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Top 5 Doses for Securetech Startups
In our latest Securetech newsletter, we gave you a list of the top 5 doses of 2021, specifically for security startups. In case you missed it, here’s the list.
Cold Emailing Investors and Prospects - How to Become an Email Ninja
Ever wonder why so many of your cold emails to investors and potential customers go unanswered? It’s no surprise, everyone’s inbox is overflowing and most people who get a cold email just ignore it. In this Dose, Steve Barsh, Managing Partner at Dreamit Ventures, shares his pro tips on how to perfectly craft a cold email to investors and prospects.
Don’t Make These 5 BIG Mistakes When Answering VC/Customer Questions
Ready to answer VC questions like a pro? In this Dose, Mike Ravenscroft, Startup Success Manager at Dreamit Ventures, gives you 5 common mistakes to avoid in order to tighten up your answers to VC and customer questions. Get the art of answering investor and customer questions in a short 6-minute Dreamit Dose!
How to Create a Great Channel Strategy - Pro Tips from an Expert
A channel sales strategy is crucial to scaling a startup. However, most startups fail to launch and execute a successful channel sales program. Securetech Managing Director, Mel Shakir, brought Evan Blair to the Dreamit Dose to share his experience leading global channel sales and partner programs at ZeroFox, Accuvant, and Ciphent over the past decade.
The Secret Ingredient to the Perfect Pitch: How to Tell a Compelling Story
We see so many startups struggle to raise a round. They think they’re doing everything correctly when they pitch, but there’s a subtle yet critical flaw -- they’re pitching, but not telling a compelling and believable “story.”
Startup Board Meetings: How to STOP Wasting Your Board Members' Time
Board meetings can be very powerful events where founders get valuable feedback, ideas, and strategic direction. Read for Dreamit Managing Partner, Steve Barsh’s 5 tips founders can use to get a lot more out of their board meetings and make them a product and positive experience for everyone involved.
How To Answer What's Your Valuation?
The "What’s your valuation?" question is a common component of investor Q/A. You need to be aware of and ready for this tough question from investors. In this Dreamit Dose, Managing Director Adam Dakin reveals the right approach on how to answer the valuation question when pitching VCs.
5 Tips on Startup Decision-Making from Annie Duke
We teamed up with Annie Duke, world champion poker player and author of “Thinking in Bets” and her newest book “How to Decide”, for this guest Dreamit Dose to help founders make better decisions.
5 More Things VCs Wish Startup Founders Knew
We did a previous dose on 5 things investors wish startups knew. Well, that didn’t cover everything. Managing Partner, Steve Barsh, sat down to give us 5 MORE things investors wish startups knew. Keep reading for some more of the most common mistakes startups make when pitching and for Steve’s tips on how to fix them.
5 Product Management Rules that Shape GREAT Products
Mel Shakir, Securetech Managing Director with over 15 years of experience in bringing innovative cybersecurity solutions to market, is back to give his tips on product management.
Jason Calacanis Answers the Top 5 Questions He Gets about Angel Investing
When looking at angel investors vs. venture capitalists, there are a few differences regarding when to reach out to them and what motivates them to do deals. Jason, an experienced angel, gives his insight on what motivates angel investors, and how you can most effectively get an angel to be part of your team.
Why You May Not Sell Your Product to a CISO
Mel Shakir, Securetech Managing Director, talks to CISOs every day in his role at Dreamit. He coaches companies to get them ready to sell to a CISO. However, he also coaches them on what to avoid. In this Dreamit Dose, Mel gives you 5 reasons a CISO may NOT buy your product.
5 Easy To Fix Virtual Pitch Mistakes
Are you pitching over Zoom? Avoid these common virtual pitch mistakes founders often make. In this Dreamit Dose, Adam Dakin (MD of Dreamit Healthtech) offers a couple of simple rules that have come to light watching founders pitch virtually during the pandemic. These are easy to fix if you follow this guide.
How To Pitch Traction To Venture Investors Like A Boss!
Traction is one of the most important elements to nail when pitching investors. The problem is, most startups do a poor job talking about it. In this Dreamit Dose, Managing Partner Steve Barsh highlights pro tips and traction insights across all early stages of the startup lifecycle. From pre-revenue early traction to post-revenue momentum, this Dose will teach you the ins and outs of presenting traction to investors.
Why Investors Say No - Three Startup Pitch Mistakes That Are Easy to Fix
Speaking to investors can require a language of its own. Word choice is important and even the smallest detail can make or break your startup pitch. Adam Dakin, Managing Director of Dreamit Healthtech, sees founders make the same common pitch mistakes over and over. Luckily, he’s a pro when it comes to pitching investors and distills the advice so it’s easy to avoid. In this Dreamit Dose, Adam dives into the language of the pitch and flags three common mistakes you’ll want to avoid.
How to Answer the Question: "What's Your Exit Strategy?"
Early-stage investors will probably ask you about your exit strategy. Don’t fall into the traps of thinking small or leaving the party too early. You’re building the right venture for the right reasons so use exit as an opportunity to let that shine.
How To End Your Pitch with Your Vision
Getting investors excited about your product is a critical part of raising capital. But founders are often so consumed with talking metrics, milestones achieved, or the capital they need that they sometimes forget to talk about their overarching vision for their startups. In this article, we provide some strategies for selling investors on your vision for your startup.
How to Create the Perfect TAM Slide for VC Pitches
When pitching to VCs, one of the most frequent errors founders make is incorrectly presenting their total addressable market, or TAM for short. Perhaps because this number is hypothetical and dependent on so many different factors, some founders do not give it the time it deserves. In this post, we offer some tips on how to impress investors when presenting your TAM.