The VC Minute

Quick advice to help startup founders fundraise better.

VC Minute is meant to be listened to sequentially. You can hear the latest episode below. 

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246. Summertime Slowdown

In fundraising, the end of June is a lot like the end of November. If you don’t have a term sheet on the table, you’re not going to get one in the next month.

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233. Changing CEOs

If the CEO’s job is to fundraise, what do you do when the best fundraiser on your team isn’t the CEO? What iink did was change CEOs.

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223. Backlogs Everywhere

The backlog in the private markets extends from IPOs to PE, all the way down to Series A. It’s one of the primary drivers of so many startups stuck at Seed.

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209. Send the Update!

Consistently sending investor updates maintains awareness, opens opportunities for serendipitous introductions, and demonstrates transparency about the company’s progress and challenges.

Follow more of Allyson’s writing on the VC Minute Substack: https://vcminute.substack.com/

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208. Honing Your Target Customer

Focusing on a well-defined target customer profile is crucial for rapid growth and investor confidence.

Follow more of Allyson’s writing on VC Minute Substack: https://vcminute.substack.com/

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207. Why now?

The longer an investor has been around, the more likely they’ve seen someone attempting to solve the same problem you’re tackling. Convince them “why now” to get their attention.

Read more of Allyson’s work on our Substack: https://vcminute.substack.com/

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202. Lessons From Leading My First Round: Relationships & Lawyers

This past December, SpringTime Ventures led a complicated priced equity round. It was the first round that I ever led and I learned a ton of lessons. The first two are that the relationship between the lead VC and the founder is the single most important thing. Second, have great lawyers who know the unknowns.

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199. The Deck Stands Alone

Your pitch deck should be able to tell the story without voiceover. VCs are going to send it around externally and internally at a fund. Everyone needs to understand it without you presenting it.

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192. Startup Maxims: Ask for Money, Get Advice

This week I’m covering startup maxims—tthose little phrases we all repeat to each other as common wisdom but may or may not be true, helpful, or relevant.

Today’s maxim: “Ask for money, get advice. Ask for advice, get money.”

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Shutdown Week

It’s not a thing that VCs talk about, but it is something that we should cover. I tag-teamed with my friend, Eric Marcoullier on the topic of shutting down your startup.

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183. Shut Down Week and Write Offs

This week, we’re covering an important but difficult topic: shutting down your startup. If you’re asking yourself the question, you may already have the answer. And your investors may have already written your company down.

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181. The Power of Specificity

Allyson joins us to share her insights on providing specificity to the problem being solved. A founder has to be able to convey the severity of the problem and the specific upside to solving it. Without both, investors know customers just won’t buy.

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179. Follow Ons Part 2: Everything Takes Longer

The time between startup fundraises has grown significantly. Additionally, the time between venture fund vintages has also grown, resulting in a slowdown of capital deployment. All while venture funds buoy the healthy companies in their portfolio with follow-on capital.

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176. Simplicity is Genius

Clear communication is crucial for startup CEOs to sell their vision effectively to investors, customers, and employees. SpringTime partner, Allyson Plosko, shares why Simplicity is Genius.

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174. The Power of Updates

Stay Top of Mind: Learn why regular updates are crucial for startup founders to maintain investor interest and support, especially during fundraising rounds.

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173. Season 4 Kick Off

Welcome back to another season of VC Minute! We are pleased to introduce our sponsor, AVL Growth Partners. And I talk (briefly) about the #1 thing you should be asking Seed Phase investors right now.

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172. Valuation Is Only One Part of the Term Sheet

Founders should look beyond dilution in term sheets, focusing on board configuration’s significance and understanding the option pool’s impact. AJ offers words of encouragement, emphasizing resilience and daily learning for success in the competitive market.

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157. There’s Never Been A Better Time To Start A Company

While funding is down, it’s down less at Seed. Angel investing is down, but it’s likely leveled out and will hold steady. There is still a plethora of capital available, and there are incredible tools to start businesses using low/no-code. There’s never been a better time to start a company.

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