In March, I joined an “Ask Me Anything” event called “Deep Dive: Technicals of Fundraising.”
The panel featured Bhavik Chauhan of Bonsai Ventures, Melaniia Volkodav of Panache Ventures, and Vanessa Sanchez from Ayming Canada.
Amogh Oak of Vancouver Startups did a great job moderating—he asked questions submitted by the audience (and maybe a few of his own!) before opening the floor for a live Q&A.
The panelists were generous with their insights, and it was clear they really understood the challenges founders face. Here are my top three takeaways:
1. Know your numbers and your competition
- Who are your potential customers?
- How many have already shown interest or made a purchase?
- What’s your pricing model?
- How quickly can you scale?
- What are your projected revenues for year 1, year 2?
- Who else is out there doing something similar—and how are you different?
2. Be pitch-ready
- Have your valuation done and market validation in place.
- Make sure your pitch deck is solid and ready to go.
- Know who you’re pitching to—do your homework.
- Be prepared to answer detailed questions about money. Investors expect you to know your stuff.
3. Relationships are everything
- Get a mentor who’s been there before.
- Surround yourself with experienced people who have industry contacts.
- Vet your investors—what’s their typical ticket size? How do they structure investments? Do they understand your space?
- Start building those connections before you need them.
If you’d like to assess how ready you are for a pitch, sign up for a free 45-minute AMP Up Session. We’ll cover the 10 things that make a pitch truly memorable.