Tactics And Lessons About Raising Capital

Raising capital takes time, relationships and a compelling narrative. It’s also exhausting, and not for every company.

“Just raise $500K to get your product to market”

If I had a dollar for every time I’d heard this line, I wouldn’t need to raise $500K again!

If you decide to take investment the golden rule for investors is ‘no surprises’. The blogs below surface the pros and cons that come with taking on investors’ capital, the instruments that facilitate investment and how to manage situations you might not see coming.

Got a question about raising capital? Send me an email, I read every one.

Cheers!

Phil

SIX QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE RAISING CAPITAL

Taking investment introduces a new set of decisions, trade-offs and expectations for the future of a company. Here are the six answers every entrepreneur should seek before making the call to raise capital.

By PhilHSC|2020-02-11T09:01:11+11:00February 9th, 2020|Raising Capital|

SHOULD I HAVE AN EXIT SLIDE IN MY PITCH DECK?

Exit slides in pitch decks are fraught with danger. Twice this week, I was asked about whether I include one in my pitch deck. The answer is ‘No’.

By PhilHSC|2020-01-28T09:03:59+11:00June 1st, 2019|Raising Capital|

RESPECTING EARLY INVESTORS

Early investors bear enormous risks, and as ventures grow, their contribution is often forgotten. Here are four ways to avoid this issue.

By PhilHSC|2020-01-10T19:51:32+11:00March 29th, 2019|Raising Capital|

HOW TO PREPARE FOR INVESTOR MEETINGS

Here is my method for preparing for investor meetings. It ensures the time with investors is extremely valuable. For the investor, you and your team.

By PhilHSC|2020-01-10T20:01:16+11:00February 2nd, 2019|Raising Capital|

PLANNING FOR WHEN THE ANSWER IS ‘YES’

The punchline is to plan the four actions you need to take when the answer is ‘YES’. Consider this training to reduce surprise and potential confusion that can come from an unexpected ‘YES’.

By PhilHSC|2020-01-10T20:05:42+11:00January 18th, 2019|Raising Capital|

KNOWING WHEN TO CLOSE A VENTURE

In the spirit of turning down the taboo around this issue, here is the framework I use to address this issue.

By PhilHSC|2020-01-10T20:36:46+11:00September 8th, 2018|Raising Capital|

FINDING FUNDING: HOW TO FUEL GROWTH

Here is my presentation from ‘Finding Funding – How To Fuel Your Growth’, a talk I gave in Canberra today.

By PhilHSC|2020-01-10T20:42:30+11:00August 16th, 2018|Raising Capital|

HOW FOUNDERS SHOULD THINK ABOUT MONEY

The punchline is that money needs to survive three tests when you’re an entrepreneur.

By PhilHSC|2020-01-10T21:03:27+11:00May 12th, 2018|Raising Capital|

BE WARY OF THE 18 MONTH RUNWAY

If you're about to raise capital, how much runway should you be trying to buy? And what if you've already raised a seed round?

By PhilHSC|2020-01-10T21:13:37+11:00March 14th, 2018|Raising Capital|

EXPLAINING GROWTH

Using a revenue growth rate mind-set and a collection of traction-related stories is the best way to explain growth.

By PhilHSC|2020-01-10T21:19:29+11:00February 9th, 2018|Raising Capital|

PRESS RELEASES ABOUT FINANCING ARE LIGHTNING RODS FOR STARTUPS

Press releases about financings are not marketing for startups. They are the PR equivalent of vanity metrics. And rarely do good things comes from vanity alone.

By PhilHSC|2020-01-10T21:20:32+11:00January 29th, 2018|Raising Capital|

THE RULES TO FOLLOW WHEN WINDING UP A VENTURE

No one invests in a venture expecting it to fail. If that time comes, there are two sets of rules to follow when winding it up.

By PhilHSC|2020-01-10T21:26:56+11:00December 9th, 2017|Raising Capital|

HOW DO I RAISE MONEY FOR MY STARTUP?

Raising capital is part process, part endurance event.

By PhilHSC|2020-01-10T21:44:46+11:00June 29th, 2017|Raising Capital|

11 THINGS YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT RAISING CAPITAL THE FIRST TIME AROUND

Any founder will tell you that fundraising is an essential distraction.

By PhilHSC|2020-02-28T15:53:31+11:00June 27th, 2017|Raising Capital|