Preparation Stage
Clarify your business vision
- What are your startup’s vision, mission and long term goals?
- Validate your idea through market research and early customer feedback.
Assess your startup funding needs
- How much funding do you need to hit your next milestones (e.g. product development, hiring).
- Create a clear use of funds business plan showing where the money will go.
Financial foundations
- Build a financial model with projections for revenue, customer acquisition cost (CAC) and burn rate.
- Make sure your financials align with your business goals and future growth.
Strengthen your team
- Show a well-rounded founding team with complementary skills (e.g., tech, marketing, operations).
- Make sure your team has experience in your industry.
- Need a reliable development team? Here’s your step-by-step guide to hiring a dedicated team in Ukraine.
Crafting Your Pitch
Create a compelling pitch deck, including:
- Problem
- Solution
- Market Opportunity
- Business Model
- Traction
- Competition
- Team
- Financials
- Ask (funding needs)
- Keep it short: 10-12 slides max.
Develop an elevator pitch
- Write a 60 second pitch that sums up your business.
- Focus on the problem, solution and market opportunity.
Be ready to discuss:
- Business model and revenue streams
- Market size and growth
- Competition and differentiation
- Financials and current traction
Finding and Approaching Investors
Identify the right investors
- Research investors who specialize in your industry or startup stage (seed, series A, series b funding etc.).
Diversify your approach by considering:
- Angel investors
- Venture capital (VC) firms
- Crowdfunding platforms
- Syndicates
Leverage warm introductions
- Use your network to get warm intros to investors.
- Attend relevant startup events or pitch competitions to meet investors.
Use investor platforms
- Create profiles on platforms like AngelList, Crunchbase or SeedInvest to get noticed by investors.
Pitching and Negotiating
Perfect your pitch delivery
- Practice your pitch multiple times until you feel confident and concise.
- Be prepared to adapt it for different audiences (formal meetings vs. casual networking).
Follow up after each pitch
- Send a follow up email after your pitch to keep the momentum and answer any questions.
- Negotiate the term sheet
Understand key terms:
- Valuation
- Equity dilution
- Liquidation preferences
- Board seats
Aim to maintain control of key decisions and protect your company’s vision.
Closing the Deal
Prepare all required documents, including:
- Financial statements
- Legal documents (e.g., IP ownership)
- Cap table (outlining equity ownership)
Ensure the shareholder agreement clearly outlines:
- Ownership percentages
- Voting rights
- Exit strategies (IPOs, acquisitions)
- Plan for post-funding
Create a communication plan to update investors with regular progress reports and financials.