Category: Startups

According to investors, corporations are increasing investing for enterprise-technology firms despite a general slowdown in venture capital agreements.

The rebound comes as huge institutional investors such as hedge funds and pension funds abandon riskier bets on emerging technology businesses. Traditional venture capital firms are likewise reducing their investment in startups.

“But we’re seeing large corporations continue to invest,” Christophe Bourque, general partner at investment firm White Star Capital, said Tuesday at a panel at Collision 2022, a startup and investing conference in Toronto. “We’ve seen a lot of this across our portfolio companies.”

The Nasdaq Composite Index, which is centered on technology, fell to its lowest close since September 2020 last week, though it recovered 2.5 percent on Tuesday. Similar declines are reverberating throughout the startup sector, as many digital companies have shifted from hypergrowth to survival mode, eliminating employment and revenue projections.

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A flawless pitch — more particularly, a perfect pitch deck — can make or break a startup seeking investment. Delivering a flawless pitch deck gives you access to an investor who could contribute transformational funding to your company, making it the most critical aspect of a successful meeting with a VC.

Embrace the power of six. Strive for no more than six bullet points each page and no more than six words for each bullet. If necessary, provide graphics, but never exceed 36 words in your bulleted list.

Think short and sweet. Your pitch deck is not a long-winded romance novel. It is a summary of the most significant aspects of your startup. Because most VCs look at pitch decks for less than four minutes, keeping your deck brief keeps VCs actively listening to what you have to offer.

Invest in professional VC pitch deck design. Although it may appear that VCs make all of their decisions based on figures, eye-catching pitch deck designs can nevertheless lure them in and keep their attention. Find someone who is skilled at creating strong pitch decks if you aren’t. As the aforementioned angel investor pointed out, it may cost you more than $1,000 to outsource the design to a professional who can make it appear neat and beautiful.

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“…ensuring diversity within our cap table has been a must — and has proven instrumental to our success. Breaking down your cap table to diversify your investors based on a variety of criteria will provide far more value than funding alone…” – Oriana Papin-Zoghbi

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A startup’s valuation denotes what it is worth at a given point in time. Factors that make up the valuation include the 1) development stage of the product or service 2) proof-of-concept in its market 3) the CEO and their team 4) valuations of peers or similar startups 5) existing strategic relationships and customers; and sales.

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According to Godfrey Hinds, an economics specialist, the Small Business Bureau is working hard to build a marketing plan to engage impoverished populations with not only program information, but also empowering educational opportunities.

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With the rise in startups, a whole new vocabulary has come about. Terms like “unicorn” and “pivot” are being used by people outside the startup sphere. Here’s a handy resource to reference when you need to reference terms you’ve never heard of.

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The amount of venture capital going into Latinx-founded startups surged last year, but such companies still get a disproportionately small percentage of total venture dollars, according to a new report.
Latinx-founded companies across the US raised $6.8 billion last year, according to the report Wednesday from Crunchbase. That amount was up 143% from the $2.8 billion such companies raised in 2020.

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If you’re soliciting funds for your company, having an impressive pitch deck is a must-have weapon in your fundraising arsenal. An excellent pitch deck piques the interest of potential investors in your idea and engages them in a discussion about your company, hopefully leading to an investment.
In this essay, I’ll walk you through the formula for creating your own pitch deck.

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