Book Titles

…if you set the stage so that everyone has the same expectations, you’re way ahead of the game.

The 10/20/30 Rule of Presentations is that you should use ten slides in twenty minutes with a minimum of thirty-point text.

The purpose of a pith is to stimulate interest, not to cover every aspect of your startup and bludgeon your audience into submission. Your objective is to generate enough interest to get a second meeticng.

A good rule of thumb for font size is to divide the oldest investor’s age by two and use that font size.

The large size of the font and the paucity of text is because slides are to lead, not read.

Use your body, not PowerPoint effects and animations, to communicate expressiveness, emotion, and enthusiasm.

…investors are not looking for detailed forecasts containing every conceivable line item. They’re looking for the big picture and trying to understand the kinds of assumptions that you’re making about your business.

Shutting up, taking notes, and listening for ways to improve are good things to do in a pitch because even the smallest actions can create a big impression.

In practice, the days of writing business plans are gone. Few sophisticated investors will read one as the first step – everyone wants to hear your pitch, not read your plan.

…the hard part of starting a company is achieving viability, not fund-raising. What does it matter if you have the most fundable startup if it isn’t viable?