WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:24.480 Okay. 2 00:00:24.480 --> 00:00:28.880 Hey everyone, welcome to our GVR masterclass. 3 00:00:28.880 --> 00:00:32.920 We are in week five and I am so excited to be here. 4 00:00:32.920 --> 00:00:37.680 We have another amazing masterclass and you are going to want to tune in. 5 00:00:37.680 --> 00:00:44.240 Cameron is going to give you so much information around how to get in front of investors, where 6 00:00:44.240 --> 00:00:47.160 are they and where you need to be hanging out. 7 00:00:47.160 --> 00:00:52.200 So without further ado, Cameron, we're going to go ahead and bring you up. 8 00:00:52.200 --> 00:00:53.200 Perfect. 9 00:00:53.200 --> 00:00:54.200 Perfect. 10 00:00:54.200 --> 00:00:55.200 Thank you for having me, Siobhan. 11 00:00:55.200 --> 00:01:00.440 It's a pleasure to be here on behalf of the Fearless Fund and then also just being able 12 00:01:00.440 --> 00:01:06.640 to add value to you all means a lot to me and I hope that you receive the value as well. 13 00:01:06.640 --> 00:01:11.280 Once again, this is how to get discovered by investors. 14 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:13.560 Here's a sort of walkthrough of the agenda today. 15 00:01:13.560 --> 00:01:18.640 We'll start off with just a little bit about me, talk about the life of an investor, what 16 00:01:18.640 --> 00:01:23.480 this means for you as a founder, and then we'll go through some of the key points that 17 00:01:23.480 --> 00:01:28.160 I'll talk about, such as be active on Twitter, looking at pitch competitions, accelerators 18 00:01:28.160 --> 00:01:32.600 and grant programs, connecting with other founders, attending in-person conferences 19 00:01:32.600 --> 00:01:34.900 and a lot more. 20 00:01:34.900 --> 00:01:39.560 So without further ado, let's go ahead and get started and definitely feel free to chime 21 00:01:39.560 --> 00:01:41.000 in with any questions. 22 00:01:41.000 --> 00:01:43.720 I'll try to pause briefly after each slide. 23 00:01:43.720 --> 00:01:46.520 So just starting off with a little bit about myself. 24 00:01:46.520 --> 00:01:48.840 I'm originally from Houston, Texas. 25 00:01:49.200 --> 00:01:53.960 I went to school in Philadelphia, where I spent half of my time majoring in biology 26 00:01:53.960 --> 00:01:59.000 and then the second half of my college career majoring in economics. 27 00:01:59.000 --> 00:02:02.480 I also founded a scooter sharing company in college. 28 00:02:02.480 --> 00:02:07.480 I was the first sort of, I guess, experience for me into like what entrepreneurship looked 29 00:02:07.480 --> 00:02:09.440 like for myself. 30 00:02:09.440 --> 00:02:14.520 And then really just, I guess, kind of pivoting from there and going fully immersed into the 31 00:02:14.520 --> 00:02:16.480 tech and entrepreneurship world as a whole. 32 00:02:16.600 --> 00:02:21.880 So before joining the Fearless Fund, I was most recently on the growth platforms team 33 00:02:21.880 --> 00:02:28.120 at Stripe where we worked with platforms that were processing anywhere from about $50 million 34 00:02:28.120 --> 00:02:30.720 all the way up to a billion dollars in payments. 35 00:02:30.720 --> 00:02:34.720 And I would help them with their go-to-market strategies related to payments, thinking about 36 00:02:34.720 --> 00:02:39.480 monetization, thinking about international expansion and so many other things. 37 00:02:39.480 --> 00:02:42.240 And then really realized that I loved working with founders. 38 00:02:42.240 --> 00:02:44.200 I didn't want to hand off the relationship. 39 00:02:44.200 --> 00:02:48.320 And obviously, that's something that you do in sales. 40 00:02:48.320 --> 00:02:49.880 And so that was a good and a bad thing for me. 41 00:02:49.880 --> 00:02:54.760 And I ended up making the move to Fearless to not only work with founders, but be super 42 00:02:54.760 --> 00:02:56.960 mission aligned in my effort. 43 00:02:56.960 --> 00:03:01.960 And so I now sit as an analyst on the investment team at Fearless Fund, working with our associate 44 00:03:01.960 --> 00:03:08.240 and senior partner to meet with potential portfolio companies, sort of walk them through 45 00:03:08.240 --> 00:03:13.240 the diligence process, as well as lead them through what we sort of consider as far as 46 00:03:13.240 --> 00:03:15.000 criteria. 47 00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:19.560 And then just given the size of our team, I play a pretty active hand in sort of the 48 00:03:19.560 --> 00:03:23.760 decision making process as well, which I'm extremely grateful for. 49 00:03:23.760 --> 00:03:29.080 So yeah, I will be speaking to you on the topic of how to get discovered by investors 50 00:03:29.080 --> 00:03:33.280 as a former founder myself and also now as an investor. 51 00:03:33.280 --> 00:03:37.640 So let's start off with the first just, I guess, kind of bubble of context. 52 00:03:37.640 --> 00:03:42.280 So what the life of an investor looks like. 53 00:03:42.320 --> 00:03:48.200 It's really a tough sort of environment, especially for smaller funds and teams, just because 54 00:03:48.200 --> 00:03:53.920 these investors obviously have limited capacity, but they have to focus on doing so many different 55 00:03:53.920 --> 00:03:55.320 things. 56 00:03:55.320 --> 00:03:57.000 The first is obviously reviewing deals. 57 00:03:57.000 --> 00:04:03.160 So kind of to the point that I mentioned, reaching out to portfolio companies, getting 58 00:04:03.160 --> 00:04:06.240 connected with them, scheduling time to meet with them. 59 00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:12.240 For some other funds or firms, they have a great deal of inbound deal flow. 60 00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:18.160 And so the life of an analyst or associate may look a little different and they may spend 61 00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:22.280 their days during the week only looking at pitch decks, only looking at videos, only 62 00:04:22.280 --> 00:04:27.280 looking or reading memos and everything else. 63 00:04:27.280 --> 00:04:31.920 The second sort of aspect of the life of an investor is really just supporting portfolio 64 00:04:31.920 --> 00:04:32.920 companies. 65 00:04:32.920 --> 00:04:36.400 And that can range from personal things all the way to business things. 66 00:04:36.400 --> 00:04:43.320 So thinking through things of in-person conferences, supporting them at demo days, ordering merch 67 00:04:43.320 --> 00:04:47.280 from them, which is something that we like to do to represent our portfolio companies, 68 00:04:47.280 --> 00:04:52.400 talking with them through their business model, revamping their financial model, walking through 69 00:04:52.400 --> 00:04:56.520 go-to-market strategy or product launch strategy. 70 00:04:56.520 --> 00:04:59.680 It really ranges from all of these different things. 71 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:03.480 a personal aspect all the way to the business aspect, since 72 00:05:03.480 --> 00:05:06.160 this is a long term relationship. I'd say the third 73 00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:08.240 thing is fundraising, which is actually something that fearless 74 00:05:08.240 --> 00:05:11.520 fund is going through right now. So just, you know, similar to 75 00:05:11.520 --> 00:05:14.800 you all have having a fundraising process, fearless, 76 00:05:14.840 --> 00:05:19.240 and other funds and firms also have to fundraise. And they do 77 00:05:19.240 --> 00:05:21.880 so in a way it's very interesting, actually, they do 78 00:05:21.880 --> 00:05:26.120 so in a way that we're actively fundraising as we're deploying 79 00:05:26.120 --> 00:05:28.720 capital. So even though we are investing in companies, we're 80 00:05:28.720 --> 00:05:31.600 still working to hold a first and second close and third 81 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:35.640 close. For our funds, you don't raise like the entire you see 82 00:05:35.640 --> 00:05:38.640 like a $300 million fund, you don't raise that all in one 83 00:05:38.640 --> 00:05:42.040 book, you have once again, the first close the second close the 84 00:05:42.040 --> 00:05:46.600 third close, even if you have some actual commits. During 85 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:49.080 these, you know, individual closes, you have these actual 86 00:05:49.080 --> 00:05:52.320 calls that happen a year or two years later down the line to 87 00:05:52.320 --> 00:05:55.680 where you're actually getting the capital, you know, for that 88 00:05:55.680 --> 00:05:58.840 fund. So that is a product, you know, process in itself in the 89 00:05:58.840 --> 00:06:02.200 same way that you all have to pitch to us, we have to pitch 90 00:06:02.200 --> 00:06:05.600 to these LPs about, you know, the sector that we're focusing 91 00:06:05.600 --> 00:06:09.160 on the founders that we'll be working with, from a capital 92 00:06:09.160 --> 00:06:12.600 efficiency perspective, how fast or how quickly we're looking to 93 00:06:12.840 --> 00:06:16.280 allocate this capital, what does it look like from an initial to, 94 00:06:16.320 --> 00:06:18.760 you know, a follow on perspective, and so on and so 95 00:06:18.760 --> 00:06:21.080 forth. And then I would say the last thing is really just 96 00:06:21.080 --> 00:06:24.440 networking with other investors, LPs, and, you know, accelerators 97 00:06:24.440 --> 00:06:27.320 and incubators and more. And I think this is really important, 98 00:06:27.480 --> 00:06:31.240 just because we're always trying to find ways to increase our 99 00:06:31.240 --> 00:06:34.000 deal flow inbound deal deal flow, that is, and that's 100 00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:38.040 something that we'll talk about later down in this presentation. 101 00:06:38.040 --> 00:06:41.680 And so, as you can see, the life of an investor is pretty 102 00:06:41.680 --> 00:06:46.800 multifaceted. It requires a lot of different things. And once 103 00:06:46.800 --> 00:06:51.000 again, as an investor, you really have to figure out ways 104 00:06:51.000 --> 00:06:54.120 to prioritize what takes up your time, what takes up your 105 00:06:54.120 --> 00:06:59.000 capacity. And for you, for you as a founder, I think what this 106 00:06:59.000 --> 00:07:01.640 means is you really have to be strategic about how you're 107 00:07:01.640 --> 00:07:04.440 connecting with investors. Obviously, there are only so 108 00:07:04.440 --> 00:07:07.160 many investors in the United States and in the world alone. 109 00:07:07.200 --> 00:07:10.720 And there are a lot of founders that are building new businesses 110 00:07:10.800 --> 00:07:13.680 coming out with new and exciting technologies and new and 111 00:07:13.680 --> 00:07:16.960 emerging markets. And so really just figuring out a way to stand 112 00:07:16.960 --> 00:07:20.760 out is important from the get go. Because oftentimes, a lot of 113 00:07:20.760 --> 00:07:24.240 things get get lost in, you know, the inbox, they get lost 114 00:07:24.240 --> 00:07:26.520 on LinkedIn, they get lost in, you know, the mentions on 115 00:07:26.520 --> 00:07:29.480 Twitter, and so on and so forth. And so really just figuring out 116 00:07:29.480 --> 00:07:32.600 a way to stand out from the jump is important. So just thinking 117 00:07:32.600 --> 00:07:36.160 about like, ways that you can do that utilizing different 118 00:07:36.160 --> 00:07:38.520 communication platforms and channels that have been 119 00:07:38.680 --> 00:07:42.080 historically overlooked. I think now we're starting to see that, 120 00:07:42.080 --> 00:07:45.280 you know, venture as a whole is becoming more of this true like, 121 00:07:45.480 --> 00:07:51.160 relationship, sort of leveraged, I guess, like market or just 122 00:07:51.160 --> 00:07:54.960 profession. And so I mean, you really aren't starting to see 123 00:07:54.960 --> 00:07:57.680 the typical, like, hey, I'm emailing you or co emailing you 124 00:07:57.680 --> 00:08:00.480 all the time, you'll see a Twitter DM, or I've gotten 125 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:03.240 Instagram DMS, or obviously LinkedIn DMS. And then 126 00:08:03.240 --> 00:08:05.440 obviously, meeting people in person or asking for warm 127 00:08:05.440 --> 00:08:08.960 introductions is extremely important. And then I would say 128 00:08:08.960 --> 00:08:12.280 the last is true point, and this is more general, but really just 129 00:08:13.200 --> 00:08:16.840 being comfortable with being uncomfortable. I think that's, 130 00:08:16.880 --> 00:08:19.680 you know, very cliche, but it's really important, especially 131 00:08:19.680 --> 00:08:22.760 when it comes to cold outreach. Because if you're not able to 132 00:08:22.760 --> 00:08:25.080 get out that comfort zone, then I don't think you're able to 133 00:08:25.080 --> 00:08:29.080 properly, you know, talk about like, what the exciting thing 134 00:08:29.080 --> 00:08:31.960 that you're doing is, or, you know, depict that in a way that 135 00:08:32.200 --> 00:08:36.280 will really grab an investor's attention. So the first way that 136 00:08:36.280 --> 00:08:39.440 I think, you know, we can really do that you as a founder can 137 00:08:39.440 --> 00:08:42.640 really do that is really be active on Twitter. I would say 138 00:08:42.640 --> 00:08:46.400 that Twitter is arguably the most useful, if not just one of 139 00:08:46.400 --> 00:08:50.240 the most useful platforms for one building a brand, but to 140 00:08:50.240 --> 00:08:53.320 also building your network. And so some of the founders that 141 00:08:53.320 --> 00:08:56.680 I've seen utilize Twitter, the best are ones that are 142 00:08:56.680 --> 00:08:59.840 consistently tweeting about what they do, consistently tweeting 143 00:08:59.840 --> 00:09:02.120 about what their business is, whether that's new metrics, 144 00:09:02.120 --> 00:09:05.120 whether that is just, you know, signing new customers or 145 00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:08.880 bringing on a new potential partnership, or just once again, 146 00:09:09.080 --> 00:09:12.040 tweeting about the day of the day in the life of a founder, I 147 00:09:12.040 --> 00:09:15.080 think those are always interesting things. And just 148 00:09:15.080 --> 00:09:18.000 because you are a founder, you obviously have an association 149 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:20.640 or attachment to another founder, which investors really 150 00:09:20.640 --> 00:09:22.560 care about, they're always looking for that direct 151 00:09:22.680 --> 00:09:25.760 connection or association. And I think being on Twitter is sort 152 00:09:25.760 --> 00:09:29.360 of low hanging fruit. From that perspective, just listing some 153 00:09:29.360 --> 00:09:32.800 of the pros of being on Twitter. Once again, there are a ton of 154 00:09:32.800 --> 00:09:35.240 investors that check their Twitter every day, myself 155 00:09:35.240 --> 00:09:37.600 included is probably the first thing that that I do in the 156 00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:40.560 morning. And probably the last thing that I do before I go to 157 00:09:40.560 --> 00:09:43.880 bed. Secondly, there's an opportunity to connect with 158 00:09:43.880 --> 00:09:48.040 founders and other potential customers. We've seen once 159 00:09:48.040 --> 00:09:52.560 again, Twitter be used as a as a tool and platform to, you know, 160 00:09:52.560 --> 00:09:56.000 find a co founder, as well as, you know, land potential 161 00:09:56.000 --> 00:09:59.520 customers. There are some some really prominent VCs that I've 162 00:09:59.520 --> 00:09:59.920 actually 163 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:02.080 who did at the end of this deck, 164 00:10:02.080 --> 00:10:06.120 that have gone above and beyond to essentially tweet, 165 00:10:06.120 --> 00:10:08.560 like, this is like a founder sort of roll call, 166 00:10:08.560 --> 00:10:11.040 this is an investor roll call. 167 00:10:11.040 --> 00:10:13.240 Like, let's go ahead and list your name, 168 00:10:13.240 --> 00:10:15.900 list your location, list your sector focus, 169 00:10:15.900 --> 00:10:17.480 list what your business does, 170 00:10:17.480 --> 00:10:19.180 and we'll try to find you customers, 171 00:10:19.180 --> 00:10:21.000 or we'll try to find you investors. 172 00:10:21.000 --> 00:10:22.980 Those little efforts have gone so far, 173 00:10:22.980 --> 00:10:25.960 and there are obviously other efforts that investors, 174 00:10:25.960 --> 00:10:28.640 you know, continue to do and provide 175 00:10:28.640 --> 00:10:31.520 that sort of, like, mimic, or excuse me, 176 00:10:31.520 --> 00:10:34.080 mimic, like, similar benefits for founders. 177 00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:35.920 But I think, like, those little things, 178 00:10:35.920 --> 00:10:37.840 once again, they're really low-hanging fruit. 179 00:10:37.840 --> 00:10:40.680 And I know that I personally have reached out to founders 180 00:10:40.680 --> 00:10:42.160 who have responded to those threats. 181 00:10:42.160 --> 00:10:44.440 It's really low-hanging fruit for us. 182 00:10:44.440 --> 00:10:45.880 And I think, like, in the same way 183 00:10:45.880 --> 00:10:47.720 that you all are trying to, you know, 184 00:10:47.720 --> 00:10:50.160 find other, once again, investors, 185 00:10:50.160 --> 00:10:52.140 other founders, other customers, 186 00:10:52.140 --> 00:10:53.920 we are also trying to do the same thing. 187 00:10:53.920 --> 00:10:57.560 And so we utilize Twitter similarly to how you utilize 188 00:10:57.560 --> 00:10:58.400 Twitter. 189 00:10:58.400 --> 00:11:00.640 I would say the second, or excuse me, last opportunity 190 00:11:00.640 --> 00:11:02.240 is there's an abundance of opportunity 191 00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:04.160 to gain feedback on your pitch 192 00:11:04.160 --> 00:11:06.300 and anything else you may be thinking through. 193 00:11:06.300 --> 00:11:08.040 And I think this kind of really goes back 194 00:11:08.040 --> 00:11:10.400 to the point of, you know, 195 00:11:10.400 --> 00:11:13.060 getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. 196 00:11:13.060 --> 00:11:17.000 For me as a founder, it was always super hard 197 00:11:17.000 --> 00:11:20.760 to just take 100% constructive criticism. 198 00:11:20.760 --> 00:11:24.280 And I think as a human, it's always really hard to do that. 199 00:11:24.280 --> 00:11:26.320 But I think what we're starting to see now 200 00:11:26.320 --> 00:11:30.480 is just that, you know, effort become more normalized. 201 00:11:30.480 --> 00:11:32.480 And so, you know, once again, 202 00:11:32.480 --> 00:11:34.560 some of these VCs that we really work closely with 203 00:11:34.560 --> 00:11:36.720 and that are super aligned with us, 204 00:11:36.720 --> 00:11:39.320 they're creating like Twitter spaces and voice rooms 205 00:11:39.320 --> 00:11:42.940 to think every Tuesday or every Wednesday 206 00:11:42.940 --> 00:11:47.140 to provide founders with a platform to pitch, 207 00:11:47.140 --> 00:11:48.620 have a 30 second or a minute pitch 208 00:11:48.620 --> 00:11:51.040 and get feedback from their community 209 00:11:51.040 --> 00:11:52.720 or have investors ask questions 210 00:11:52.720 --> 00:11:54.840 or have other founders ask questions. 211 00:11:54.840 --> 00:11:57.440 I think those are always valuable ways 212 00:11:57.440 --> 00:11:58.440 for you to get feedback. 213 00:11:58.440 --> 00:12:00.120 They're always valuable ways for you to, once again, 214 00:12:00.120 --> 00:12:02.240 just, you know, introduce yourself to other investors 215 00:12:02.240 --> 00:12:03.840 and founders within the network. 216 00:12:03.840 --> 00:12:07.360 And then, you know, possibly gain a warm introduction 217 00:12:07.360 --> 00:12:10.400 to an investor that's really interested in your idea. 218 00:12:10.400 --> 00:12:13.480 So once again, this is the really, you know, 219 00:12:13.480 --> 00:12:16.520 I would say one of the most arguably used platforms 220 00:12:17.920 --> 00:12:20.280 that has been of benefit to us as investors, 221 00:12:20.280 --> 00:12:23.640 but also can be as a benefit to you as a founder, Twitter. 222 00:12:23.640 --> 00:12:26.320 I'll pause there for any questions. 223 00:12:28.200 --> 00:12:31.000 Let me check the private chat. 224 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:37.040 I think we are good, so I'll go ahead and continue. 225 00:12:37.040 --> 00:12:38.720 I would say the second thing to, you know, 226 00:12:38.720 --> 00:12:40.120 really get discovered by investors 227 00:12:40.120 --> 00:12:42.400 is applying to pitch competitions, 228 00:12:42.400 --> 00:12:45.840 accelerators, grant programs, so on and so forth. 229 00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:48.120 I think all of these, you know, once again, 230 00:12:48.120 --> 00:12:49.960 different channels, different opportunities 231 00:12:49.960 --> 00:12:53.620 for you as a founder, it's obviously great. 232 00:12:54.600 --> 00:12:56.220 I think in multi, you know, sort of multiple aspects, 233 00:12:56.220 --> 00:13:00.060 one gives you an opportunity to get possibly like 234 00:13:00.060 --> 00:13:01.900 non-dilutive funding for your business, 235 00:13:01.900 --> 00:13:04.940 which is the number one way, you know, 236 00:13:04.940 --> 00:13:08.220 to go and leverage before you sort of look to scale 237 00:13:08.220 --> 00:13:11.580 through venture funding, but also as an investor, 238 00:13:11.580 --> 00:13:14.060 sort of thinking about the other side of the table, 239 00:13:14.060 --> 00:13:17.940 we are literally trying to attend any pitch competition 240 00:13:17.940 --> 00:13:19.500 that we can come across. 241 00:13:19.500 --> 00:13:21.540 We are checking these pitch competitions, 242 00:13:21.540 --> 00:13:24.600 these accelerators, these incubators, 243 00:13:24.600 --> 00:13:27.600 especially the pre-seed and seed ones, which are, you know, 244 00:13:27.600 --> 00:13:30.380 where we see the most underrepresented founders, 245 00:13:30.380 --> 00:13:31.800 we're checking them on a weekly basis, 246 00:13:31.800 --> 00:13:34.060 on a bi-weekly basis, on a monthly basis. 247 00:13:34.060 --> 00:13:36.900 I personally have this carved out in my calendar 248 00:13:38.420 --> 00:13:41.940 to check these specific, you know, incubators, accelerators, 249 00:13:41.940 --> 00:13:44.260 and some of them have structured themselves in a way 250 00:13:44.260 --> 00:13:47.780 to where it's really beneficial for the founder. 251 00:13:47.780 --> 00:13:51.300 Visible Hands is one accelerator and VC fund 252 00:13:52.060 --> 00:13:54.700 that we have started, begin to work more closely with. 253 00:13:54.700 --> 00:13:58.180 They are working with founders at a super early stage, 254 00:13:58.180 --> 00:14:00.020 whether it's like idea validation, 255 00:14:00.020 --> 00:14:02.820 or you have some initial signs of traction, 256 00:14:02.820 --> 00:14:04.220 whatever the case may be, 257 00:14:04.220 --> 00:14:07.260 they offer 25,000 as an initial investment, 258 00:14:07.260 --> 00:14:09.100 and then you have an opportunity 259 00:14:09.100 --> 00:14:11.020 to go through their accelerator 260 00:14:11.020 --> 00:14:15.420 with the chance of getting up to 175K in funding. 261 00:14:15.420 --> 00:14:18.260 This is not non-dilutive though, I will point that out, 262 00:14:18.260 --> 00:14:20.500 but I think what's unique about them is 263 00:14:20.500 --> 00:14:22.020 they're essentially positioning themselves 264 00:14:22.020 --> 00:14:24.380 as an accelerator, but also a VC fund, 265 00:14:24.380 --> 00:14:27.180 and providing an opportunity for founders 266 00:14:27.180 --> 00:14:28.820 to sort of have this experience, 267 00:14:28.820 --> 00:14:32.220 even if they are not full-time 268 00:14:32.220 --> 00:14:34.900 on, you know, their venture or business. 269 00:14:34.900 --> 00:14:37.940 So if you're working a nine to five or something else, 270 00:14:37.940 --> 00:14:40.620 which we see a lot of founders do at this point, 271 00:14:40.620 --> 00:14:42.300 especially the pre-C stage, 272 00:14:42.300 --> 00:14:45.020 I would recommend an opportunity like that. 273 00:14:45.020 --> 00:14:46.620 And then thinking about, once again, 274 00:14:46.620 --> 00:14:49.340 we like to find these companies and founders 275 00:14:49.340 --> 00:14:50.900 at a super early stage, 276 00:14:50.900 --> 00:14:52.460 especially, you know, a company like Fearless 277 00:14:52.460 --> 00:14:53.900 that has a seed focus. 278 00:14:53.900 --> 00:14:55.540 We're often doing a lot of our scouting, 279 00:14:55.540 --> 00:14:57.380 a lot of our sourcing and prospecting 280 00:14:57.380 --> 00:14:58.860 at the pre-C stage. 281 00:14:58.860 --> 00:15:00.260 We can, well, we can begin. 282 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:02.560 in to formulate these conversations, 283 00:15:02.560 --> 00:15:04.280 sort of be able to track your progress 284 00:15:04.280 --> 00:15:05.880 and developments over time, 285 00:15:05.880 --> 00:15:07.760 and then possibly be your lead investor 286 00:15:07.760 --> 00:15:10.160 when you think about having that T-stage. 287 00:15:10.160 --> 00:15:11.440 So just thinking about, once again, 288 00:15:11.440 --> 00:15:14.640 pitch competitions, accelerators, grant programs, 289 00:15:14.640 --> 00:15:17.080 you know, these are all a benefit. 290 00:15:17.080 --> 00:15:20.560 Grant programs, I think, are another sort of benefit 291 00:15:20.560 --> 00:15:23.380 for founders, and really trying to apply 292 00:15:23.380 --> 00:15:24.960 to as many grant programs as possible, 293 00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:26.820 I think, is really important. 294 00:15:26.820 --> 00:15:29.760 One, it's another source of non-dilutive funding, 295 00:15:29.760 --> 00:15:32.340 but two, usually, a lot of these grant applications 296 00:15:32.340 --> 00:15:35.420 and their programs are being reviewed by investors. 297 00:15:35.420 --> 00:15:37.720 I know that's the case with a lot. 298 00:15:37.720 --> 00:15:40.740 I will not say which ones, but it is the case with a lot, 299 00:15:40.740 --> 00:15:42.220 and I think, like, you know, 300 00:15:42.220 --> 00:15:43.980 just finding a way to stand out in those, 301 00:15:43.980 --> 00:15:45.020 whether it's through your messaging, 302 00:15:45.020 --> 00:15:46.500 whether it's through, you know, a pitch deck, 303 00:15:46.500 --> 00:15:48.900 if you have one, will be really important, 304 00:15:48.900 --> 00:15:50.900 because, once again, if it's being reviewed 305 00:15:50.900 --> 00:15:53.380 by an investor that may have a specific focus, 306 00:15:53.380 --> 00:15:56.300 or even if it's just an investor in general 307 00:15:56.300 --> 00:15:57.980 that may not have a focus that, 308 00:15:57.980 --> 00:16:01.000 or may have a focus that you're not currently operating in, 309 00:16:01.000 --> 00:16:03.600 they're able to relay that information, you know, 310 00:16:03.600 --> 00:16:04.440 through a different channel 311 00:16:04.440 --> 00:16:05.720 or connect you to another investor. 312 00:16:05.720 --> 00:16:09.120 And so, really thinking about utilizing these, 313 00:16:09.120 --> 00:16:12.760 not just for capital, but really finding ways to, you know, 314 00:16:12.760 --> 00:16:14.720 go above and beyond, whether it's connecting 315 00:16:14.720 --> 00:16:16.500 with a program director, 316 00:16:16.500 --> 00:16:19.040 whether it's asking the right questions, 317 00:16:19.040 --> 00:16:20.240 whether it's about, you know, 318 00:16:20.240 --> 00:16:22.560 attending every meeting or session 319 00:16:22.560 --> 00:16:25.840 in these accelerated programs or in these grant programs, 320 00:16:25.840 --> 00:16:30.140 I think these are easy ways to start to get on the radar, 321 00:16:30.140 --> 00:16:31.780 or at least make progress 322 00:16:31.780 --> 00:16:34.140 on getting on the radar of investors, 323 00:16:34.140 --> 00:16:35.060 because, just like myself, 324 00:16:35.060 --> 00:16:38.660 I'm obviously wanting to sort of provide value 325 00:16:38.660 --> 00:16:40.980 in this type of environment, 326 00:16:40.980 --> 00:16:43.060 and I'm always looking for ways to connect with founders 327 00:16:43.060 --> 00:16:45.820 that, you know, fit our investment criteria. 328 00:16:45.820 --> 00:16:48.020 So, this is the second big point for us, 329 00:16:48.020 --> 00:16:49.300 applying to pitch competitions, 330 00:16:49.300 --> 00:16:50.900 accelerators, and grant programs. 331 00:16:50.900 --> 00:16:52.620 It's not just capital. 332 00:16:52.620 --> 00:16:55.480 It's often a lot more in the form of relationships. 333 00:16:56.180 --> 00:16:59.580 We'll pause there as I transition the slides. 334 00:16:59.580 --> 00:17:02.760 If you have any questions, definitely feel free to chime in. 335 00:17:06.700 --> 00:17:09.579 Perfect, I think we're good right now. 336 00:17:09.579 --> 00:17:11.900 We'll say the third, you know, 337 00:17:11.900 --> 00:17:13.220 thing that I've sort of thought about, 338 00:17:13.220 --> 00:17:15.220 and this is one of the really underrated ones, 339 00:17:15.220 --> 00:17:18.460 and I would sort of consider this more scrappy, 340 00:17:18.460 --> 00:17:20.859 but really just connecting with founders of, you know, 341 00:17:20.859 --> 00:17:25.220 a VC fund or firm, their portfolio. 342 00:17:25.960 --> 00:17:28.400 So, if you narrow down your list to a specific investor 343 00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:31.760 or firm or, you know, group of investors or firms, 344 00:17:31.760 --> 00:17:33.360 or even really just the company, 345 00:17:33.360 --> 00:17:34.960 but we'll start on the firm side, 346 00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:37.320 find and connect with founders 347 00:17:37.320 --> 00:17:38.720 of their portfolio companies. 348 00:17:38.720 --> 00:17:40.280 This can be through LinkedIn. 349 00:17:40.280 --> 00:17:41.440 This can be through Twitter. 350 00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:43.840 It can be through IG, any way that you see fit. 351 00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:47.680 I think this is really important for multiple reasons. 352 00:17:47.680 --> 00:17:49.960 One, it allows you to understand 353 00:17:49.960 --> 00:17:52.320 their investment and diligence process. 354 00:17:52.320 --> 00:17:54.280 I know that you all may have had 355 00:17:54.300 --> 00:17:56.180 a couple of previous talks 356 00:17:56.180 --> 00:17:58.820 about what to include in the pitch deck, 357 00:17:58.820 --> 00:18:00.940 about what to, you know, just venture one-on-one 358 00:18:00.940 --> 00:18:03.740 as a whole, understanding terms and stuff like that. 359 00:18:03.740 --> 00:18:07.420 I think, you know, sort of aligned with that type of like, 360 00:18:07.420 --> 00:18:09.540 I guess just knowledge and value, 361 00:18:09.540 --> 00:18:12.720 you'll find a lot of just knowledge and understanding, 362 00:18:12.720 --> 00:18:14.940 or value of understanding and speaking 363 00:18:14.940 --> 00:18:17.160 and having conversations with the founders 364 00:18:17.160 --> 00:18:21.620 of these, you know, portfolio, of these venture portfolios. 365 00:18:21.620 --> 00:18:22.880 And that's mostly because they've gone 366 00:18:22.900 --> 00:18:24.420 through this process before. 367 00:18:24.420 --> 00:18:26.360 They've gone through the investment and diligence process. 368 00:18:26.360 --> 00:18:29.500 They've been asked, you know, this blueprint of questions. 369 00:18:29.500 --> 00:18:30.740 They've catered their pitch deck 370 00:18:30.740 --> 00:18:32.860 to the liking of this certain investor. 371 00:18:32.860 --> 00:18:35.700 And I think like, one, it becomes increasingly handy 372 00:18:35.700 --> 00:18:37.700 when they then turn around and start 373 00:18:37.700 --> 00:18:40.340 to uplift other founders in the same way 374 00:18:40.340 --> 00:18:43.240 that they were, you know, sort of experienced this process. 375 00:18:43.240 --> 00:18:45.520 I think two, it obviously allows you to gain insight 376 00:18:45.520 --> 00:18:48.000 into, you know, which investor at the firm 377 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:50.240 is most appropriate to connect with. 378 00:18:50.240 --> 00:18:52.120 I think oftentimes what we see is, 379 00:18:52.140 --> 00:18:55.220 and this is less representative with smaller funds, 380 00:18:55.220 --> 00:18:56.940 but more representative with larger funds. 381 00:18:56.940 --> 00:19:01.140 But oftentimes we see like, oh, we have this, you know, 382 00:19:01.140 --> 00:19:02.780 this specific fund or firm 383 00:19:02.780 --> 00:19:04.600 that we're interested in chatting with. 384 00:19:04.600 --> 00:19:09.120 Can you help us get connected with just that fund or firm? 385 00:19:09.120 --> 00:19:10.800 But there are like 20 different partners. 386 00:19:10.800 --> 00:19:12.100 There are 20 different associates. 387 00:19:12.100 --> 00:19:14.300 And I think what's important to think about 388 00:19:14.300 --> 00:19:15.960 is especially at the larger firms, 389 00:19:15.960 --> 00:19:18.020 these different partners, these different principals, 390 00:19:18.020 --> 00:19:21.080 associates and analysts have their own specialties. 391 00:19:21.080 --> 00:19:23.140 And I think like, you know, just once again, 392 00:19:23.140 --> 00:19:26.480 being super strategic about, you know, 393 00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:29.580 who you're connecting with can obviously be very beneficial. 394 00:19:29.580 --> 00:19:31.620 So if you're looking at, you know, 395 00:19:31.620 --> 00:19:34.240 a technology or software focused firm, 396 00:19:34.240 --> 00:19:35.880 and you know that you're operating 397 00:19:35.880 --> 00:19:39.240 in a consumer, you know, technology sector, 398 00:19:39.240 --> 00:19:40.780 you're not gonna reach out to the FinTech guy. 399 00:19:40.780 --> 00:19:42.520 You're not gonna reach out to the, you know, 400 00:19:42.520 --> 00:19:43.740 healthcare or med tech guy, 401 00:19:43.740 --> 00:19:46.900 or you're not gonna reach out to the CPG person. 402 00:19:46.900 --> 00:19:49.520 And so just once again, being super strategic about that 403 00:19:49.540 --> 00:19:51.820 is obviously very important. 404 00:19:51.820 --> 00:19:54.660 I think usually founders tend to connect other founders 405 00:19:54.660 --> 00:19:58.460 with the person that they've had the best experience with, 406 00:19:58.460 --> 00:20:00.460 and the person that, you know, outside. 407 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:03.360 of capital feels like they add the most, you know, valuable 408 00:20:03.360 --> 00:20:06.800 feedback, or just most value, whether that's connecting another 409 00:20:06.800 --> 00:20:10.400 founder to another VC, or whatever the case may be, 410 00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:14.560 usually, these are great ways to get, you know, sort of in the 411 00:20:14.560 --> 00:20:17.840 door with these VC funds. And then obviously, even if it's not 412 00:20:17.840 --> 00:20:21.240 just a situation where, you know, I'm reaching out to a 413 00:20:21.240 --> 00:20:24.120 founder at this specific portfolio company, just to get 414 00:20:24.120 --> 00:20:29.800 an intro, you know, to this specific investor, have like be 415 00:20:29.800 --> 00:20:33.560 be intentional about building a relationship over time. I think 416 00:20:33.720 --> 00:20:38.120 the best calls that I have had with founders, you know, that 417 00:20:38.120 --> 00:20:40.920 we've chatted with have been ones that have not revolved 418 00:20:40.920 --> 00:20:43.040 around funding, they've just been like, Oh, you're not 419 00:20:43.040 --> 00:20:45.880 raising, okay, let's just have a conversation. Those have been 420 00:20:45.880 --> 00:20:48.360 the calls that are supposed to be 30 minutes, but they've been, 421 00:20:48.400 --> 00:20:52.320 you know, 45 minutes or an hour. And they've been just a lot more 422 00:20:52.320 --> 00:20:55.560 intentional, a lot more genuine. And I think like, once again, 423 00:20:55.560 --> 00:20:58.920 if venture, the venture landscape as a whole has 424 00:20:59.160 --> 00:21:03.960 historically been inhumane, I think a lot of, you know, firms 425 00:21:03.960 --> 00:21:07.560 and funds that, you know, have a focus like fearless or a focus 426 00:21:07.560 --> 00:21:11.000 like precursor or Harlem Capital, we, you know, we just 427 00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:13.080 maintain the humanity in our relationships, we don't try to 428 00:21:13.080 --> 00:21:16.040 do anything differently than how we live outside of, you know, 429 00:21:16.040 --> 00:21:19.880 our professional jobs. But that's just how the landscape 430 00:21:19.880 --> 00:21:22.760 has been historically. And so if you're able to be super 431 00:21:22.760 --> 00:21:25.120 intentional about building a relationship, building a candid 432 00:21:25.120 --> 00:21:27.720 relationship, whether that be through feedback, whether that 433 00:21:27.720 --> 00:21:31.120 be through, you know, complimenting this person, or 434 00:21:31.120 --> 00:21:33.760 complimenting this company on their product, and say, like, 435 00:21:33.760 --> 00:21:37.520 Hey, I saw you did this, how did you like, what was the sort of 436 00:21:37.520 --> 00:21:39.840 breakdown? Or what was the strategy behind this? What were 437 00:21:39.840 --> 00:21:43.160 you thinking? What did this look like? Who's the best co packer 438 00:21:43.160 --> 00:21:46.800 to work with, like, you know, those are just, you know, just, 439 00:21:47.000 --> 00:21:49.280 I guess, a variation of ways that you can be intentional 440 00:21:49.280 --> 00:21:52.600 about building a relationship. And I think that, you know, 441 00:21:52.600 --> 00:21:55.880 those have often led to just the best warm and shows that we've 442 00:21:55.880 --> 00:21:59.440 received. And, you know, we've gotten some through, you know, 443 00:21:59.440 --> 00:22:02.720 portfolio founders that we really admire and respect. And I 444 00:22:02.720 --> 00:22:05.720 think, once again, I'm pretty sure there are some stats on 445 00:22:05.720 --> 00:22:10.680 this by tech stars, but the majority of deals that are being 446 00:22:10.680 --> 00:22:15.680 done, are often being done through a warm intro, which, you 447 00:22:16.040 --> 00:22:19.640 know, is really tough for a lot of people. But it's just the 448 00:22:19.640 --> 00:22:22.760 nature of the game. And so there are some other funds that don't 449 00:22:22.760 --> 00:22:26.040 accept warm intros at all overlooked found, overlooked VC 450 00:22:26.040 --> 00:22:30.240 is one, but the majority of funds, you know, do do 451 00:22:30.240 --> 00:22:33.240 appreciate warm intros, and a bulk of their deals come from 452 00:22:33.240 --> 00:22:37.200 those. And so just being super intentional about that being 453 00:22:37.200 --> 00:22:39.040 super intentional about connecting with the right 454 00:22:39.440 --> 00:22:42.920 portfolio, you know, company, I think can often lead you to a 455 00:22:42.920 --> 00:22:47.560 warm intro that is very greatly appreciated by the VC. We'll 456 00:22:47.560 --> 00:22:55.240 pause there for any questions. Okay, I think we're good. Um, 457 00:22:55.280 --> 00:22:58.320 yeah, and this is a fourth thing right here. So trying to attend 458 00:22:58.320 --> 00:23:04.520 in person conferences, I will say these conferences have been 459 00:23:04.520 --> 00:23:08.240 some of the most beneficial and just positive experiences of my 460 00:23:08.240 --> 00:23:12.280 life. I've been able to meet founders, I've been able to meet 461 00:23:12.280 --> 00:23:14.800 investors, I've been able to meet just like think partners, 462 00:23:14.800 --> 00:23:18.920 mentors, people that I now text, you know, if I have like a 463 00:23:18.920 --> 00:23:22.720 career decision that I'm like contemplating or something like 464 00:23:22.720 --> 00:23:28.160 that. And these are just a list. But once again, for a founder, I 465 00:23:28.160 --> 00:23:31.160 think these conferences are by far the best way to connect 466 00:23:31.160 --> 00:23:33.400 directly with an investor. I mean, they can't like just walk 467 00:23:33.400 --> 00:23:36.240 away from you. Hopefully, they're not doing that. You 468 00:23:36.240 --> 00:23:39.320 know, connecting directly with an investor or giving a chance 469 00:23:39.320 --> 00:23:41.760 to make a memorable first impression, whether that's 470 00:23:41.760 --> 00:23:44.760 through a pitch competition, whether that is through a, you 471 00:23:44.760 --> 00:23:47.480 know, just kind of like an introduction circle, or whether 472 00:23:47.480 --> 00:23:50.320 that's through you going up to that, you know, investor 473 00:23:50.320 --> 00:23:53.520 directly, I think these are often, you know, super 474 00:23:53.520 --> 00:23:56.560 underrated. Obviously, some of them are more on the expensive 475 00:23:56.560 --> 00:24:00.320 side. And I think there are great ways that you know, some 476 00:24:00.320 --> 00:24:05.360 funds or angels or any other people in the industry are sort 477 00:24:05.360 --> 00:24:08.120 of offering better opportunities for those from a financial 478 00:24:08.120 --> 00:24:11.320 perspective, or I would say sort of get them on your radar super 479 00:24:11.320 --> 00:24:14.800 early. Usually they have sort of like a discounted price or 480 00:24:14.800 --> 00:24:17.680 something like that. But here are just some of the examples 481 00:24:17.680 --> 00:24:21.280 South by Southwest was one that I attended for web three or 482 00:24:21.280 --> 00:24:26.040 crypto focused companies, NFT, LA, NFT, New York, NFT, I don't 483 00:24:26.040 --> 00:24:28.840 even know whatever other city those are obviously have, you 484 00:24:28.840 --> 00:24:30.680 know, those are obviously some great ones that have been super 485 00:24:30.680 --> 00:24:34.320 beneficial for creators and builders in the space. Art 486 00:24:34.320 --> 00:24:38.320 Basel is another sort of crypto focused one. Afro tech, I think 487 00:24:38.320 --> 00:24:41.520 is always great, especially for underrepresented founders, and 488 00:24:41.520 --> 00:24:44.280 founders of color specifically, because you'll see a lot of 489 00:24:44.280 --> 00:24:46.960 people and it's really encouraging. You'll start you'll 490 00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:50.600 see a lot of people that that just look like us. You know that 491 00:24:50.600 --> 00:24:53.600 you that you don't know or you don't think they exist in a 492 00:24:53.600 --> 00:24:56.080 landscape, but they do. There's so many investors that I met at 493 00:24:56.080 --> 00:24:59.240 South by Southwest. I was like, wow, like, where have you been? 494 00:24:59.280 --> 00:25:00.080 Like you're not on Twitter. 495 00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:04.560 you're not on LinkedIn, you're not in these super popular channels, but they do exist. 496 00:25:05.520 --> 00:25:11.520 And then this is a shameless plug, but Fearless Fund VC Summit in Atlanta, August, I want to say 497 00:25:11.520 --> 00:25:17.280 25th to 27th. That's another great opportunity to connect with some of our portfolio companies, 498 00:25:17.280 --> 00:25:22.080 to connect with other investors, to connect with some bigger corporations and really just 499 00:25:22.960 --> 00:25:28.080 seek value. So aside of the, once again, seeking value, going to some of these keynotes, 500 00:25:28.080 --> 00:25:34.400 these are great ways to meet these people in person. And I think oftentimes we sort of forget 501 00:25:34.400 --> 00:25:38.880 about how valuable these in-person interactions are. And I think those are the ones that stick 502 00:25:38.880 --> 00:25:43.120 the most. So if you're able to attend some of these in-person conferences and really meet some 503 00:25:43.120 --> 00:25:49.280 of these investors, obviously be able to have a face to the name and vice versa, then really do 504 00:25:49.280 --> 00:25:53.760 that and make the most of that first impression because they really go a long way, whether that's 505 00:25:53.760 --> 00:25:58.160 having a business card, having a mobile business card where it just scans or just getting the 506 00:25:58.160 --> 00:26:04.560 LinkedIn, just find ways to just stick and sort of hold real estate in that investor's mind. 507 00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:17.360 And then I will say the last aspect is really just being persistent. I will say sometimes 508 00:26:17.360 --> 00:26:20.960 from an investor, like don't be too persistent where it's like, I'm getting an email a day if 509 00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:26.240 I don't respond. But if you don't hear back a couple of days, definitely send another email. 510 00:26:27.680 --> 00:26:33.520 Oftentimes, once again, you saw the life of the investor, the fundraising, the networking with 511 00:26:33.520 --> 00:26:38.960 other investors, the LPs, the deal sourcing, writing memos, reading memos, so on and so forth. 512 00:26:39.600 --> 00:26:44.240 We have a lot on our plate, but don't get me wrong, it is an opportunity to work with a founder. 513 00:26:44.880 --> 00:26:50.320 And I think for most of us, we're doing the best that we can, but we do get a lot of inbound. We 514 00:26:50.320 --> 00:26:55.920 do get a lot of emails, we do get a lot of just messages across different platforms. And so if you 515 00:26:55.920 --> 00:27:00.960 don't hear back, just simply message us again. There are many times that I have not seen a 516 00:27:00.960 --> 00:27:06.560 message or I opened it at 3am on accident, and it just completely got lost in my inbox, 517 00:27:06.560 --> 00:27:12.240 or I was prioritizing other tasks. Or, you know, and this is something that, you know, 518 00:27:12.240 --> 00:27:16.800 people don't realize being super strategic. I took a look at an email that, you know, didn't really 519 00:27:16.800 --> 00:27:20.720 give a great description or didn't really have anything that stood out. There was no traction, 520 00:27:20.720 --> 00:27:26.800 there was, you know, this or that. It wasn't structured correctly. And so, you know, those 521 00:27:26.800 --> 00:27:32.800 are many reasons why an investor like myself or any other investor may not respond. But if a week 522 00:27:32.800 --> 00:27:37.200 goes by and you haven't heard from, you know, myself or any other investor, don't take it as a 523 00:27:37.200 --> 00:27:41.680 negative sign. I would say simply message them again until you're able to get their attention. 524 00:27:42.240 --> 00:27:47.120 There are some investors that simply will not respond. At Fearless, we try to respond to every 525 00:27:47.120 --> 00:27:52.560 single company. And this is something that, you know, just being super frank, everyone cannot do 526 00:27:52.560 --> 00:27:59.360 and not everyone cares to do. Hopefully, that trend is changing for the better. But I think, 527 00:27:59.360 --> 00:28:03.200 like, once again, it is an opportunity to work with the founder, there's an opportunity to be 528 00:28:03.200 --> 00:28:09.680 able to partner long term with the company. And so you should not be just afraid or uncomfortable 529 00:28:09.680 --> 00:28:15.600 to continuously message an investor, you know, multiple times if you don't hear back from them. 530 00:28:15.600 --> 00:28:20.400 The worst thing they can say is no. And I would say getting that no is better than, 531 00:28:20.400 --> 00:28:24.880 you know, not having anything or not having any closure at all. And so, you know, it's perfectly 532 00:28:24.880 --> 00:28:29.680 fine to send multiple messages. It's perfectly fine to, you know, send one email and then send 533 00:28:29.680 --> 00:28:34.320 a LinkedIn and then send a Twitter DM. I've gotten once again, I've gotten Instagram DMs as well. 534 00:28:34.960 --> 00:28:40.880 Um, you know, just try not to be like, too. Once again, like just too consistent. I shouldn't get 535 00:28:40.880 --> 00:28:45.760 all those messages within the span of an hour within the span of a day. But you do have to 536 00:28:45.760 --> 00:28:51.200 be creative. I think we've seen like, I've seen crazy things like Venmo requests. It's like, 537 00:28:52.160 --> 00:28:55.520 you know, can I have your two cents on this? I thought that was super creative. But those are 538 00:28:55.520 --> 00:29:02.000 like easy ways, once again, to just be super creative, diversify your communication, utilize 539 00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:08.080 different platforms for communication, and then really just find a way to stand out, you know, 540 00:29:08.080 --> 00:29:14.320 and this sort of sea of other founders. I think the fundraising process for founders is like sales, 541 00:29:14.880 --> 00:29:21.520 you are literally selling your vision, you are selling your, you know, just like mission, 542 00:29:21.520 --> 00:29:26.400 all the initiatives that you're trying to accomplish to this investor who has not, 543 00:29:26.400 --> 00:29:30.720 you know, they're looking for a company to invest in, but they haven't necessarily, 544 00:29:30.720 --> 00:29:35.440 you know, thought of your company yet. And so I think that you have to be super persistent, 545 00:29:35.440 --> 00:29:40.320 you have to be comfortable with like cold calling, or cold outbounding, or outbound emailing, 546 00:29:40.320 --> 00:29:45.200 whatever you want to call it. And then, you know, obviously, once again, it's kind of like a process 547 00:29:45.200 --> 00:29:49.360 from there, if they don't message the first time, or if they don't respond the first time, 548 00:29:49.360 --> 00:29:55.520 find another partner to contact, find another platform to leverage. You know, if they have a 549 00:29:55.520 --> 00:29:59.920 tweet that resonates with you respond directly to that tweet, they'll maybe remember the 550 00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:02.520 name and be like, Oh, I forgot to respond. That has happened so 551 00:30:02.520 --> 00:30:05.480 many times to myself, or just different investors that we work 552 00:30:05.480 --> 00:30:08.840 with. And I think oftentimes, you'll see, you know, an 553 00:30:08.840 --> 00:30:11.760 investor maybe being like, hey, this founder is like pretty 554 00:30:11.760 --> 00:30:14.120 interesting, or they're building a really great company. You 555 00:30:14.120 --> 00:30:16.120 know, like, they'll reach out to someone in their network, like, 556 00:30:16.120 --> 00:30:18.400 hey, can I get connected to them? And we'll get on a call. 557 00:30:18.400 --> 00:30:20.400 And it's like, hey, we already, you know, we reached out to you 558 00:30:20.400 --> 00:30:23.120 like a month ago. I'm like, okay, sorry. So just being super 559 00:30:23.120 --> 00:30:26.640 persistent. You know, just don't leave it to one form of 560 00:30:26.640 --> 00:30:30.000 communication, don't leave it to only one email, I think, you 561 00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:33.280 know, you'd be cutting yourself short if you're doing that. So 562 00:30:33.320 --> 00:30:38.120 once again, just be super persistent. And then lastly, 563 00:30:38.960 --> 00:30:42.240 was just including these investors to follow on Twitter, 564 00:30:42.240 --> 00:30:47.000 this, this list is not all encompassing or expansive. You 565 00:30:47.000 --> 00:30:50.280 know, when I was first getting started out with my journey in 566 00:30:50.280 --> 00:30:52.840 venture capital as a whole, these are the people that I 567 00:30:52.840 --> 00:30:56.920 really found the most value from. And I think like, they all 568 00:30:56.920 --> 00:31:01.200 do a great job of providing questions, answering questions 569 00:31:01.200 --> 00:31:04.720 from different people in the community, as well as once 570 00:31:04.720 --> 00:31:10.360 again, I mentioned Visible Hands VC, Daryl Frater is, I believe, 571 00:31:10.480 --> 00:31:13.520 an associate there, a senior associate there. You have a 572 00:31:13.520 --> 00:31:17.160 people, couple of people from Harlem Capital, they're just 573 00:31:17.160 --> 00:31:20.040 different people in the industry that are offering like pitch 574 00:31:20.080 --> 00:31:24.000 feedback. I think Daryl is one who hosts like the weekly pitch 575 00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:27.440 competitions for investors. Brandon right here, official B 576 00:31:27.440 --> 00:31:33.600 Brooks, he has also sat on some of those investor calls. Trying 577 00:31:33.600 --> 00:31:37.560 to go through the names here. Nicole de Tomaso, she works at 578 00:31:37.560 --> 00:31:40.000 Harlem Capital. She's a senior associate, she's literally 579 00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:43.640 posted, she's probably like the founder, like the guru from like 580 00:31:43.640 --> 00:31:45.920 the founder side of things. She's answering all these 581 00:31:45.920 --> 00:31:49.840 founder questions. She posts different career opportunities 582 00:31:49.840 --> 00:31:51.800 for people that are looking to get an adventure. She posts 583 00:31:51.800 --> 00:31:53.600 different investment opportunities for people that 584 00:31:53.600 --> 00:31:57.360 are looking to get funded. She answers questions about terms, 585 00:31:57.360 --> 00:32:00.800 she answers questions about diligence, why a founder may get 586 00:32:00.800 --> 00:32:04.320 passed on just different things. So I would highly encourage you 587 00:32:04.320 --> 00:32:07.000 to start, once again, building your network on Twitter, 588 00:32:07.000 --> 00:32:09.480 building your brand on Twitter, starting to follow these people, 589 00:32:09.680 --> 00:32:12.120 maybe interact with them a couple of times during the week, 590 00:32:12.280 --> 00:32:14.640 whether that's to a question, whether it's to a DM, whether 591 00:32:14.640 --> 00:32:17.720 it's liking their stuff, all that stuff really sticks to an 592 00:32:17.720 --> 00:32:22.600 investor. And I think like, once again, these investors are here, 593 00:32:22.640 --> 00:32:25.880 you know, they have this certain platform today, because of 594 00:32:25.880 --> 00:32:28.240 founders in the industry. And I think they do a really great job 595 00:32:28.240 --> 00:32:31.960 of being intentional about just, you know, adding value and not 596 00:32:31.960 --> 00:32:34.440 being, you know, just completely removed from the from the 597 00:32:34.440 --> 00:32:37.680 venture landscape as a whole. And so, you know, once again, 598 00:32:37.680 --> 00:32:40.720 interacting and finding a way to engage and stand out to some of 599 00:32:40.720 --> 00:32:43.920 these investors at a super early stage could really benefit you, 600 00:32:44.400 --> 00:32:47.320 you know, greatly, I think all these investors are also people 601 00:32:47.320 --> 00:32:50.320 that we've either co invested with, or they shared, or they 602 00:32:50.320 --> 00:32:54.600 shared deals with us. So definitely take a look at them. 603 00:32:55.040 --> 00:33:00.360 And I believe that that is it. So I will open the floor. I 604 00:33:00.360 --> 00:33:05.360 think we have 15 minutes, 10 to 15 minutes for questions. But I 605 00:33:05.360 --> 00:33:06.440 appreciate it. Thank you. 606 00:33:17.360 --> 00:33:21.200 Question 1, are there are there websites that lists grants and 607 00:33:21.200 --> 00:33:26.200 accelerators? That is a great question. There definitely are. 608 00:33:26.600 --> 00:33:31.640 And there are some Wikipedia websites that have some serials 609 00:33:31.640 --> 00:33:46.820 about it. And my ownership here is at the two that says,' 610 00:33:47.060 --> 00:33:50.820 some websites and once again, there are some VCs that also 611 00:33:50.820 --> 00:33:55.520 list these accelerators and grant programs. I will follow up 612 00:33:55.520 --> 00:33:58.700 with that I can follow up directly with Siobhan and she 613 00:33:58.700 --> 00:34:01.420 can share that, that resource with you. But I'll definitely 614 00:34:01.420 --> 00:34:04.300 scrape together some of the websites that we've utilized. 615 00:34:04.620 --> 00:34:08.420 And I think like also thinking about utilizing things like 616 00:34:08.420 --> 00:34:13.020 Crunchbase, you know, to look at like the earliest stages of 617 00:34:13.020 --> 00:34:16.100 funding for different companies and or founders, we've often 618 00:34:16.100 --> 00:34:20.500 utilized that. And I think, you know, that's one of the better 619 00:34:20.500 --> 00:34:23.780 tools in terms of like financial accessibility. I think PitchBook 620 00:34:23.780 --> 00:34:26.500 is probably the most effective, but it costs so much. So a lot 621 00:34:26.500 --> 00:34:29.060 of founders don't use it. And we as investors definitely don't 622 00:34:29.060 --> 00:34:31.739 spend our money on that as much. But utilizing something like 623 00:34:31.739 --> 00:34:35.699 Crunchbase, going to like funding history, and then seeing 624 00:34:35.699 --> 00:34:38.060 like the different especially for a company within your 625 00:34:38.060 --> 00:34:41.600 specific sector, seeing like the different, you can see an angel, 626 00:34:41.600 --> 00:34:45.500 you can see like a specific family office, firm or fund or 627 00:34:45.500 --> 00:34:48.940 accelerator grant program. And you can take it from there. 628 00:34:51.900 --> 00:34:55.020 Question number two, would you say it would you say it is 629 00:34:55.020 --> 00:34:58.820 better to be on Twitter as your business, or be on Twitter as 630 00:34:58.820 --> 00:35:00.100 yourself, but as a CEO? 631 00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:05.840 CEO, or founder of your business? That's a great question. I think that I mean, I would 632 00:35:05.840 --> 00:35:12.300 say having just a personal identity is easier to relate to as another human. But I think, 633 00:35:12.300 --> 00:35:17.180 I mean, it's kind of like a simultaneous effort. I think you definitely want your brand to 634 00:35:17.180 --> 00:35:22.220 have like an identity as well. You want to be able to, I guess, just like personalize 635 00:35:22.220 --> 00:35:28.300 your brand as a whole. So I would say definitely do both. If it's kind of like a one or nothing, 636 00:35:28.300 --> 00:35:31.740 I would say like be on Twitter as yourself. I think there's benefit in both. But once 637 00:35:31.740 --> 00:35:37.500 again, when you start to just interact with other founders, interact with potential customers, 638 00:35:37.500 --> 00:35:42.580 you want to sort of have a voice on like multiple platforms. And then I think as it relates 639 00:35:42.580 --> 00:35:46.380 to like advertising, especially with like consumer facing companies, you want to be 640 00:35:46.380 --> 00:35:50.500 able to do that directly through like a business account, I'd say, because there are a lot 641 00:35:50.500 --> 00:35:56.660 more and a lot better analytics. This is mostly on, I guess, like Facebook and Instagram. 642 00:35:56.660 --> 00:36:02.060 I know Twitter hasn't really been utilized as like an advertising platform yet. But on 643 00:36:02.060 --> 00:36:06.740 IG and Facebook, I think that having a business account is a lot better. On Twitter, being 644 00:36:06.740 --> 00:36:11.260 a CEO, like joining calls, I think it's a lot easier for people to just be like, oh, 645 00:36:11.260 --> 00:36:14.620 I, you know, I recognize who this person is. I see like what their business is. You can 646 00:36:14.620 --> 00:36:18.620 obviously have that in your bio. But for the sake of like remembering a name, it's going 647 00:36:18.620 --> 00:36:23.700 to be a lot easier for them to remember you as a person and then connect you to that business 648 00:36:23.700 --> 00:36:27.820 rather than like vice versa, seeing the business and be like, oh, this is a CEO and founder, 649 00:36:27.820 --> 00:36:32.100 you know, and their followers or something like that, or go on the website or something. 650 00:36:34.500 --> 00:36:38.260 Are there great Twitter accounts or hashtags that you would recommend? 651 00:36:42.260 --> 00:36:45.940 Hashtags? That's a great question. I'll have to think about that. Accounts, definitely 652 00:36:45.980 --> 00:36:53.500 all of the accounts that I like listed in the slide deck, those are great VC accounts. 653 00:36:55.180 --> 00:37:00.580 Some of the accounts that I guess outside of venture capital specifically, I will say 654 00:37:00.580 --> 00:37:06.380 that a lot of the topics on Twitter, I didn't include this in the slide deck, but a lot 655 00:37:06.380 --> 00:37:12.620 of the topics on Twitter are absolutely great. I use Twitter as like a newspaper, like I 656 00:37:12.620 --> 00:37:17.100 don't read the newspaper at all. I rarely read like articles. I rarely get on CNBC. I 657 00:37:17.100 --> 00:37:22.660 just get everything on Twitter. And so depending on like one, what business your sector is 658 00:37:22.660 --> 00:37:26.380 operating in, you can follow specific topics, whether that be fintech, whether it be 659 00:37:26.380 --> 00:37:31.140 cryptocurrency, whether it be, you know, any other topic at all, really. And those will 660 00:37:31.140 --> 00:37:36.620 serve as sort of a way for you to get like the most popular, I guess, like activity and 661 00:37:36.620 --> 00:37:42.140 or like news that's going on a specific area. In the same way that you do that, you can 662 00:37:42.140 --> 00:37:46.180 also follow like a specific keywords with if it's like startups, or if it's like 663 00:37:46.180 --> 00:37:49.980 accelerators or incubator, I'm not sure if accelerators, incubators are specific ones, but 664 00:37:49.980 --> 00:37:54.820 startups is definitely one. And you can kind of stay in the loop with what's going on in 665 00:37:54.820 --> 00:37:59.020 startup world, whether it be like the super popular, you know, grant programs or 666 00:37:59.020 --> 00:38:04.100 accelerators, or anything else. And then I would definitely recommend like, on top of 667 00:38:04.100 --> 00:38:09.580 following these specific investors, follow their follow the funds and or firms that 668 00:38:09.580 --> 00:38:15.980 they're working at, like they also have sort of this obligation and moral duty to be 669 00:38:15.980 --> 00:38:19.140 super active on Twitter as well, because they're trying to, in the same way that you're 670 00:38:19.140 --> 00:38:23.420 trying to find them, they're trying to find you. So they also post like their own blog 671 00:38:23.420 --> 00:38:29.460 post, excuse me, they also post their own blog posts, or they're also, you know, sort of 672 00:38:29.460 --> 00:38:32.860 like interact with just the community in a more of like a general capacity, whether that be 673 00:38:32.860 --> 00:38:38.660 through once again, holding Twitter spaces, and or engaging in conversations and or just 674 00:38:38.660 --> 00:38:44.020 adding input to any other like relevant situation, I think, you know, as a whole, like 675 00:38:44.060 --> 00:38:48.660 they have to be active on Twitter, just to sort of main like maintain their brand, 676 00:38:48.940 --> 00:38:57.980 reputation and identity. Question four, what is a small firm versus a large firm? That is a 677 00:38:57.980 --> 00:39:04.580 great question as well. I would say a small firm, like the way that we think about like 678 00:39:04.580 --> 00:39:12.100 small firms, or like micro firm, micro funds is technically like the I guess, like VC coin 679 00:39:12.100 --> 00:39:22.140 lingo, I will say is like, funds that are typically say typically, like, they have like 680 00:39:22.140 --> 00:39:27.820 less than like 15 million in assets under management. So their fund size is like 681 00:39:28.020 --> 00:39:32.620 anywhere from like 1 million to 15. That's that's considered like the smaller side of 682 00:39:32.620 --> 00:39:40.620 things. Usually, because the way that it works is like a fund has, you know, 2.5% and 683 00:39:40.620 --> 00:39:44.500 management fees every year that the fund is operating. And so if I have a 10 million $10 684 00:39:44.500 --> 00:39:51.300 million fund, and I'm taking 2.5% of management fees, that leaves me with 250,000 a year to like 685 00:39:51.300 --> 00:39:57.420 pay people or like pay legal and you know, other things. And so usually that can only be, you 686 00:39:57.420 --> 00:39:59.780 know, kind of split up by like one or two people at most. 687 00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:03.320 So usually that's when you start to see the smaller funds. 688 00:40:03.320 --> 00:40:06.720 I would say once you get closer to like 20, 25, 689 00:40:06.720 --> 00:40:10.200 it's technically can still be considered a smaller fund, 690 00:40:10.200 --> 00:40:12.760 but I think that, I guess like more correct lingo 691 00:40:12.760 --> 00:40:14.600 is just like a micro fund. 692 00:40:14.600 --> 00:40:17.600 You don't have like as big of a team. 693 00:40:17.600 --> 00:40:19.280 You aren't deploying, once again, 694 00:40:19.280 --> 00:40:21.640 like million dollar checks, like twice a month. 695 00:40:22.720 --> 00:40:24.500 You know, usually you're earlier, 696 00:40:24.500 --> 00:40:26.160 usually when you see like the smaller funds, 697 00:40:26.160 --> 00:40:28.920 like less than 30 million, they're earlier 698 00:40:28.960 --> 00:40:32.640 in their, I guess just like venture or firm career. 699 00:40:32.640 --> 00:40:34.640 So that's usually like their first or second fund 700 00:40:34.640 --> 00:40:37.160 and you'll scale upwards from there. 701 00:40:38.720 --> 00:40:42.500 And then once you get to upwards of 50, 702 00:40:42.500 --> 00:40:44.920 you know, closer to 100 and 200 and 300 703 00:40:44.920 --> 00:40:47.660 and you know, a billion potentially, 704 00:40:47.660 --> 00:40:49.720 those are like super large firms. 705 00:40:49.720 --> 00:40:52.560 So the Andreessen's of the world, 706 00:40:52.560 --> 00:40:55.440 the Harlem Capital is one now, they're a large firm. 707 00:40:55.440 --> 00:41:00.440 They have, I guess, hundreds of millions of dollars 708 00:41:00.480 --> 00:41:02.080 under management now. 709 00:41:02.080 --> 00:41:03.440 Insight Partners is another one. 710 00:41:03.440 --> 00:41:06.000 They raised, I believe a billion dollar fund 711 00:41:06.000 --> 00:41:07.760 three months ago and they're all raising 712 00:41:07.760 --> 00:41:09.920 another billion dollar fund this month. 713 00:41:11.640 --> 00:41:14.040 So those, I guess like that's kind of how I would think 714 00:41:14.040 --> 00:41:16.320 about small firms versus large firms. 715 00:41:17.160 --> 00:41:19.400 You know, just thinking about like assets under management 716 00:41:19.400 --> 00:41:23.680 and there's ways for you to find that information on Google 717 00:41:23.680 --> 00:41:25.880 or on the fund or firm's website. 718 00:41:25.880 --> 00:41:27.480 That's really important for you as a founder 719 00:41:27.480 --> 00:41:30.680 because oftentimes one of the reasons 720 00:41:30.680 --> 00:41:32.760 that a firm may not invest is just because 721 00:41:32.760 --> 00:41:34.960 they're doing or deploying, they're doing too many deals 722 00:41:34.960 --> 00:41:37.160 or deploying too much capital at one time. 723 00:41:37.160 --> 00:41:40.300 And so just being super strategic about that 724 00:41:40.300 --> 00:41:41.660 or if they're in between funds, 725 00:41:41.660 --> 00:41:43.200 it may be really hard for them to invest 726 00:41:43.200 --> 00:41:45.240 because they have to focus on the fundraising 727 00:41:45.240 --> 00:41:46.120 side of things. 728 00:41:47.840 --> 00:41:51.200 Is there any hope for non-tech companies in VC? 729 00:41:51.200 --> 00:41:52.440 Yes, I would definitely say so. 730 00:41:52.440 --> 00:41:57.440 There are a lot of great companies and great funds 731 00:41:58.320 --> 00:42:01.600 and firms that are investing only in CPG 732 00:42:01.600 --> 00:42:03.580 or only in like consumer spaces, 733 00:42:03.580 --> 00:42:07.000 which isn't necessarily non-tech, but CPG obviously is one. 734 00:42:07.000 --> 00:42:10.720 So Fearless especially invest in CPG. 735 00:42:10.720 --> 00:42:13.880 Skewed Ventures is another company. 736 00:42:15.220 --> 00:42:16.440 I don't know if I can type in this chat, 737 00:42:16.440 --> 00:42:21.440 but S-K-U and then apostrophe D, Skewed Ventures. 738 00:42:22.480 --> 00:42:25.440 That's another company that writes microchecks 739 00:42:25.440 --> 00:42:27.520 and CPG companies. 740 00:42:27.520 --> 00:42:30.320 And the guy who is partner there, 741 00:42:30.320 --> 00:42:32.320 his name is Kofi Impadu. 742 00:42:32.320 --> 00:42:37.320 He also works on the Andreessen TXO team. 743 00:42:38.040 --> 00:42:40.040 So it's Talent Times Opportunity 744 00:42:40.040 --> 00:42:42.360 where they work with underrepresented founders 745 00:42:43.440 --> 00:42:46.200 and sort of like help them at a super early stage. 746 00:42:46.200 --> 00:42:47.640 So we've also invested in a few companies 747 00:42:47.640 --> 00:42:49.280 that have gone through their program. 748 00:42:49.280 --> 00:42:51.700 A lot of those companies are CPG focused. 749 00:42:51.700 --> 00:42:56.420 So those are two great avenues for you as a non-tech 750 00:42:56.420 --> 00:43:00.220 founder and or a company in the venture capital landscape. 751 00:43:00.220 --> 00:43:03.300 And then really thinking about, 752 00:43:03.300 --> 00:43:05.500 I'm trying to think about some other ones. 753 00:43:05.500 --> 00:43:09.300 There's another person, his name is Brian, 754 00:43:09.300 --> 00:43:10.980 I think his name is Brian Fulmer. 755 00:43:13.820 --> 00:43:18.820 I think his handle is like First Look VC 756 00:43:19.180 --> 00:43:20.340 or that's his website. 757 00:43:20.340 --> 00:43:21.460 So First Look VC, 758 00:43:21.460 --> 00:43:24.660 they, I don't know if they invest directly in companies, 759 00:43:24.660 --> 00:43:28.220 but they offer like a subscription box kind of model 760 00:43:28.220 --> 00:43:33.220 where they charge VCs that invest only in CPG companies 761 00:43:33.820 --> 00:43:35.860 to try out these actual products. 762 00:43:35.860 --> 00:43:39.860 So like beverages, food, makeup, like clothing, 763 00:43:39.860 --> 00:43:40.700 whatever the case may be. 764 00:43:40.700 --> 00:43:43.900 If you're a CPG company, like he'll put you into this box. 765 00:43:43.900 --> 00:43:45.980 Obviously there's like some criteria and selection process, 766 00:43:45.980 --> 00:43:48.740 but he'll get you into this box 767 00:43:48.740 --> 00:43:51.860 and he'll ship your stuff out to, excuse me, 768 00:43:51.860 --> 00:43:54.540 different investors in the hopes that, 769 00:43:54.540 --> 00:43:58.100 they're trying it and they're using that or leveraging that 770 00:43:58.100 --> 00:44:00.080 as like another way to sort of like, 771 00:44:01.420 --> 00:44:02.940 I guess like critique your business 772 00:44:02.940 --> 00:44:04.580 or think about your business. 773 00:44:04.580 --> 00:44:05.400 So I would say, yes, 774 00:44:05.400 --> 00:44:07.920 there's definitely a lot of hope for non-tech companies 775 00:44:07.920 --> 00:44:09.380 and please do not get discouraged. 776 00:44:09.380 --> 00:44:11.340 People always talk about tech, tech, tech, 777 00:44:11.340 --> 00:44:13.020 software, software, software, 778 00:44:13.020 --> 00:44:17.940 the most active corporations are the biggest corporates. 779 00:44:17.980 --> 00:44:19.580 I mean, Walmart is obviously the biggest one, 780 00:44:19.580 --> 00:44:21.820 like Amazon is another big one, Apple. 781 00:44:21.820 --> 00:44:25.860 These are all, I mean, they have a mix of tech and CPG, 782 00:44:25.860 --> 00:44:27.900 but they do the most acquisitions, 783 00:44:27.900 --> 00:44:30.920 the most acquisitions in order of shorter timeline, 784 00:44:30.920 --> 00:44:32.340 all of them happen in CPG. 785 00:44:32.340 --> 00:44:35.100 So a lot of like beauty, health and wellness companies, 786 00:44:35.100 --> 00:44:36.280 a lot of food and beverage companies, 787 00:44:36.280 --> 00:44:37.980 they're being acquired by the General Mills, 788 00:44:37.980 --> 00:44:41.620 the Mondelez's, the Procter and Gamble's. 789 00:44:41.620 --> 00:44:43.580 Software acquisitions take a lot longer. 790 00:44:43.580 --> 00:44:46.220 And so I think for companies that have a specific 791 00:44:46.220 --> 00:44:48.980 or funds that have a specific sector focus on CPG, 792 00:44:48.980 --> 00:44:51.100 they're kind of using that as a reasoning 793 00:44:51.100 --> 00:44:52.380 from an LP perspective, 794 00:44:52.380 --> 00:44:54.060 it's like you want an acquisition. 795 00:44:54.060 --> 00:44:56.540 And the quickest way to do that is through a CPG company 796 00:44:56.540 --> 00:45:00.020 and or a consumer facing company versus like a B2B. 797 00:45:00.000 --> 00:45:06.920 of like sass play. Um, what is not struck, not, excuse me, what 798 00:45:06.920 --> 00:45:09.120 is not being structured correctly mean? Does it mean 799 00:45:09.120 --> 00:45:12.480 incorrect valuation? No. So I think that was referencing the 800 00:45:12.480 --> 00:45:16.880 email is it's like, literally, you know, like, if you said, 801 00:45:16.880 --> 00:45:20.640 like, dear Cameron, and then there was no space in between, 802 00:45:20.680 --> 00:45:23.920 you know, the deer Cameron in the first sentence, and like, 803 00:45:23.920 --> 00:45:26.680 there's no spaces in between paragraphs, or there's some type 804 00:45:26.680 --> 00:45:28.560 of like, you know, there are multiple typos and stuff like 805 00:45:28.560 --> 00:45:31.680 that, like, it's not necessarily, you know, it like 806 00:45:31.680 --> 00:45:35.440 it looks like spam. And so for the sake of our own time, like 807 00:45:35.440 --> 00:45:38.800 we have to be cognizant about like, how much attention is 808 00:45:38.800 --> 00:45:41.240 that specific email, because there, we do get a lot of spam 809 00:45:41.240 --> 00:45:45.240 as well. How much attention is that specific email getting? So 810 00:45:45.240 --> 00:45:47.880 just, you know, just like, once again, going, going above and 811 00:45:47.880 --> 00:45:51.400 beyond being creative, but also just, you know, doing the bare 812 00:45:51.400 --> 00:45:54.760 minimum and like structuring an email correctly, just making 813 00:45:54.760 --> 00:45:58.640 sure that it's not like, like a run on sentence, or once again, 814 00:45:58.640 --> 00:46:02.720 there are no spaces at all between paragraphs. Or like, 815 00:46:02.720 --> 00:46:05.080 there's no, you know, not any punctuation or stuff, because 816 00:46:05.240 --> 00:46:08.760 one, that stuff gets flagged by Google as spam. But then also, 817 00:46:08.760 --> 00:46:11.480 like, if I open it up, and it's like, no punctuation or no 818 00:46:11.480 --> 00:46:13.680 spaces at all, I'm also gonna think it's spam, and I probably 819 00:46:13.680 --> 00:46:16.000 won't look at it. So that's what I meant about like, not being 820 00:46:16.000 --> 00:46:22.520 structured correctly. If your social media account is, is 821 00:46:22.520 --> 00:46:25.840 followed by some key players in the market, how do you recommend 822 00:46:25.840 --> 00:46:31.640 showing this value to potential investors? That is a that's a 823 00:46:31.640 --> 00:46:35.160 great company. That's a great question as well. Um, I think 824 00:46:35.160 --> 00:46:39.200 like social media following as a whole, is always a good initial 825 00:46:39.200 --> 00:46:43.040 indicator. But I think you always have to go a step 826 00:46:43.040 --> 00:46:48.880 further, and figure out a way to depict what this social media 827 00:46:48.880 --> 00:46:52.080 following means for you. And so you know, obviously, once again, 828 00:46:52.080 --> 00:46:55.640 if you have, like, just this, I guess, platform that has brand 829 00:46:55.640 --> 00:47:01.880 awareness. And, you know, once again, you have like this huge 830 00:47:01.880 --> 00:47:03.800 social media following on Instagram, like, what does this 831 00:47:03.800 --> 00:47:07.080 mean for you? Like, are you advertising to these, you know, 832 00:47:07.120 --> 00:47:09.680 communities of people that follow you? Are you advertising 833 00:47:09.680 --> 00:47:12.080 to this group of followers? Like, does this convert to 834 00:47:12.080 --> 00:47:16.080 sales on, you know, your website? Does it convert to 835 00:47:16.080 --> 00:47:19.600 traffic? Does it? If you're like an ad tech platform? Does this 836 00:47:19.600 --> 00:47:22.640 following convert to like clicks for advertising? So I 837 00:47:22.640 --> 00:47:26.720 think like, that's how I would think about showing value is 838 00:47:26.720 --> 00:47:30.000 like, what actions are being taken from this following? Like 839 00:47:30.000 --> 00:47:33.720 how am I enabling my followers? How am I empowering my followers 840 00:47:33.720 --> 00:47:38.320 to support me as a business? Are they buying my product because 841 00:47:38.320 --> 00:47:41.400 they follow me and they resonate with me as a brand as a person 842 00:47:41.400 --> 00:47:44.600 as a business? Are they spreading the word? Are they, 843 00:47:44.600 --> 00:47:47.480 you know, referring their friends to follow my my profile 844 00:47:47.480 --> 00:47:49.920 is just leading them to traffic. So I think it's a 845 00:47:49.920 --> 00:47:52.920 little bit like you want to take another step and like, think 846 00:47:52.920 --> 00:47:56.320 like we see a lot of like, oh, we have, you know, 15,000 847 00:47:56.320 --> 00:47:59.360 followers or so like, what is that 15,000 followers doing? Are 848 00:47:59.360 --> 00:48:03.560 they like, all on subscription based plan? Is it $15,000? And 849 00:48:03.560 --> 00:48:07.160 like monthly recurring revenue? Just that's how I would think 850 00:48:07.160 --> 00:48:09.800 about like the value behind like social media account and like 851 00:48:09.800 --> 00:48:15.000 following. Question eight, how would you recommend scouting 852 00:48:15.000 --> 00:48:19.920 finding non tech, industry specific VCs, or angels or 853 00:48:19.920 --> 00:48:26.800 firms? That's a great question. I'm actually pulling up 854 00:48:28.680 --> 00:48:31.560 something that I'll also follow up with. But I want to see if I 855 00:48:31.560 --> 00:48:37.360 can follow it really quickly. So there's a think there's this 856 00:48:37.360 --> 00:48:46.520 company called signal.nfx.com. I think that is a great way to 857 00:48:46.520 --> 00:48:51.320 look at like angels or specific, you know, like VC funds or 858 00:48:51.320 --> 00:48:55.880 firms. And then once again, like, don't like over, I guess 859 00:48:55.880 --> 00:48:59.440 like, just forget about like the crunch based method. So like 860 00:48:59.440 --> 00:49:02.640 actually going like, you know, for us, for instance, like we 861 00:49:02.640 --> 00:49:07.520 just invested in partake foods, Denise Woodard. So like, you 862 00:49:07.520 --> 00:49:09.880 can literally go to crunch base, you can click partake foods, or 863 00:49:09.880 --> 00:49:12.840 you can look them up. And then you can look up funding history. 864 00:49:13.120 --> 00:49:16.040 Or you can like find the article and look at all the VCs that 865 00:49:16.040 --> 00:49:20.200 participated in their round, whether that be seed or series a 866 00:49:21.400 --> 00:49:24.480 or any other round, like all that information is public. And 867 00:49:24.520 --> 00:49:29.040 the great thing about the fundraising aspect and VC is 868 00:49:29.040 --> 00:49:31.880 that like, there's a lot of PR and hype around it. So usually 869 00:49:31.880 --> 00:49:34.240 they're trying to use that to an advantage. I think like it 870 00:49:34.240 --> 00:49:37.920 gives you a great opportunity, you know, to just once again, be 871 00:49:37.920 --> 00:49:41.920 able to find these names and see which which people or funds or 872 00:49:41.920 --> 00:49:45.800 firms are active at like each individual stage. So once again, 873 00:49:45.800 --> 00:49:51.520 crunch base, there are different websites like signal.nfx, as 874 00:49:51.520 --> 00:49:55.560 well as like literally looking on Twitter, CPG investor, there 875 00:49:55.560 --> 00:49:59.000 are people that like, once again, if you follow Lolita 876 00:49:59.000 --> 00:50:00.320 Taub, who's like 877 00:50:00.000 --> 00:50:03.600 super big, kind of like community VC person in the, in 878 00:50:03.600 --> 00:50:06.480 the space, like she's always like, creating these threads 879 00:50:06.480 --> 00:50:10.720 where VCs can chime in on their sector focus. So looking up CPG 880 00:50:11.480 --> 00:50:15.720 investor or like Femtech investor or healthcare invest, 881 00:50:15.760 --> 00:50:19.400 whatever the case may be, you know, I think those are also 882 00:50:19.400 --> 00:50:24.000 great ways. And yes, I can definitely do. I can follow up 883 00:50:24.000 --> 00:50:26.840 with this, and I'll provide the information to Siobhan. I'll 884 00:50:26.840 --> 00:50:29.040 create an action list for myself, but I can provide some 885 00:50:29.040 --> 00:50:34.400 links to the people on the firms. I can also provide, once 886 00:50:34.400 --> 00:50:36.680 again, the screenshot of all the people that I recommended 887 00:50:36.680 --> 00:50:38.600 following. And I think that's a great starting point, but it's 888 00:50:38.600 --> 00:50:43.520 not all encompassing. And then I can also follow up with some 889 00:50:43.520 --> 00:50:46.160 precede accelerators that we've sort of thought about or work 890 00:50:46.160 --> 00:50:50.240 with, as well as like some of the other, I guess, just like 891 00:50:50.280 --> 00:50:53.040 grant programs and or pitch competitions that we think about 892 00:50:53.040 --> 00:50:57.360 that are like, not just kind of like in the mainstream world, I 893 00:50:57.360 --> 00:51:03.560 guess. I think that might have been the last question. So yeah, 894 00:51:03.560 --> 00:51:06.760 just want to take take the time to thank you all again. I 895 00:51:06.760 --> 00:51:10.760 appreciate the questions. Thank you to those who asked and, you 896 00:51:10.760 --> 00:51:13.760 know, thank you to everyone who sat here and listened to me 897 00:51:13.760 --> 00:51:17.360 talk about, you know, how to get discovered by investors. I hope 898 00:51:17.360 --> 00:51:20.240 that you know, you all find have, you know, found some 899 00:51:20.240 --> 00:51:24.120 value in this. But I hope that this is not like the end of our 900 00:51:24.240 --> 00:51:27.640 conversation and or relationship. So definitely feel 901 00:51:27.640 --> 00:51:30.040 free to add me on LinkedIn. It's my full name, Cameron 902 00:51:30.040 --> 00:51:33.880 Hippolyte, investor at Fearless Fund, please add me if you have 903 00:51:33.880 --> 00:51:37.400 any additional questions, happy to answer them. It may take some 904 00:51:37.400 --> 00:51:41.480 time. But I will definitely get back to you. And once again, 905 00:51:41.480 --> 00:51:43.920 just thank you. And I hope that you continue to find value in 906 00:51:43.920 --> 00:51:47.960 these presentations and also the GVR program as a whole. Stay 907 00:51:47.960 --> 00:51:51.200 tuned for Fearless VC Summit as well. That will be in Atlanta in 908 00:51:51.200 --> 00:51:54.920 August, be a lot of publicity around that in the in the coming 909 00:51:54.920 --> 00:51:57.720 weeks, but shameless plug again, and thank you again. 910 00:52:21.200 --> 00:52:22.200 Transcribed by https://otter.ai 911 00:52:51.200 --> 00:52:52.200 Transcribed by https://otter.ai