Emmanuelle Skala’s Post

When Justin Gray and I started In Revenue Capital in January of this year we didn't expect the overwhelming need for hands on GTM expertise out there. We knew it was a gap, otherwise we would not have created an early stage investment firm dedicated to filling the sales, marketing and partnership gap but what we found was that every founder, partner VC firm, incubator, accelerator and the like asked us if we'd offer our GTM services without an investment. The answer has been been a polite no. As we are rounding out our 3rd investment this year (more to come on that very soon) we are also launching the GTM Lab. An Advisory Service built on the work we do within our investment portfolio on the daily. Everything from setting up your Ideal Customer profile to Executive Coaching. Justin Gray, Sean Kester and I leverage our collective experience which has led to over $2.5B in exits to help early stage companies grow. If you are a founder or investor with a company that needs a GTM shot in the arm check out the GTM Lab. (link in comments) #cheatcode

Investors, I receive 5-10 pitches a day from firms (probably automated drips) that are all the same. Email header: "$X(X) B AUM - Invest in Healthtech and Vertical SaaS (invested in X Co Series C+)" Email copy: some derivative of the above What should you know? I don't care about your fund's size, and I probably already know what industries you invest in! (it's my job!) What do I care about? What customers have you talked to recently? What did you learn that challenges my beliefs on the market? Who are the companies we should be partnering with as we grow? What are the insights you have on the industry? Where is the next frontier? What are you seeing that I am not seeing or thinking about? What is the BIG venture outcome story in your mind for our company? What the curves in the road will be risky that your late-stage cos see? Who are you best founders or operators that overcame these hurdles that I should be networked with? Build a relationship first, and show the value up-front!

After six months hearing hundreds of pitches from Pre-Seed and Seed stage Founders, I wanted to share a few pieces of advice that hopefully will be helpful to founders when pitching to potential investors at an early stage: ✅ Be open and transparent about the challenges you are facing. This shows awareness and confidence, and it gives you the opportunity to demonstrate how you are prioritizing and attacking these challenges. The “always-selling” attitude, on the other hand, is a major red flag. ✅ Be the expert on the size and segmentation of your market. I see too many superficial market sizing exercises, and that's a huge red flag for investors. Demonstrate a deep understand of TAM > SAM > SOM, market segmentation, who your beachhead market is and why and what the adjacent markets are. A superficial market sizing doesn't allow the investor to really grasp the magnitude of the opportunity and how capturable it is. They will be left wondering and doubting, and will have to do the exercise themselves anyway. ✅ Be able to communicate your north star PMF metrics in a very simple way. This will give the investor confidence that you have a strong product mentality, that you understand what impacts your customers and that you know what moves the needle. ✅ Clearly communicate your value proposition and a few key product features you're building that will be 10x better than the alternatives. At this early stage, you can’t be everything to everyone. ✅ Provide a thoughtful answer about if and how you eventually plan to exit the company. The exit is such a remote prospect at an early stage that sometimes founders don't even think about it, but investors most certainly are, and need to understand the exit pathways and potential value if they are going to get comfortable investing.

🧠The Melt ENGAGE 2024: insight #1🧠 The answer to "what do investors look for?" can feel like a mystery for early stage climate tech and hardware founders. To demystify the dark art, Melt Ventures Managing Partner, Steph Hinds joined us to share what investors are looking for in prospective investments within climate tech and hardware, what separates the good from the bad and the common pitfalls of the 1000s of pitchs she sees. She shared these three gems: 💎 Know your customer: no one cares if you have the world's most innovative product if it doesn't solve a customer's problem or has no customer. Founders need to start with the customer and know them inside out. 💎 Know your unique insight: investors invest in founders they have high conviction in. In building this conviction, they need to know that you're the right person for the job with the unique insights into the problem space that make you the best person to solve it and conquer the market. The investible founders come with an insight that investors haven't heard before, that makes them pay attention. 💎Know your audience: tailor your pitch! Don't deliver the same pitch to investors, customers, partners, employees and suppliers. Applying a one-size fits all approach to pitching is wasted breath. Founders need to put themself in the audience's shoes and critically engage with what's relevant to them and tailor their message and pitch to that. #TheMeltENGAGE #VentureCapital #VC #Climatetech #Cleantech #AdvancedManufacturing #Hardware

When traction talks, investors listen. Investors crave proof that your idea isn't just a concept but a force gaining momentum. When pitching, cut to the chase and lead with your traction – whether it's user growth, revenue spikes, or strategic partnerships. Traction is your golden ticket to capturing investor interest in a saturated market. So, the next time you try to answer the investor question of, "Is this fundable?" remember, it's the traction that speaks volumes. #StartupFunding #TractionIsKey #InvestorPitch #EarlyStage #b2btech Our accelerator program invests up to $100k in selected companies, meanwhile focusing on elevating the key indicator of success, traction. To learn more or apply, check out the link in the comments below.

🚀 As someone who's always been fascinated by the intersection of innovation, design, and business strategy, I found this recent article from BCG particularly enlightening. Here are my three key takeaways: 1️⃣ Readiness Over Timing: The IPO market is not a race, it's a marathon. The focus should be on being IPO-ready rather than trying to time the market. It's about building a robust, scalable business model that can withstand the scrutiny of public markets. #IPOReadiness 2️⃣ Geopolitical Impact: The influence of geopolitical events on the IPO market is often underestimated. Events like trade wars can significantly impact market sentiment and investor confidence, leading to a slowdown in IPOs. It's a reminder that our businesses don't operate in a vacuum. #GeopoliticsInBusiness 3️⃣ Role of Financial Sponsors: Financial sponsors, such as private equity firms and venture capitalists, can be crucial allies in the IPO journey. They bring not just capital, but also strategic advice and connections that can smooth the path to going public. #FinancialSponsorship As we navigate the ever-evolving business landscape, I'd love to hear your thoughts: How can startups better prepare themselves to adapt to these external factors and ensure they're IPO-ready when the time comes? 🤔 Remember, innovation isn't just about creating something new, it's also about adapting to change and finding creative ways to thrive. #InnovationAdaptation

Investor's check list to evaluate your startup

🚀 Curious about what goes on in the minds of VCs before they decide to invest in your startup? Check out this insightful draft below! 💡

Here’s how early-stage investors evaluate your startup's investability: (1) Team - the most important slide, especially at Pre Seed & Seed (2) Traction & Proof Points (3) Market - if you’re raising from VCs, your SOM must be large enough for their desired ROI (4) Proposition - does your solution and its business model make sense? (5) Competition vs Defensibility - what’s your USP? (6) Financial Forecast - although it’s just projections at the early stages, it must be reasonable and all numbers well-justified (7) The Deal - how much are you raising? At what valuation (8) Exit Strategy - is there a potential for strong exit? Credit: Eva Dobrzanska, Sam Simpson Check my free newsletter for more insights: https://lnkd.in/djVbgiKG

"Same as it ever was" ... The Talking Heads are top of mind. Be an innovator, a maker -- not a taker or you are on a Road To Nowhere. Seeds and Series A are acting same as they always are so long as you are adding value. Carta, CB Insights, PitchBook and assorted reports out of key VCs like X are all sticking to fundamentals. The bar is higher -- a first time founder needs traction, second time founders need to show smart growth + money with partner/investors and strategic growth from hardware, customer acquisition. For context, still easier than funding Open Source companies back a decade ago but seeing VCs and angels are staying on the sidelines or putting their dry powder into bridges of current portfolio companies. Seed is $3.1M median in 2023, Series A is $9.8M median in 2023 with sweet spot $10M > $24M. The rest of the pack saw 2023 as a challenge. Nearly nearly 20% of funding events were down rounds - the highest rates since 2018. The trend stayed steady, as 19.6% of Q4 2023 were down rounds. VCs put portfolios out to secondary markets and a number of companies retooled thing or attempted to shed some of their capital - though pulling a mulligan What's tops with VCs? Showing your secret sauce - how you are novel. Show your path forward and how you win. Show value, both short term and long game. What are your strategies to lead the market? What big problem are you solving and stress anything that has the net effect of helping, improving or bettering society. Get Peter Walker's Data Minute and subscribe, he very reliably delivers the math weekly with his insights. Sign up : https://lnkd.in/gGRM4c8B #innovation #opensource #blackswans