VC Minute

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Sometimes your choice is between taking any money and running out of money. In those cases you can't be selective. But if you can optimize for one thing with you investors, optimize for trust. Why? Hear Dama's summary of how the trust of her lead investor turned a funding round around.  About Manatee Dama Dipayana is the CEO & Co-Founder of Manate...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. What I love about this advice is that Dama found her weak point in her pitch and leaned into it. I'd be willing to be that if you leaned hard into your pitching weakness you would just be at baseline compared to everyone else on that point. About Manatee Dama Dipayana is the CEO & Co-Founder of Manatee . Manatee is a family-first, virtual mental health...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. What would Dama do differently on her first fundraise?  Three things: Iterate on her pitch based on feedback and "no's" Understand that VCs gossip with each other - don't erode momentum if you're getting too many "no's" When you have the pitch dialed in, hit it hard.  About Manatee Dama Dipayana is the CEO & Co-Founde...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Last year, Dama, the CEO of our portfolio company Manatee, pulled a fundraising rabbit out of her hat. It's funny to hear her say she's bad at fundraising because I truly believe that very few founders could have pulled off what she did last year. She shares her fundraising advice this week... and it's good! About Manatee Dama Dipayana is the CEO...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Why do you get a lawyer? It's because you need a guidepost  and you need someone who's going to help you navigate the parts of your business you don't even understand. Carlos Cruz-Abrams joins us this week, sharing his decades of startup and fundraising advice from a lawyer's perspective. Learn more about  Carlos and Cruz-Abrams Seigel . Abo...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Does your lawyer know what NVCA stands for and where to find the NVCA standard docs? If not, they're going to make you look like a fool in term sheet negotiations. Carlos Cruz-Abrams joins us this week, sharing his decades of startup and fundraising advice from a lawyer's perspective. Learn more about  Carlos and Cruz-Abrams Seigel . About Cruz-Abrams...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Your lawyer should be a resource who can help you achieve your strategy, making the law work for your business. Carlos Cruz-Abrams joins us this week, sharing his decades of startup and fundraising advice from a lawyer's perspective. Learn more about  Carlos and Cruz-Abrams Seigel . About Cruz-Abrams Seigel Cruz-Abrams Seigel LLC (CAS) is a corporate legal...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Great lawyers will help founders find and understand the things they don't know that they don't know. Carlos Cruz-Abrams joins us this week, sharing his decades of startup and fundraising advice from a lawyer's perspective. Learn more about  Carlos and Cruz-Abrams Seigel . About Cruz-Abrams Seigel Cruz-Abrams Seigel LLC (CAS) is a corporate legal...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. A few things have come up recently that have reminded me  of the importance of having a great startup lawyer in your fundraise. SpringTime's lawyer, Carlos Cruz-Abrams from Cruz-Abrams Seigel is joining us this week to share his insights on why startups need a startup lawyer. Carlos Cruz-Abrams joins us this week, sharing his decades of startup and fundrai...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. I want to have your insights on the VC Minute.  What can you share about your fundraise journey for the VC Minute community?   Here's some prompts to get you started.  How has the VC Minute helped you fundraise?   What episode or episodes made a difference in your fundraise? And how?  Of the VC Minute advice, what do you disagree with? And why?    What&apo...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Not only do I despise the term Bridge Round, but it's compounded by the many misconceptions that startups have about them. I decided to spend a week talking about it all in excruciating detail. In this bonus / compilation episode I combined the five episodes about why venture funds do not invest in bridge rounds and how you can construct an Insider Round i...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Here are my four steps to successfully raising an Insider Round. PS - I have a huge favor to ask. Will suggest VC Minute as a guest on the 20 Minute VC? It will only take two minutes: https://miro.com/20vc   🙌Thank you About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. The story of a bridge round is always the same from an investor's perspective. You raised money. It wasn't enough. And now you're coming back to raise even less money... About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace businesses. We look for founders with domain expertise...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. In a world of information asymmetry, your current investors have the most information.  And if they're not willing to step up,  that is a very bad sign.    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. Seed investing is a team sport. The fewer team members you have around the table, the weaker position you're in, and the less likely you're going to get to the next level. 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. This week we're covering that Dreaded Bridge Round - why it's the hardest round to raise and how you can avoid it. Episode 37 - Bridge Round 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 tran...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. How do you generate your Aha Moment?  With practice and iteration. Link to 20 Minute VC - Feb 13, 2023 ~ 25:55 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 only invest in...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. The best pitches create Aha Moments You'll know when you've hit it because the tone of the meeting changes. It becomes a true dialogue,, the questions come from a place of curiosity, or it turns into a brainstorming session. About SpringTime Ventures SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech, logistics, and marketplace busi...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. As the CEO of this business, you are going to be responsible ultimately for every aspect of it. Show that you know your numbers and it shows that you know 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, forging a pat...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Put the focus on what the business is and the vision for its future.   Use the past and the pivot to support that story.    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 o...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich.  An investment into your startup, is an investment into 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 technology. We only invest in software-based businesses in the USA. We bring a...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Men get funded on potential and women get funded on proof. About Power To Pitch Power To Pitch offers a virtual Course & Community, to help pre-seed to seed stage founders go from confused & frustrated about pitching to confident & prepared so they can concisely talk about what they do in order to take advantage of funding opportunities. We help fou...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. Giving up equity, it's a marriage. You have to be transparent with your partner in a relationship in order for it to be successful.  About Power To Pitch Power To Pitch offers a virtual Course & Community, to help pre-seed to seed stage founders go from confused & frustrated about pitching to confident & prepared so they can concisely talk abou...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. You can get investment from someone who is not an actual user of it. Founders need to be educators. About Power To Pitch Power To Pitch offers a virtual Course & Community, to help pre-seed to seed stage founders go from confused & frustrated about pitching to confident & prepared so they can concisely talk about what they do in order to take advant...

Text your thoughts directly to Rich. We always say that lead with your story. An investor and your audience buys into you before what you do.  When you're leading with that story, it also builds credibility and showcases what qualifications do you have?  Why are you the team qualified to take this business to the next level? About Power To Pitch Power To Pitch offers a virtual Course & Co...