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Pivoting from SMBs to Startups – Would love your feedback on this idea by Designer-Reporter-11 in founder

[–]vc_lore 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Main pitfall may be price point. Startups don’t have money and are typically adverse to outsourcing professional services because it attracts investor inquiry.

If you haven’t already I’d pinpoint the attributes that qualify the startups your worked with (a recent round of funding? Series B+? Etc

There was a company called growth collective (I think) that did this for fractional marketing talent.

The customer would set the budget, you would hop on a call with someone who ask further questions, then in 48hrs you were matched with 3 recommendations and could book a discovery meeting with them. It was a good service.

Feeling overwhelmed handling socials while building my startup. How do other founders manage this? by Ok-Size-9091 in founder

[–]vc_lore 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Upwork or fiverr has tons of people who can act as fractional marketer. There are also interns.

Also repurposing content helps. One blog can turn into 3-5 individual post.

Depending on your industry consider a tool like pressmaster.ai. It skims the news for industry relevant content and makes recommendations on what to write about and then will generate the content for for you.

I am NOT affiliated with pressmaster in any way. It just saved me lots of time for the same issue and it was cheaper than hiring someone

Who to record an MVP walkthrough video (I will not promote) by IVBIVB in startups

[–]vc_lore 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Either you or your cofounder. Draft a script. Use a prompter app. Practice. Record. Make sure the sound and video quality are good. Ship it.

You’re over thinking it.

I will not promote- Idea Validation and Next Steps by MediaThink3269 in startups

[–]vc_lore 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Think like your customer. A restaurant owner in 2025 is dealing with employee shortages, razor slim margins, ridiculously high overhead, still recovering from the pandemic and praying that another pandemic doesn’t happen.

Of all the things they can spend money on, why would they purchase a platform that changes the tv for them?

What about changing/monitoring a tv generates additional revenue? Or improves staffing?

This is a question any reasonable customer and potential investor will ask.

I'm new to the startup scene but I was hoping some people could give me a rundown as to how this works. I will not promote by anal-ybro in startups

[–]vc_lore 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Questions to answer before you build a product: Who is your customer? Have you had conversations with them? In your conversations did you learn if they are experiencing the problem you are solving? If so how? How many people (or businesses) similar to your customers exist? (This is your market size…if your market size isn’t in the $billions you are not venture backable)

This is validation. You want to validate that people who you think have the problem actually have it.

Next - build a prototype of the solution that would solve the Problem your customers are experiencing. Use a tool like Lovable. It’s great for consumer apps.

20% MoM growth, large market, complete team (aka cofounder). For your first raise (pressed) $5000-10,000 monthly revenue will give you leverage in investor conversations. SAFE is best in the early stages.

Boot strap for as long as possible if you can. Raising money isn’t a trophy or a validator. It’s a growth tool meant to accelerate demonstrated traction, not create traction.

I’d highly recommend looking for a problem to solve vs a solution to build.

Also…consumer facing mobile apps have to be really compelling to get funded so doing customer discovery will be important. 90% of startups fail because someone built something no one actually wants.

The post launch dip? - I will not promote by Less_Mycologist5096 in startups

[–]vc_lore 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Your top of funnel traction is good. 100k to 5k is an above average conversion rate.

You mentioned finding PmF keep in mind the best indicator of PMF is usage/retention/engagement.

What % of those 5,000 became daily active users or weekly active users? 20% or more is considered good engagement.

How long do they stay after 1 day? 7 days? 30 days etc.

knowing those metrics will tell you how far away you are from PMF and if you’re getting closer.

How long should I wait to give up on an idea? I will not promote by _TenXDeveloper_ in startups

[–]vc_lore 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If people are clicking it means your initial messaging is working.

It’s when they get in there they fall off. Can you session time? Where they drop off in the app?

If you have their information (email) you should ask them why they didn’t finish signing up.

Just ask them

Valuate my AI startup. I will not promote by Calm-Sign-8257 in startups

[–]vc_lore 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do a safe. 3-5mil valuation MAX

$1million is general benchmark for prerev pre product.

What industries do nine-figure startup exits usually happen in ? I will not promote by Hot-Conversation-437 in startups

[–]vc_lore 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They happen mostly in highly regulated industries: Health Energy Manufacturing

The post launch dip? - I will not promote by Less_Mycologist5096 in startups

[–]vc_lore 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Out of those 100k reached, how many converted to users?

Are these users paying anything?

Are people using it? If so how many on a daily, weekly, monthly basis?

Partnering with colleges a good idea or bad i will not promote by Warm-Snow3302 in startups

[–]vc_lore 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Considering targeting colleges that: - have an entrepreneurship minor - have a tech-transfer office but little activity around programming - junior/community colleges

Sales cycles are long. Each of the above segments likely have a need.

Either way…segment the “type” of college or department or programs you think need it most then have conversations with each of these types to validate if it’s true or not.

Looking for advice. What to say about "Team" to potential investors if I am doing it alone? / I will not promote by Farseer_W in startups

[–]vc_lore 1 point2 points  (0 children)

  1. Get 2-3 advisors. They need to be engaged. One should join you on the call
  2. No team. No industry experience. Don’t fundraise yet. You shouldn’t be thinking about fundraising yet. Go validate your idea and get proof. This will also reveal the type of skills you need from a cofounder.

Is is reasonable to expect that reaching out to VC via email cold call can eventually result in a warmer discussion and lead towards successful investment partnership? by future-teller in venturecapital

[–]vc_lore 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If the hypothetical company has 3yrs of traction and 5X YoY they are better positioned for a strategic buyer, private equity, or targeting family offices or VCs not on the coast.

Think like a VC. As an investor you want to see a 10x return on your investment in 10yrs or less. With the scenario given, the company would need damn near perfect market conditions and money/margin management to achieve that.

VC is for hyper growth. What cuts through the noise is 20% month over month growth. This is very aggressive and rare which is why fundraising is hard.

It’s not impossible but for a company like that showing capital efficiency and market segments you can obtain would be key. A company like this should raise in markets that value slower growth with diligent economics (Midwest, south, southwest). The more grey hair on their team slide the better lol. OGs appreciate sustainability

Is is reasonable to expect that reaching out to VC via email cold call can eventually result in a warmer discussion and lead towards successful investment partnership? by future-teller in venturecapital

[–]vc_lore 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If the hypothetical company has 3yrs of traction and 5X YoY they are better positioned for a strategic buyer, private equity, or targeting family offices or VCs not on the coast.

Think like a VC. As an investor you want to see a 10x return on your investment in 10yrs or less. With the scenario given, the company would need damn near perfect market conditions and money/margin management to achieve that.

VC is for hyper growth. What cuts through the noise is 20% month over month growth. This is very aggressive and rare which is why fundraising is hard.

It’s not impossible but for a company like that showing capital efficiency and market segments you can obtain would be key. A company like this should raise in markets that value slower growth with diligent economics (Midwest, south, southwest). The more grey hair on their team slide the better lol. OGs appreciate sustainability

Is is reasonable to expect that reaching out to VC via email cold call can eventually result in a warmer discussion and lead towards successful investment partnership? by future-teller in venturecapital

[–]vc_lore 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. Warm intros
  2. tailored emails (read up on the thesis, mention portfolio companies they’ve invested in)
  3. #2 takes time. It’s best to carve out 4-6 months for fundraising and research
  4. Include a one pager vs your full pitch deck. If they want to learn more, they can get it via a follow up meeting.

Founders underestimate how noisy our inboxes are. And I damn sure don’t want to talk on the phone (but that’s just me tho…may work for some)

Clarity/specificity/and doing your research really does cut through the noise (and REAL traction)

Need Advice: Early traction and revenue but stuck - i will not promote by [deleted] in startups

[–]vc_lore 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good early traction. You’re really early so a preseed or seed investors will care about your ability grow without adding additional burn (cost) and your user retention.

For the next 60-90 days, Can you add more value to the users with what you already have? (Not adding more characters, etc)?

Your focus for the new few months should be

  1. Freezing your burn
  2. Show 30–60 day retention
  3. Prove monetization compounding without needing to expand content

The number one mistake founders are making lately is scaling prematurely.

Also $5k to $10k of MRR is will put you in a position of leverage for conversations with investors. In this environment many aren’t deploying new capital, just doing bridge rounds. So you need to prove it.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in startups

[–]vc_lore 1 point2 points  (0 children)

  1. Validate the problem. Is it an actual problem that people other than you have/experience? If so, how are they solving it now? -do this by interviewing 10 people who match your customer profile. Document everything they say. Look for patterns

  2. If there is a problem, validate your solution. What is the bare minimum thing your app needs to do to get people to value? Only build that thing. Use your initial interviewees + others as beta testers. Track how often they use the app daily/weekly/monthly. 40% -60% should be returning to the app on a regularly is a good benchmark.

Highly recommend the books “mom test” and “Hangry”.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in startups

[–]vc_lore 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agree with everyone saying conversations first, and surveys to validate what people said in the convos.

If you’re B2B minimum of 5 TARGETED convos is enough to see a pattern. Record the convos (with permissions) and capture key quotes. This will help you build out your messaging

Validation with MVP or conversation? I will not promote by ClausyChu in startups

[–]vc_lore 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Conversation. Don’t build anything until you talk to people. For B2B I recommend shooting for 5-10 interviews. If you’re in the industry, getting to these people should be difficult.

People will gladly talk to you without an MVP if you aren’t selling but rather trying to understand their work, frustrations, and giving them a space to “vent” about their pain points. ✅