Welcome back to the Founders Korner! Today, we have a packed episode, gaining invaluable knowledge from Arden, an Investment Manager at Yaletown Partners that invests in pre-seed to series A companies. Arden and Sepehr discuss the blunt truth about what venture capital firms are looking for in startups including team composition, revenue and product-market fit. Arden paints the picture of the true perspective behind what a VC sees when they first take a look at your startups’ pitch deck. This podcast episode will leave you knowing  the secrets that investors are looking for, what to say and ask when looking at VC money.

Connect with Arden here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ardentse/

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Introduction

04:30 Is investing a gamble?

05:00 Professional investors vs. just-for-fun investors

05:55 What is the VC’s perspective?

06:40 Angel vs. Venture Capital money

08:30 What is good governance for your startup?

13:00 What VC’s look for in pre-seed, series A companies?

21:25 How to find the best talent

27:50 VC’s need evidence to invest

29:00 What founders don’t understand about the VC world

32:11 What does a VC’s portfolio look like?

38:45 Ask a VC any questions!

40:30 Conclusion