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Tell Your Story to Investors

Charise Flynn, former COO at Dwolla and Founder of c.Results, shares pitch deck ideas to help educate and inspire startups to better tell their story.

Raising Venture Capital and Finding Investors

Create a compelling pitch that shows investors your startup idea will bring success. Hook investors with your story through informal, authentic conversation. When you’re ready for a more formal pitch deck, include information on everything from market data to team members.

  • What is the problem your startup is trying to solve? A great startup is providing a solution to its customers that they may or may not be aware of. 
  • How does your product work? Demonstrate how your startup has created a solution.
  • What is your business model? What do you plan to charge? What is your revenue potential?
  • Who are your competitors? This is your chance to show how you are different from your competitors and how execution and distribution are key to your competitive advantage.
  • What is your business marketing plan? Investors want to know how you plan to sell your product and why you think this strategy will work.
  • Who are the key players on your team? Show investors how your team is strong.
  • How do you get traction? Traction is a startup’s initial progression and may provide insight on growth potential to investors. Data is hard to come by early on since the startup doesn’t have a selling history, but finding ways to represent traction will help you pitch your idea.
  • How much money do you need to raise? This is an opportunity to state your fundraising goals, including how much you’ll raise and how you’ll use the capital you raise.

The Raising Capital Seminar is an annual event in Greater Des Moines (DSM) that helps small businesses and startups grow and secure funding. Hear from founders and angel investors and learn how to take your business to the next level. To find more information on when the next annual Raising Capital Seminar takes place, as well as view past event videos visit the Raising Capital Seminar page.