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08/16/13 | Uncategorized

Don’t Miss Investor Hangouts Next Friday August 23rd, 9-11a.m. PDT

Are you a founder in need of pitch feedback? If so, join us for our upcoming Investor Hangouts session and meet three great investors – Jeanne Sullivan (General Partner, StarVest Partners), Carolina Dams (Partner, A2C Advisors) and Adam Quinton (Founder/CEO, Lucas Point Ventures). Read on to learn more!

By Lauren Kim (Events Coordinator, Women 2.0)

Our upcoming Investor Hangout is happening next Friday starting at 9 a.m. PDT on Google Hangouts. Investor Hangouts is a bi-weekly, virtual pitch event where founders get a rare opportunity to make valuable connections with an investor and learn how to refine and master their pitches. Each founder is allotted a 15-minute time slot to pitch to two to three investors and receive pitch feedback. Additionally, investors make introductions to potential advisors or other investors on behalf of participants with successful pitches. In some cases, they have set up meetings with the founders directly.

If you are a founder of a tech startup and looking for pitch feedback, make sure to register for Investor Hangouts before the registration deadline, next Wednesday, August 21st, 2013 at 5pm!

Read on to learn more about our three investors and Frequently Asked Questions for Investor Hangouts.

Jeanne Sullivan, General Partner at StarVest Partners

(Venture Capitalist: Consumer Web/Mobile, Enterprise, E-Commerce, Infrastructure)

Jeanne has more than 20 years of private equity experience and has spent 28 years in the technology sector encompassing both extensive operating and investing experience with technology companies.Over the past 20 years as a founding principal of StarVest and previously with Olivetti Ventures, Ms. Sullivan has served on the boards of multiple private and two public companies and has extensive experience creating “go to market” plans for expansion stage companies. Her expertise also includes strategy, an understanding of the technology landscape and industry trends.

Carolina Dams, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at A2C Advisors

(Angel Investor)

Carolina Dams is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at A2C Advisors She is also an angel investor and mentor at NXTLabs. Since October 2011, Carolina has led a group of angel investors, participating in seed rounds with a focus in technology, biotechnology and Internet companies. She holds an MBA from London Business School, where she participated in an exchange program with Kellogg (Northwestern University). Follow her on Twitter at @cd3987.

Adam Quinton, Founder & CEO of Lucas Point Ventures

(Angel Investor: Consumer Web/Mobile, Enterprise)

Adam is an active investor in and advisor to early stage companies. He is a member of the Global Advisory Board for Astia and a Founding Angel at Astia Angel. He is a Managing Director at Golden Seeds, the investment firm dedicated to delivering above market returns through the empowerment of women entrepreneurs. He serves as an Advisor to Topstone Angels and is a Mentor for the Women Innovate Mobile accelerator program as well as 37 Angels. Additionally Adam is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs where he is a Capstone workshop advisor and member of the Management and Gender & Policy faculties.

TO SIGN UP FOR INVESTOR HANGOUTS – SESSION 5, REGISTER ON EVENTBRITE BY THE DEADLINE, AUGUST 21ST at 5PM!

Investor Hangouts FAQs:

Where does my Investor Hangouts session take place?

Investor Hangouts is a virtual pitch feedback event. You will meet with two to three investors in a virtual Google Hangout (video chat platform). Because of the virtual nature of Investor Hangouts, participants from all over the world can receive pitch feedback from top-notch investors.

How can I make the most of my session by ensuring that I won’t run into any technical difficulty?

Make sure you’re in an area with good to excellent internet connectivity. The quality of your session depends on it! See the bulleted points below for tips on how to test your connectivity:

  • Make sure you provide us a Google+ enabled email address (Gmail addresses highly recommended)

  • Using the email address you plan to provide us, do a test Google Hangout using the wi-fi connection that you plan to use during your Investor Hangouts session.

  • Using a mobile device or tablet is highly discouraged. We’ve tried this in the past, and it does not work! There will be no refunds for unsuccessful attempts to join the session using a mobile device.

How much time will I have for my pitch and feedback?

Each participant is allotted a 15-minute time slot within a two-hour window during which Investor Hangouts takes place. You have up to seven minutes to deliver your pitch, then seven minutes to receive pitch feedback.

Will other Investor Hangouts participants see my pitch?

No. Only you will be in the “room” with the investors in the Google Hangout. After your pitch, you will sign off by exiting the screen and the next participant will join thereafter.

What should I focus on during my pitch?

Every pitch is unique and should focus on the strengths and metrics relevant to your company. That being said, given the time allotment and format for this particular type of pitch session, here are some suggested guidelines. You have a maximum of seven minutes to deliver your pitch, so make sure to relay just the relevant info, revealing just enough to pique the investors’ curiosities. Avoid losing investors’ attentions by going into the nitty gritty details. Please note that these are just suggestions of things to cover!

  • Open with a strong description of exactly what your company is. You want to tell investors exactly what your company does as soon as possible.

  • Market Size

  • Real Customer Use Case

  • Unique Advantage Competition

  • Business Model

  • Team

  • Status of the Product/Service

  • Financial Raised and/or Near Term Financing Plans

  • Ask amount + breakdown of what it will be used for

For even more Investor Hangouts tips and best practices, check out our blog series, “Inside Look at Investor Hangouts” to read up on past participant reviews.

Can I show slides or use a deck during my pitch?

Given the short time allotment, we do not allow any slides to be used. We do allow screen share to be used for a maximum of 2 minutes to do a quick product demonstration. We’ve seen this done very effectively! Please familiarize yourself with the screen share feature of Google Hangouts ahead of time if you are planning to take advantage of this feature to avoid technical difficulty as much as possible!

Can I follow up on the investors’ feedback by providing the information they say my pitch lacked?

The main purpose of this session is to receive pitch feedback that you can learn from and apply when you go into a pitch meeting where funding is on the line as a result of that session. In order to maximize the seven minutes you have to receive pitch feedback, we recommend that you take notes during this portion and soak in as much information from the investors as possible instead of responding with the information they say they’d like to hear in your pitch next time around. The one exception to the rule is: investors who are interested in learning more will pose a question directly to you. In those cases, by all means, provide an answer!

Will I get access to the Investors’ email addresses if I participate? 

We don’t provide investor contact info as a part of the program. However, we do encourage investors to make connections with and introductions on behalf of the founders. In past sessions, investors have asked to connect with founder participants that deliver impressive and successful pitches. In other cases, investors also offer to connect founders with potential advisors or other investors. We make it a goal to see this trend continue through Investor Hangouts.

laurenLauren Kim (@LaurenJisoo) currently serves as the Events Coordinator at Women 2.0.  Lauren holds a B.A. in Development Studies (study of developing nations) from U.C. Berkeley and graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy. She is passionate about social entrepreneurship and women’s issues. In her spare time, she competes in hackathons and snowboards.

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