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There are a lot of opportunities for start-ups to raise investment in the current climate and investors are willing to part with their cash if they perceive there will be a return on investment.  Competition is fierce to attract finance and a lot of start-ups miss out because their investment decks are not up to the task or they don’t understand what investors are looking for.

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It is with this in mind that we organised our Investment Readiness workshop, on Monday 9^th March where a panel of investors share their thoughts on the ‘Do’s and Don’ts when approached to invest.

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Here are some of the most important takeaways:

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Do’s

• Provide a two-pager short deck for initial touch point
• Make clear who the investor is investing in – What is your background
• Clearly cover: What is the problem you are addressing? How do you address it? How your start-up performs in a real world scenario. Where is your business right now? Why are you better than your competitors?
• Research what the investor wants to invest in.

“If I had more time I would have written a shorter letter” 

Winston Churchill

Don’ts

• Approach an investor with a ridiculously long deck
• Use text or jargon heavy material, if the investor can’t understand you that you haven’t done a good job in explaining
• Expect an investor to sign an NDA before you have provided them with information
• Overgeneralise your market, focus on the part of the market you operate in
• Say that there is no competition
• Skip your team or provide little information on them

“Ride the rollercoaster, there will be ups and downs”

Jonah Ogbuneke