American Advertising Federation’s Post

One job of a lead investor is to work closely with founders to raise the follow-on round. Over the last 14 years, I’ve helped raise a ton of rounds, and one thing is almost universally true: founders always overestimate the chances of each investor converting. Most walk out of an initial pitch feeling like they have a 33%-50% chance when it’s really 1%-10%.

We're hearing from many software companies preparing to raise money. The number one thing they ask for is help refining their pitch so they can confidently talk with investors. We hear you loud and clear, which is why we're holding a monthly Pitch Practice. Four founders practice their pitch with four investors. Our goal is to help you get it right in here, so you can get it done out there. It's not a competition. It's to help founders get better at telling their story in a way that's compelling for investors. If you're a founder of a software company in Phoenix, you can raise your hand to be selected for one of our Pitch Practices: https://lnkd.in/g8Hs-nP6 Let's make PHX a top software city 🌵 🦄

Here’s how one random event can change the course of your entire life. Listen to the moment I leveraged my influence into equity catapulting my entrepreneurial journey. What was the moment your life unexpectedly changed directions? https://lnkd.in/g-nPGSSr

Screw Gatekeeping: I spent two years struggling to find funding and advice. Now, I'm giving you all my resources and tips for free. In my lastest post on Fail Smart I talk about funding. I’ve been stressed over the last few years while raising funding from angel investors and venture capitalists. I strongly believe in the power of owning as much of your business as you can and leveraging different financial resources and tools to grow organically and with the utmost autonomy. Black women get a fraction of VC funding pie. so obviously I had to get a little creative over the years to sustain the business. Here are my top 5 suggestions for financing your business, without institutional backers. https://bit.ly/4dSm5tH

As founders, we all have big dreams and bold visions for what our ventures can achieve. But here’s the reality check: It’s not enough to have a grand idea. 🌍 Investors—and your team, partners, and customers—need to know exactly how you’re going to make that vision a reality. They’re looking for a clear roadmap, specific goals, and a well-defined path forward. 🚀 Think less “big picture” and more “fine print.” Focus on the details that matter, and you’ll build trust that goes far beyond the pitch. #ClarityMatters #TrustBuilding #FoundersJourney #ImpactDriven #SustainableGrowth #WONDRCommunity

Introducing our first member of the Strategic Advisory Board at FINNY, Gianna Parella! The FINNY Strategic Advisory Board aims to leverage insights from industry thought leaders and early adopters to refine product offerings, influence the product roadmap, and ensure that solutions meet the evolving needs of the wealth management industry. Gianna is a VP at Merchant Wealth Partners, a growth equity investor in the wealth management space. She focuses on investment due diligence and portfolio management, working side by side with the biggest platforms to help them grow. Why is Gianna excited about FINNY? "I think it will provide our partner firms with a new, unique channel for client acquisition that will accelerate growth." Stay tuned for more announcements regarding our Strategic Advisory Board! #FINNY #Advisory #WealthManagement #FinancialAdvisors

There's always something new to learn to be 'deal ready'. Get it right first time by joining these experts on 4th Sept. Your IP adds value to your business but is often overlooked. Dominic Clacy will talk about why you can't afford not to protect your IP. Free guidance, why wouldn't you want to come & join us?

A founder's ability to hone in on their ICP and build value and solve a problem for a very specific customer segment is crucial. 🎯 One insight I took away from Parker Gilbert's journey building his company Numeric is not only their ability to do this effectively, but to elect to work with a focused customer segment where the value of the partnership compounds over time (i.e go-to-market, integration). 🥞 For Numeric that's incredible finance customers and partners like Mercury, Plaid, Wealthfront, Betterment. 💜 Not to mention the traction that led to raising their $10M round from top firms like Founders Fund, Menlo Ventures, and 8VC. 💸 🚀 🎙 🎙 Check out the entire interview with Parker here: https://bit.ly/numeric-br

"A bad pitch doesn't necessarily break the deal." Justin Nguyen's road to funding is paved with both successes and failures, and the true challenge is to discover how to turn setbacks into opportunities. Join Justin and more key speakers to discover strategies that helped them secure funding from top-tier investors at #TIAConferenceJKT. Tickets are now 45% off, get them while they're last: https://buff.ly/3XfTjgZ

Preparation for your investor pitch isn’t just important, it's critical. There’s a common misconception you can “talk them round”. Whilst this might be true when talking to individuals, it certainly isn’t when it comes to pitching VCs. Last week, Kate Bowes Renna, joined us to discuss all things pitching. From the importance of preparation, how not preparing can impact your message, things to watch out for and how to mitigate if things do go wrong.