Team Dynamics: Losing a co-founder can shake up morale. It’s essential to reassure the team and maintain a positive atmosphere. Investor Concerns: Investors might worry about the stability and the future direction of the company. They often want confidence that the team can deliver! So, how can we effectively communicate this transition to potential invest... How Can I Manage a Co-Founder Exit During Fundraising? Answers: https://lnkd.in/g5bfKVMu

#StartupAdvice #CoFounderExit #DeepTech #InvestorRelations Hey everyone! 👋 I’d love to hear your thoughts on handling a tough situation we’re currently facing. So, here’s the scoop: We’re a deeptech startup founded by two friends, and we later brought on a co-founder who took on a marketing role. Things have been moving along nicely since we raised our pre-seed round and are now deep into our seed fundraising. However, we just learned that our co-founder wants to exit. His reasons revolve around unmet work expectations and pay, and he simply doesn’t see a future with us. This scenario presents some unique challenges: Impact on Team Dynamics: Losing a co-founder can shake up morale. It’s essential to reassure the team and maintain a positive atmosphere. Investor Concerns: Investors might worry about the stability and the future direction of the company. They often want confidence that the team can deliver! So, how can we effectively communicate this transition to potential invest... How Can I Manage a Co-Founder Exit During Fundraising? Answers: https://lnkd.in/g9eChZcv

Don’t walk, run. Investor Office Hours are 75-minute private events hosted by top VCs with topics ranging from fundraising to company building. These sessions are the perfect opportunity to meet your future investors and network with other founders: Networking sessions curated for female founders: 🔹 Female Founder Office Hours—by Playfair 🔹 Female Founders Forum—by Spintop Ventures Advice for early-stage founders: 🔹 Founder’s First 100 Days—by Antler 🔹 Early-stage Acceleration and Fundraising for Founders—by 500 Global 🔹 Ask Me Anything—by LocalGlobe ”Lessons learned” from the key-players: 🔹 Building new Software for Old Companies: Enterprise GTM Learnings for the AI age—by Speedinvest 🔹 Lessons Learned: From Research to Commercialization—by Point72 Ventures 🔹 Lunch: Media Best Practices lunch—by Inventure x 3VC x Practica Capital 🔹 No BS War Stories—by node.vc 🔹 Emerging Europe: Global Success Rooted in Local Talent—by 500 Global If you missed out on a Startup Passes because they sold out, grab a Thursday Pass while you still can: https://lnkd.in/euE7PjAT If you already have a Startup Pass, enroll now before spots fill up: https://lnkd.in/eSd_zQw2

This is some incredibly helpful advice for founders applying to accelerators like Techstars! Also, if you are a founder, drop Natalie Riso a follow. She is an oracle of startup wisdom and part of Mercury's brilliant Raise team. More info in the comments!

Great insights from Natalie Riso on what venture accelerators are looking for and how to figure out the best fit for founders.

🇬🇧 Prepping for capital raising? Whether you’re gearing up for your seed round or planning to scale with significant funding, our upcoming webinar co-hosted with Capchase on 11th June, Startup Metrics Workout, is designed just for you. 📈 🌟 Why Should You Join? ➡️ Deep Dive into Crucial Metrics: Learn the ins and outs of MRR, total revenue, and bookings—key figures that investors scrutinise. ➡️ Expert Guidance: Gain insights from industry experts like Elliott Gaspar (that’s me) and the wonderful Ferran Puig, who have a proven track record in helping startups thrive financially. ➡️ Hands-On Tools: Get exclusive access to our Google Sheet metrics dashboard, empowering you to track and present your financial health effectively. 🔗 Reserve your free spot now: https://hubs.li/Q02xwWTQ0 Your journey to securing funding and accelerating growth starts here! #CapitalRaising #StartupFunding #InvestorReadiness