Just thought of sharing this excellent resource for the benefit of all startups that are raising venture funding. This is from Canaan Partners and they have created a kind of a workbook (called a pitchbook) that startups could use for getting their pitch decks in shape. Its almost like a fill-in-the-blanks exercise that everyone understands so well.
The pitchbook lends a structured approach to thinking about funding and how to build up your case for convincing those guys across the table. Different VCs may have different suggested formats, or outlooks they care for… nevertheless once you have been able to marshal your own thoughts, modifying the pitch to suit individual investors may not be far off.
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While on the issue of pitching for VC, I can’t help but bring up Guy Kawasaki’s classic “The Art of Pitching“. This deals with the actual communication style that one should adopt to appear convincing to potential investors (its not focused on the content of the pitch, rather the manner in which it should be delivered). He may not be off target… every idea needs to be sold… and there are numerous examples of good ideas failing to take off because they were not packaged smartly (either to investors or to customers)… take a look below and decide for yourself.