VC Minute

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. The vast majority of investors you pitch will pass, so use the time to ask for input & feedback. Ironically, it reflects better on you to ask questions than just pitch the whole time. About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain expert...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. SpringTime's Allyson Plosko shares three things that erode investors' confidence in founders, and actionable steps that you can take for each to build, rather than erode, confidence. About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain e...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. What happens when you miss your milestones? Can you pause the VC Treadmill? Of course. Here's how one company did it. About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain expertise, forging a path with a truly transformative technology. We on...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. My friend Eric Marcoullier, multiple-exit founder, coaches startup CEOs now, has a great post that I riff on today:  A CEO Has Three Responsibilities. I'd argue the CEO has only one. About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain expert...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. As you come into the close of your round,  a classic sales tactic and can be used effectively as you wrap up it up: the takeaway. Thanks again to Startup of the Year for your support to founders everywhere. Startups, go to startupofyear.com and join their free community.  About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fi...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Another fundraising red flag is the "dribs and drabs" round. With this, you don't know if you'll have enough capital to make those key hires  or fully execute your growth plan, so your growth suffers. Check out Jason Yeh's "Funded" podcast: https://www.fundedpod.com/ His event on 8/16/2022: https://lu.ma/fallfundraising And fo...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. The massive returns needed to succeed in venture capital is one of the key drivers of the TAM obsession. Bigger markets offer bigger opportunities for growth and bigger exits. Or at least, that's the commonly held belief.   About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Building a business is extremely hard. There are risks all along the way. I dig in on this and offer some questions to ask investors to gauge their risk assessment of your business. About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain expertise, f...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. We invest in risky businesses, which means that we feel we've got a good grasp on the odds of different types of outcomes, including a zero return outcome.  When we hit on uncertainty, that's when it becomes hard to get to a yes, because uncertainty is where we're unable to assess the risk. About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. I asked my teammates for their least favorite thing to hear from startups and it's,  "six months after this seed round, we're going to raise a Series A."  About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain expertise, forging...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. FOMO, in the VC Minute playbook, is a subtle knife that cuts through silence to elevate you in a fund's process. Listen to me debate and dig in on FOMO with Mike Lightman from the Hate Your Deck podcast on iTunes or Spotify . About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace business...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Don't say your pro forma financials are "conservative." They are complete fabrications! And that's OK. About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain expertise, forging a path with a truly transformative technology. We on...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. If you call your funding round a "Bridge Round" it puts you in a defensive position. Listen to today's #VCMinute for what you should say instead. About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain expertise, forging a path with a...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. This week I'm covering things NOT to say to investors, starting with... exits. Talking about an exit strategy at the seed stage is ridiculous. About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain expertise, forging a path with a truly transfo...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. It's a Friday in July, and do you know, what's the perfect thing for a hot summer day? A pool party!  All the reasons investors say "no" can wash away when the pool party is packed. About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. There's a big reason that funds pass or ghost on investments, but they would never share it with founders. It's entirely subjective and often just based off gut instincts. About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain expertise, f...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Another common reason venture funds say "no" is because they don't see a path to returning the entire fund from that one investment. Wondering what that means? Here's more... About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. When you're talking to an investor that writes checks at your level, and they're telling you that you're too early, here's the real problem: you haven't sold them on your vision. About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders wi...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Your competition in that moment are the half a dozen other startups that I have in my diligence process at the same time as you.   About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain expertise, forging a path with a truly transformative technolog...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Wrapping up the week with great advice from Saba Karim - don't email people asking if you can send them the deck, just send them the deck. That's the purpose of it. Send it! Follow Saba Karim: https://twitter.com/sabakarimm https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabakarim/ Listen/watch the Rich on RiderFlex podcast: https://anchor.fm/riderflex/episodes/Rich-Malo...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. One of the most powerful things that you can do in your email deck is to break the reader's frame of reference. My favorite example of this is from the Allhers deck. Here's the image: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11a857MfoqeZH-7M4fjB1EtbYUpjj-xgo/view?usp=sharing And a thank you to Becca @ Allhers for letting me share this slide. https://forallhers...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Pitching is storytelling, and decks are a tool to tell the story. The email deck gets to meeting, the pitch deck gets the investment. About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain expertise, forging a path with a truly transformative techno...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. My number one rule for pitching and pitch decks is: Don't make me think. Don't make me work. Here are six examples.  About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain expertise, forging a path with a truly transformative technology. W...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. The point of your pitch deck isn't to get an investment. The point is to get a meeting.  It's just like when you're job hunting. The point of a resume isn't to get the job. The point of the resume is  to get the interview.  The pitch deck is serving the same purpose. About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. If you're reaching out to a small fund, don't email, every single person in the fund.   Time is our most precious asset; I'm grateful that you'd spend of some of yours with me. Thank you. About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founder...