Want to get inside the head of an active investor?

Written by Paul on October 23rd, 2012

I’ve been an employee, I’ve been a founder and now I’m an investor. (In that order, actually.) When it comes to time-based experience, I’m still a noob — I’ve been on this side of the table for about three years now. However, what I lack in time, I’ve more than made up for in experience — 500 Startups’ approach to high volume early stage investing and selective follow-ons has exposed me to hundreds of investments in a very short amount of time. It’s fair to say that we’ve seen more startups in the past two years than most investors will likely see in a lifetime.

As a result, everywhere I go, I often run into the same questions:

  • What are common mistakes that founders make when they pitch an investor?
  • Do you ever get used to saying “no” to founders?
  • Why is your beard so epic?
  • What questions should I ask investors to build trust, uncover hidden problems, overcome objections and speak to desires?
  • What’s Dave like in real life?
  • What is the most effective way to follow up with investors that are slow to decide (or have previously said no)?
Instead of keeping these conversations behind closed doors, I’m going to give each of you full access by starting an “Ask the VC” series here. What do you want to know? Ask a compelling question, and you just may see it answered right here, by me. And it won’t cost you one penny. Or any equity.

 

 

Go ahead and ask anything you like, I’m going to give you direct answers and ready to use, field tested tactics.

 

 

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