Getting a VC's Attention

It's hard to get a VC's attention - as much as i told myself I'd be diligent in reviewing all the great ideas coming my way, it's impossible when I get several new plans a day, work hard to help  existing companies, proactively evaluate new sectors, and keep up with my network of friends and associates.

Having been at this for a year now, I can tell you from experience what maximizes the chance of getting the ear of a VC.  The key is to present a crisp, clear, and importantly CONCISE view of your business in a snapshot that we can easily  digest.

I agree with David Cowan's post that the best way to pitch your business is a simple 10 or so page powerpoint.  Check his post out to get some great tips on what to include in the powerpoint.  It's not meant to be an exhaustive plan - just enough to get our attention and get us excited and establish your credibility. 

It may be a bit harder to generate a powerpoint (and some entrepreneurs like to pitch without ot seemingly just to be different) but its worth the effort to help you synthesize your thinking and help  attention-starved VCs focus on your opportunity.  I tend to lose focus and get impatient pretty quickly when wading thru text heavy plans or very hollow one page exec summaries (ideally provide both the powerpoint and one page summary so we can pass around the latter to our partners to get them quickly up to speed on the company).

I would also add the usual but important statement that sending us an email out of the ether doesn't get our attention as much as finding someone who knows us and having them introduce you.  Try a great social networking tool like LinkedIn if you are unsure who you know at a VC firm.

Good luck!

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