Matt Jonns’ Post

#fundraising - it will be hard. Matt Jonns says it will. He's on his third raise. You're going to need stamina. Patience. Determination. Most of all you're going to need to look like a #winner - to separate you out from the hundreds of other #founders that busy investors see. It's no difference to any other marketing that way - you have to work out how to get noticed. What is you #competitiveadvantage? As Matt says, you have to be on your A game all the time. If you're early stage you might not have the benefit of great revenue, so it's the impression you make and the stories you tell, your origin / why and your vision are key. Be relatable. As Matt implies, you need a process too - time to find investors, time to practice, time to iterate your pitch. Most importantly - be you, the authentic you (add a pinch of 'maverick' if you like, but not 'entitled' or 'needy'). Whatever #investors say, they make an emotional decision and most of that is about you and the team you've created. Last thing - be committed to exit. Investors want their money back - and then some. Matt Jonns - one question for you. Has anything made it easier third time round? #AngelThink

I’ve raised three times for Founder and Lightning, and in the midst of fundraising again right now ! Here are 10 fundraising realities and tips for those in the same boat👇 Realities: 1) You have to accept you will be ridiculously busy, there’s no way to avoid this. It’s a cliche, but it’s a full time job. Buckle up. 2) You’ll get rejected way more than you get yes’s. Don’t take it personally, 3) You have to say yes to stuff that might end up being a waste of time. Not every event/meeting/meet-up will be successful but you have to say yes regardless (you never know what might happen). You can be strategic, so it’s not a scattergun approach but some of my best investors have come from serendipity, and talking to people. 4) There are some really good clubs, networks and syndicates out there. But some bad ones too - it’s hard to know which ones are legit. 5) Every single meeting/conversation you have, you have to be at 100%. You might be at the end of an event, at the end of a really long day, and you’ve just had 3 rejection emails so feeling low  - but the person you’re talking to now might be your next investor ! Give it the same energy as your first meeting of the day. Tips: 1) Work really hard at following up. If you said you’d send over a deck, do it when you said you would. Investors value reliability, and competency. 2) Practice everything so you have your short pitch / story ready to go, whenever you need it. Make it super simple so your mum understands it. 3) Talk passionately about what you are doing. It’s better than a 100% polished pitch (slightly contradictory with the point above, but do both).   4) Make sure you take time to tweak your deck/pitch based on feedback between meetings. 5) Create content to get inbound leads, focusing on your expertise and finding a niche. Speak passionately, show don’t tell, and have fun with it (show your personality). Any other reflections/tips to add ? #investment #investmentadvice #fundraising

We all can agree that 2023 was no joke when it came to raising capital. Fundraising is hard in general, but this past year was next-level The good news is I think we'll see the markets warm back up in 2024. If and when that happens, don't use it as an excuse to slack on your preparation. You still have to: ✅ understand the market + investor psychology ✅ work on your narrative and deck ✅ map out your target investors ✅ prepare your data room the list goes on.. These are all things you can do on your own, but truth is I know most of you won't. Given that uncomfortable truth, here's my advice. Set up whatever you can to hold yourself accountable for the work that you need to get done between now and your fundraise. It can be a peer group, a regular advisor meeting, or even a self-guided project plan. You need something to make sure the work gets done. If you'd like to plug into a program that takes all that off your plate, apply to my 5-week fundraising boot camp. It's simple: we tell you what to do, how to do it, and make you do it! Lol If you don't want to drag out your fundraise prep and want to be held accountable, this is for you. Applications close 1/15, and slots are starting to go fast. Apply below ⤵

The hardest part of being a founder is even though you may 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 to raise money... You can't appear that way... Let me explain Being desperate is a deterrent to capital & momentum. It spreads amongst employees, friends, and into your investor pitches. How to avoid this? Start fundraising way earlier than you think you need to... Get "warm" investors on standby. Too late for that? You need to remove yourself from the outcome as much as possible. (easier said than done, I know) Adopt a mindset where you are confident enough to turn down an offer if it's not right. With this mentality, you'll come across as more convincing and in control. You got this!

Fundraising takes so much time, effort, and emotional energy 🫠- don’t waste your work making common mistakes! 😱 3 things I’ve seen go wrong for founders: 1. 💰Trying to raise too much money too early. If you’re a first time founder and you don’t have much more than an idea, challenge yourself on what you could prove before approaching investors. It will look different depending on your industry and business model- but be realistic on what you’ve actually built so far, and how risky the bet you’re asking investors to take still is. 2. 🎨Don’t spend all your time polishing a pitch deck when you could be getting some wins that prove how you execute. However pretty you make it, if there’s not enough evidence behind it, you’ll struggle. 3. ⚙️Not understanding how an investor works before you pitch to them. Different investor types have different motivations and constraints. Do you know when they need to see returns? How much they’re looking to get back from each investment? Whether they fund in future rounds? Who they need to impress? 👋🏻If you’re looking for more support, we’re running a hands on IfWeRaise workshop to help founders create their own personalised funding strategy- tomorrow 12.00-14.00 BST! 👇🏻 Link to learn more in comments below - and 50% off for underrepresented founders using code EQUITY. And let us know- what fundraising mistakes have you seen or made? Share your stories in the comments! #fundraising #FirstTimeFounders #EarlyStageStartups

Facts: Founders who aren’t blessed with large networks should be able to close great rounds, too. Cold outreach gets a bad rap, but it’s also a way to break for talented people without networks to raise money for their great ideas. So we broke down the do’s and don’ts of investor outreach—what works and what doesn’t, so founders can skip over some of the trial-and-error and raise their rounds faster. https://lnkd.in/gFRCez2r

Remember the “buddy system” from childhood? Every fundraising founder should follow it… 🤝 I share lots of tactical fundraising tips. But the hardest part? The emotions. → Long hours → Countless meetings → Very unfriendly investors But the worst bit of all? The no’s come first. Lots of them. So how do you feel? Like you’ll never raise. Like you’re completely alone. That’s why you need a buddy. 🙌 It could be anyone who: 1️⃣ Has raised capital before 2️⃣ That you absolutely trust 100% 3️⃣ No other incentives (not a current investor) They’re half-coach, half-superfan. Just schedule a recurring 30 min meeting every week while you’re fundraising. I promise it’ll make you both happier and more effective. __ Was this helpful? 👍 like and ♻️ repost it to help other founders!

No matter how brutal your fundraise has been Or how stupid the VCs you've spoken to were. It's a terrible idea to sound jaded on VC calls Why??? 1. It makes it seem like you've had a hard time fundraising. ➡️ Nobody wants to buy the thing everyone else rejected 2. Nobody likes it if you badmouth their profession. 3. You come across as unprofessional Fundraising is a show. It doesn't matter whether your complaints are justified or not. You need to come across as professional and optimistic. If you must vent... vent in a safe space. i.e.: - Other founders - Existing investors - After the round NEVER vent to the people you need money from. I write detailed guides on fundraising. Check them out - link in the comments

A lot of founders feel lost after they’re done fundraising—especially if they succeeded. Now there’s pressure to spend the money they raised. 💸 There’s pressure to be accountable to investors.And they may need to develop new communication skills they never needed before. We’ve spoken to a lot of founders, and we boiled their advice down to 3 of the best tips to succeed after a raise. Find out what they are 👇 https://lnkd.in/gFmMMyX4

The ultimate guide on how to fail your fundraising If you’re a founder and you hate raising money from VCs This guide is for you 1) Start your fundraising when you need the money 2) Don’t have any traction—no client, no revenue, nothing! 3) Make your pitch deck super long: 20+ pages, 500 words per page 5) Ask your grandpa to take care of the design of the deck 4) Send cold emails to funds that don’t invest in your industry 5) Ask for VC introductions from people you don’t know 6) Go to startup meetups with founders who have never raised 7) Build a startup where your background is irrelevant. 8) Stop trying to find investors after one month  9) While you fundraise, stop working on your company 10) Don’t get your pitch deck reviewed; you know better  11) Don’t put investors on an update list after you meet them 12) During VC meetings, speak as much as you can 13) Don't track your VC outreach That’s it! if you follow those steps, I can guarantee you will never raise! Thanks, me later ---   Like this? I'm Benjamin. Click my name, follow, and 🔔