TheTop.VC

LEARN --> how they got started & how to impress them in a pitch

1. How does Forum Ventures define its focus? #accelerator #startup

2. Which investment strategies resonate with you at Forum Ventures? #accelerator #growthstrategy

3. In your experience, why is Founder-Market Fit crucial for startup success? #startup #venturecapital

4. What founder considerations have personally impacted you according to Michael Cardamone? #B2B #SaaS

(00:01:29) Technological Innovations Shaping Global Strategic Dynamics

(00:03:24) Cutting-Edge Investments in Dual-Use Technologies

(00:07:41) Emerging Technology's Role in Career Transitions

(00:17:12) Founding Success: Identifying Ambitious Entrepreneurs

- How they hit product market fit

- How they got funded

- Why you need to think like an investor

1. Quitting job, paying the bills and creating MVP

2. Landing first customers

3. Closing a Seed round in 2-months

(00:03:44) "The hardest thing for any founder to do is actually do it...it's really easy to convince yourself that it's stupid and that it's wrong and that your idea makes no sense and that you can do it somewhere else. And almost none of the metrics, if you were to draw a column of pros and cons, you're probably never going to have more pros and cons to start a business. And that, I think, is the biggest challenge, is you have to go against everything you're taught, everything you know, and take this massive risk that may not pay off at all, and just see what happens." - Matt Gialich

(00:20:00) "Just go do. Just go do the work." - Matt Gialich

(00:01:23) "When you do something like that for about three years, I mean, I was literally in a 20 x 20 office surrounded by whiteboards, and it was a ton of fun, but I didn't see the outside world a lot. And you also saw a lot of your ideas that worked on just not go anywhere. Right. They would just die for various different reasons. And so I really wanted to go see if we could figure out, or if I could figure out how you take something from idea to reality." - Matt Gialich

(00:03:44) "The hardest thing for any founder to do is actually do it...it's really easy to convince yourself that it's stupid and that it's wrong and that your idea makes no sense and that you can do it somewhere else. And almost none of the metrics, if you were to draw a column of pros and cons, you're probably never going to have more pros and cons to start a business. And that, I think, is the biggest challenge, is you have to go against everything you're taught, everything you know, and take this massive risk that may not pay off at all, and just see what happens." - Matt Gialich

(00:11:26) "Venture kind of sucks from the standpoint that you're going to get told no a lot, you're going to get rejected a lot, and you have to convince people that your idea is going to not only make them exorbitantly wealthy, but also change the world and also within the bounds of reality." - Matt Gialich

LEARN

1. Do I need to send my deck to a VC before a meeting?

2. What questions can I answer, "I don't know" to during a pitch

3. How can I get connected with the right investors?

Check out Emil Capital here --> https://emilcapital.com/about-us/

Check out Marcel Bens here --> https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcel-a-bens-91825b/

LEARN

1. How they hit product-market fit

2. How they got into YC

(00:01:13) "I like to speak to Founder who clearly understands what he's going to do, why he's going to do, how he's going to do, and what is his target." - Igor Ryabenkiy

(00:02:58) "But even if you put all the things together and everything looks perfect, possibilities that it will be not successful. We always have business risk." - Igor Ryabenkiy

(00:07:36) "I was even more convicted because he contacted me afterwards and asked if I can speak to him time to time and he will tell me what's going on and if I can advise him on some matters." - Igor Ryabenkiy

Closing a $1M+ round without customers or a product

The key was in their analysis of the opportunity.

(00:01:31) Crafting a Compelling Story for Lumber

(00:07:08) Drive and Determination in Founders

(00:10:19) Founder's Assessment: Market Size, Competition, and Capabilities

(00:14:46) The Significance of Grit in Fundraising

(00:23:03) Understanding Customer Insights for Successful Fundraising