The 1Mby1M Methodology is based on case studies. In this course, Sramana Mitra shares the tribal knowledge of tech entrepreneurs by giving students the rare seat at the table with the entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders who provide the most instructive perspectives on how to build a thriving business. Through these conversations, students gain access to case studies exploring the alleys of entrepreneurship. Sramana’s synthesis of key learnings and incisive analysis add great depth to each discussion.
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The 1Mby1M Methodology is based on case studies. In this course, Sramana Mitra shares the tribal knowledge of tech entrepreneurs by giving students the rare seat at the table with the entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders who provide the most instructive perspectives on how to build a thriving business. Through these conversations, students gain access to case studies exploring the alleys of entrepreneurship. Sramana’s synthesis of key learnings and incisive analysis add great depth to each discussion.
The 1Mby1M Methodology is based on case studies. In this course, Sramana Mitra shares the tribal knowledge of tech entrepreneurs by giving students the rare seat at the table with the entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders who provide the most instructive perspectives on how to build a thriving business. Through these conversations, students gain access to case studies exploring the alleys of entrepreneurship. Sramana’s synthesis of key learnings and incisive analysis add great depth to each discussion.
This course is primarily for entrepreneurs who want to learn how to think like an investor and increase their chances of getting funding for their startup.
For example, want to apply to Y Combinator? Listen carefully to Sramana’s conversation with Geoff Ralston, President of Y Combinator. He spells out very clearly what they are looking for in a startup application and why 98% of Y Combinator applications are rejected and how startups can increase their chances of getting in.
The early stage investment ecosystem has fragmented, it’s no longer just seed and Series A. The seed part has fragmented to friends and family financing, pre-seed, seed, post-seed, small Series A, and large Series A.
In this course, we will do a deep dive into the pre-seed stage.
What is the difference between pre-seed, post-seed and pre-Series A? This is not so simple anymore to understand. For entrepreneurs who are seeking financing for the first time, it’s not easy to understand where they fit in.
There is a lot of competition to get into some of the deals for Series A (and Series B). If you look at the numbers, there are 50,000 to 70,000 seed stage investments a year versus 1,200 to 1,500 Series A investments. Clearly there is a lot of companies in that pool that are not getting to Series A. Only a percentage of those are really the hot companies. The hot companies, by definition, are few and far between, which is why there is such a competition. There are a lot of companies in the middle.
Then there are the stranded businesses that don’t deserve Series A. That is irrelevant, because there are a lot of companies that do get seed investments and don’t really pan out. They shouldn’t be raising more money. That is not of concern to me because it makes sense that they shouldn’t get to Series A. But still, there is a big number of startups in the middle. They’re not the hottest companies, but they are good solid companies. Many of those are falling in the Series A crunch as well.
To keep up with the evolving nuances of startup financing, this course shares how several of the investors I’ve spoken with define “pre-seed.” You will also learn what kind of validation they are looking for in a startup before getting into a deal during our in-depth conversations.
The 1Mby1M courses are all heavily based on interview-based case studies on Innovation, Business Models, Go To Market Strategies, Validation Principles, and various other nuances of an entrepreneur's journey. We offer extensive opportunities for entrepreneurs to learn the lessons from the trenches from successful entrepreneurs who have done it before and Investors who support their ambition.
What's inside
Learning objectives
- Through interviews with real-world investors you will come to understand investor-entrepreneur fit.
- How you can think from an investor's point of view when pitching your startup.
- What you can do to increase your chances of getting funded.
- Where you can seek further mentorship regarding startup funding.
- Through interviews with real-world investors you will come to understand investor-entrepreneur fit.
- How you can think from an investor's point of view when pitching your startup.
- What you can do to increase your chances of getting funded.
- Where you can seek further mentorship regarding startup funding.
Syllabus
Understand how to attract attention from venture capital investors.
Introduction
How Pre-seed Investors Think About Startups
Discussing how to win the low probability game of startup fundraising.
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Syllabus
Discussing how to win the low probability game of startup fundraising.
Geoff Ralston is President of Y Combinator. We have a terrific discussion on what we each are seeing in the startup ecosystem.
Gaurav Jain is Managing Partner at Afore Capital, a firm focused on pre-seed investments. This is an excellent conversation for entrepreneurs looking for insights into pre-seed.
Shuly Galili, Founding Partner, UpWest Labs, talks to us about pre-seed and seed investments in the Israel – Silicon Valley corridor.
Gans Subramanian, Managing Partner at Hourglass Venture Partners, and a former 1Mby1M Premium member, discusses how he has now formed his own venture fund.
Julie Lein, Managing Partner at Urban Innovation Fund, discusses pre-seed and seed funding in companies focused on the betterment of cities.
Suman Talukdar is Founder and Managing Partner at AiSprouts.VC.
Elizabeth Yin is General Partner at Hustle Fund, a pre-seed investment firm.
Vishesh Rajaram, Managing Partner, Speciale Invest, discusses his fund’s investment thesis.
Venktesh Shukla is General Partner at Monta Vista Capital. I have known Venk for more than 20 years, and we discussed both industry trends and his fund strategy.
Laurel Touby, Managing Director of Supernode Ventures, talks about pre-seed investing in Latin America.
Deepak Gupta, Founding Partner at WEH Ventures, discusses his fund’s pre-seed and seed funding strategy for Indian startups.
Shane Neman is Founder of EZ Texting, JoonBug.com, and Principal at Neman Ventures. Shane has bootstrapped two companies as a solo entrepreneur, found successful exits for both, and is now an investor. Needless to say, he has no bias against solopreneurs.
Pamela York is Founder and CEO, Atasi Ventures, with a special focus on women entrepreneurs in healthcare.
Vincent Diallo is Managing Partner at Interlace Ventures, a fund focused on retail tech.
Tony Olivito, Partner at Comeback Capital, discusses his firm’s Midwest focused investment thesis.
Ritesh Agarwal is Co-founder and Managing Director at CerraCap Ventures, a deep tech focused early stage firm.
Evangelos Simoudis, Founder and Managing Director at Synapse Partners, takes us on a deep dive into AI investing.
David Lambert, Managing Director at Right Side Capital Management, a firm that invests small chunks of capital in capital efficient ventures. The firm is very much in line with the Bootstrapping to Exit philosophy we’ve been discussing.
Anupam Rastogi is General Partner at Emergent Ventures, a firm focused on B-to-B tech investments.
Sandeep Sardana, Founder and General Partner at BluePointe Ventures. We had a terrific discussion on how we each look for a startup story through financial metrics.
Jonathan Lewy, Managing Partner at Investo, discusses pre-seed investment strategies and the Series A gap.
Clint Chao, Co-founder and General Partner at Moment Ventures, discusses the vertical niche opportunities in the tech industry during this episode of our podcast.
Kara Weber, Founder General Partner at Brilliant Ventures, speaks extensively about her commitment to female founders during this episode of our podcast.
Nitin Pachisia, Founding Partner at Unshackled Ventures, discusses pre-seed and seed investing during this episode of our podcast.
Greg Sands, Founder and Managing Director at Costanoa Ventures, a venture firm focused on Seed and Series A investing during this episode of our podcast.
Please pick your favorite case studies from the course and run them through a validation and positioning exercise. Use the 1Mby1M Self-Assessment questionnaire and try to answer each question in it.
Here are examples of some pitches that took place during one of our free and online mentoring roundtable programs. You will find a pitch template under Resources. Once you are ready, come pitch your business idea at an upcoming 1Mby1M Roundtable.
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Reviews summary
Vc insights for pre-seed founders
Features a wide range of investor interviews.
Sramana Mitra's analysis adds significant value.
Increases confidence in approaching investors.
Helps understand the complexities of early funding.
Extremely relevant for entrepreneurs seeking funding.
Hearing directly from VCs is the core value.
Activities
Review Startup Valuation Methods
Show steps
Refresh your understanding of startup valuation methods to better understand how pre-seed VCs assess potential investments.
Browse courses on
Startup Valuation
Show steps
-
Research common startup valuation techniques.
-
Compare and contrast different methods.
-
Identify the limitations of each method.
Read 'The Lean Startup' by Eric Ries
Show steps
Understand the Lean Startup methodology to improve your startup's chances of success and attract pre-seed funding.
View
The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use...
on Amazon
Show steps
-
Read the book and take notes on key concepts.
-
Identify how you can apply the Lean Startup principles to your startup.
-
Experiment with different approaches and track your results.
Read 'Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist'
Show steps
Gain a deeper understanding of venture capital deals and negotiations to improve your chances of securing pre-seed funding.
View
Startup Boards: A Field Guide to Building and...
on Amazon
Show steps
-
Read the book and take notes.
-
Identify key deal terms and their implications.
-
Consider how these terms might affect your startup.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Attend Startup Events and Meetups
Show steps
Network with other entrepreneurs and investors to learn about the pre-seed funding landscape and build valuable connections.
Show steps
-
Identify relevant startup events in your area.
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Prepare a short elevator pitch.
-
Attend the events and network with attendees.
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Follow up with interesting contacts.
Develop an Investor Pitch Deck
Show steps
Create a compelling pitch deck that addresses the key concerns of pre-seed VCs, demonstrating your understanding of their investment criteria.
Show steps
-
Research successful pitch decks.
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Outline your startup's key value propositions.
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Design visually appealing slides.
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Practice your pitch delivery.
Write a Blog Post on Pre-Seed Funding
Show steps
Solidify your understanding of pre-seed funding by writing a blog post that explains the key concepts and challenges.
Show steps
-
Choose a specific topic related to pre-seed funding.
-
Research the topic thoroughly.
-
Write a clear and concise blog post.
-
Promote your blog post on social media.
Participate in Peer Pitch Practice
Show steps
Refine your pitch and receive valuable feedback from peers to improve your chances of securing pre-seed funding.
Show steps
-
Find a group of fellow entrepreneurs.
-
Prepare your pitch and presentation materials.
-
Practice your pitch and receive feedback.
-
Provide constructive feedback to your peers.
Review Startup Valuation Methods
Show steps
Refresh your understanding of startup valuation methods to better understand how pre-seed VCs assess potential investments.
Browse courses on
Startup Valuation
Show steps
- Research common startup valuation techniques.
- Compare and contrast different methods.
- Identify the limitations of each method.
Read 'The Lean Startup' by Eric Ries
Show steps
Understand the Lean Startup methodology to improve your startup's chances of success and attract pre-seed funding.
View
The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use...
on Amazon
Show steps
- Read the book and take notes on key concepts.
- Identify how you can apply the Lean Startup principles to your startup.
- Experiment with different approaches and track your results.
Read 'Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist'
Show steps
Gain a deeper understanding of venture capital deals and negotiations to improve your chances of securing pre-seed funding.
View
Startup Boards: A Field Guide to Building and...
on Amazon
Show steps
- Read the book and take notes.
- Identify key deal terms and their implications.
- Consider how these terms might affect your startup.
Attend Startup Events and Meetups
Show steps
Network with other entrepreneurs and investors to learn about the pre-seed funding landscape and build valuable connections.
Show steps
- Identify relevant startup events in your area.
- Prepare a short elevator pitch.
- Attend the events and network with attendees.
- Follow up with interesting contacts.
Develop an Investor Pitch Deck
Show steps
Create a compelling pitch deck that addresses the key concerns of pre-seed VCs, demonstrating your understanding of their investment criteria.
Show steps
- Research successful pitch decks.
- Outline your startup's key value propositions.
- Design visually appealing slides.
- Practice your pitch delivery.
Write a Blog Post on Pre-Seed Funding
Show steps
Solidify your understanding of pre-seed funding by writing a blog post that explains the key concepts and challenges.
Show steps
- Choose a specific topic related to pre-seed funding.
- Research the topic thoroughly.
- Write a clear and concise blog post.
- Promote your blog post on social media.
Participate in Peer Pitch Practice
Show steps
Refine your pitch and receive valuable feedback from peers to improve your chances of securing pre-seed funding.
Show steps
- Find a group of fellow entrepreneurs.
- Prepare your pitch and presentation materials.
- Practice your pitch and receive feedback.
- Provide constructive feedback to your peers.
Career center
Fundraising Consultant
Startup Scout
Venture Capital Consultant
Venture Capital Analyst
Venture Partner
Startup Advisor
Investment Associate
Angel Investor
Incubator Manager
Business Strategist
Portfolio Manager
Business Development Manager
Investment Banker
Product Manager
Chief Executive Officer
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