Articles & Resources
Articles and resources for angel investors, entrepreneurs and people interested in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“Tell me in 30 seconds Why Talking with You for 5 Minutes will Make Me More Money”
Back in the greedy 1980s, around the time of Gordon Gekko from the movie Wall Street, I saw a TV profile of an obnoxious businessman who answered the phone every time with the phrase: “Tell me in 30 seconds why talking with you for 5 more minutes will make me more money!” He said he answered the call the same way every time, even if his mother called. The TV show portrayed him as a bad person and emblematic of everything that was wrong with the 80’s.
Top 10 Pitch Deck Rules
Few startups at the time of raising their angel round use Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems. As a startup founder, you might use a spreadsheet or keep track in a notebook. That is a mistake. You would be wise to develop the habit of using a CRM tool from the time of the first customer contact.
Here are ten reasons why you need to use a CRM sooner than you think.
Important Elements of Financial Forecasts for Startups
Great news! You found angel investors who show interest in learning more about your business. One of the first things they will ask to see is your Financial Forecast. Are you ready? This is a brief overview of what I try to find out when looking at a company’s numbers.
What Makes for an Attractive Angel Investment - Part 2
In an earlier blog post we described some of what Sand Hills Angels members look for in attractive angel investments, focusing on the importance of the business idea. But that is not the only factor that angel investors look for. Another recurring element in the investment criteria is the founding team.
What Makes for An Attractive Angel Investment?
Just about every time Sand Hill Angels hosts our practice pitch nights, which we call Sand Hill Angels RAW, startup founders ask our members what we look for when we assess an angel investment. It turns out that each of our members has different criteria; there is no one, simple answer. So we asked a handful of our experienced members what they look for in an attractive investment, and summarize and share here some thoughts and quotes.
Top Books for Founders’ Bookshelves
Many of the Sand Hill Angels members have been startup founders, executives, advisors, and investors many times over many decades. We reached out to our membership to share their thoughts on the best books that have helped them on their journey. Consider this to be our unscientific collection of the Top Books for Founders’ Bookshelves.
How to create a winning pitch deck
I’m an active angel investor and member of Sand Hill Angels, one of the big Silicon Valley angel investor groups. I review dozens of pitch decks each month and unfortunately most suck.
So to reduce my ongoing frustration, I’d like to help you create a winning pitch deck…