image credit: Shutterstock
Most startup companies have the same goal: get funded by a prestigious VC who can help them scale, offer valuable connections and send a signal that the company is a comer. But we all know that VCs, especially the big ones, pass on over 99 percent of the deals they see. So what’s the secret to getting funded?
I have invested in startups for the past 15 years and over that time I’ve seen thousands of company decks and have personally been pitched by hundreds of startups. Luckily, a number of deals I have funded have gone on to raise big rounds from famous VCs. While there is no universal answer as to how a startup successfully closes a great funding round, below are seven issues that I’ve noticed always kill VC interest: