Everyone told me to focus my first semester at Columbia Business School on all things academics but my love for supporting founders and helping them tease their genius ideas out was too strong. These last couple of weeks, I’ve been helping founders with their pitch decks, connecting them with accelerators, and discussing growth strategies.
Between studying for finals (which I will go back into my cave after I hit publish on this blog post), building my investment theses (get ready because they are good), and working with founders, I haven’t had any time to write but wanted to offer two things with hopes that you will be kind and patient for the next two weeks while I crush my finals.
1) I’ve built a list of resources for entrepreneurs (see below). This will be a living breathing document so feel free to send me additional resources so I can add on and share.
2) I will be starting up investor founder office hours so I can continue supporting this ecosystem that I love so dearly. Sign up here: https://calendly.com/michelleinvests
Also sharing a couple of big wins for founders this week that gave me life and had me smiling from check to check:
Connected a founder with the Female Founders Fund and Serena Ventures!!
Connected a founder to TechStars for their mentor office hours with hopes it will lead to something bigger (fingers crossed)
Introduced a founder I’ve been working with to a HUGE VC fund that I think will lead to a check $$$
Leveraged my investor network to provide hard and honest guidance on a pitch deck to a founder who is starting to raise
Sending you love and good energy! (If you feel so obliged to send cookies and candles so I can get through finals, I’m here for it)
Accelerators
A list of vetted accelerators around the world with a diverse industry focus
Global seed stage accelerator
Support pre-seed stage startups towards Accelerators, Investment, and/or Revenue
Office Hours
Practice your pitch, bounce ideas, or white board with a fresh set of eyes.
Put time on my calendar and let’s strategize how to get you to the next level
Education
Online resources to teach entrepreneurs how to pitch to investors.
Tory Burch Foundation Resources
Amazing resource hub with everything from how to build a customer acquisition strategy to how to raise funding for your company
General Resources
Helping startups & small businesses find venture-building resources within their local area. From funding opportunities to new office space, our platforms highlight the assets that make your community a great place to build.
Get Backed By Evan Behr and Evan Loomis
Great resource for slide deck examples and related topics like graphic design, writing style, etc.
Venture Deals – Be Smarter than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist By Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson
This book covers important topics the Foundation Course does not cover like legal issues, the term sheet, the capitalization table, how venture capital funds work, and negotiation tactics.
Mastering the VC Game By Jeffrey Bussgang
If you are raising a venture capital round, this book will help you to “know your audience."
Here’s the Pitch By Martin Soorjoo
Book on pitching in general. Has advanced topics that could be helpful when you pitch investors.