Top 10 takeaways from the TiE Florida Event: "Venture Capital Current & Future Trends"
Monday, July 6, 2009 at 11:50AM Last night I attended "Venture Capital Current & Future Trends," a panel discussion organized by TiE Florida and hosted by Andrew Finkelstein of Greenberg Traurig, P.A. at their the downtown Orlando offices. The Venture Capitalist panelists included Kathy Harris of Noro-Mosely Partners, Randy Poliner of Antares Capital and Rik Vandevenne or River Cities Capital Funds.
Here are my top 10 takeaways from the evening:
1. On the approach
- The absoulte best way to approach a Venture Capitalist (and possibly any investor for that matter) is through their trusted advisors
2. On your pitch and business plan
- The depth of thought development that the process of writing a business plan requires is worth much more than the physical document once it is completed
3. On selecting a VC to partner with
- Do your homework...know what each VC firm actively invests in. Is there an obvious match between your company and their firm?
4. On raising money
- If you are an entrepreneur building a company then you are always raising money
5. On what VC's are looking for in a portfolio company
- Referrals from trusted advisors with domain expertise
6. On Angel Investors
- Angels rarely make money because they get crushed through dilution in subsequent rounds of financing
7. On company valuations
- Driven by markets
8. On the current Venture Capital market
- Investments are trending down everywhere except in California
9. On tips for raising capital in 2009
- Increase the "curb appeal" of your company
10. On the overall outlook for the future
- Unsure whether an economic recovery will occur during 2009


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