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8 Tips for Successful Venture Capital Meetings

Having recently participated in Montreal Startup’s first workshop day for the companies it has invested in, I wanted to share some of the input I provided. The Montreal Startup guys asked me to sit on a panel with serial entrepreneur, Frederic Lalonde and equally-experienced entrepreneur (and ex-VC) Marc Gingras. The panel was moderated by Mark MacLeod, a kickass CFO and startup guy in his own right.

When I look back at the feedback I provided, and the notes I had taken, it really boiled down to 8 tips for running successful meetings with venture capitalists. We spent a lot of time talking about the overall process of raising venture capital – but I think where a lot of entrepreneurs fall down is in those first few meetings.

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Are Strategic Investors More Important in a Downturn Economy?

First, let’s define a strategic investment. A strategic investment is one that’s made most often by a company in your industry, and in some cases a competitor. I don’t think most startups look at strategic investment opportunities – they pursue angel and VC investors first – but in a downturn economy, do strategic investors become more relevant?

A lot of venture capital money is being held onto by VCs, or being invested into their existing portfolios. Angel investors will be a bit more wary as well; they’re seeing their stock market portfolios taking a beating and will have less investment money to deploy. But strategic investors, assuming their businesses aren’t totally collapsing, may have small war chests and see opportunities to jump in and support startups.

Jason Mendelson and Mark MacLeod both provide excellent insight into the pros and cons of strategic investors. Generally Jason and Mark aren’t overly positive, and it’s easy to see why:

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About Ben Yoskovitz

I recently joined GoInstant as VP Product. GoInstant changes how we use the web, making it shareable like never before.

I'm also a Founding Partner at Year One Labs, an early stage accelerator in Montreal. Previously I founded Standout Jobs (and sold it). I'm a hands-on startup guy, helping companies grow successfully from the idea forward. You can reach me at byosko at gmail dot com.

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The opinions and commentary on this site are mine and mine alone. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of my employer, GoInstant.