website: Venture Presentations & Business Plan Development for Entrepreneurs SCI2 Business Incubator

Methods of Communicating Your Business Idea / Strategy Elevator Pitch Elevator Pitch Executive Summary Executive Summary Business Plan Business Plan Venture Presentation Venture Presentation

The “Elevator Pitch” 2 – minute overview 2 – minute overview Peak the interest of potential management, potential investors and strategic partners Peak the interest of potential management, potential investors and strategic partners Gives a clear picture of the company and its solution Gives a clear picture of the company and its solution Must be delivered effectively and succinctly Must be delivered effectively and succinctly

Creating an “Elevator Pitch” Should include: Should include:  Product and service offering  Target market  Current development stage  Capital needs Know your audience Know your audience Practice, practice, practice Practice, practice, practice

Sample “Elevator Pitch” ACME Technology is a developer of proprietary seismic software and solutions. ACME is targeting the $2.5 billion spent annually for seismic software and solutions by the upstream oil & gas industry. ACME currently has three patents pending and is seeking funding to complete development of its beta software product, which is being implemented and tested by Big Oil Petroleum, Inc.

Venture Presentations Keys to Success: Keys to Success:  No more than slides  “a picture is worth a thousand words”  Prepare backup slides for common questions  Readable text  No more than 20 minutes  Practice, practice, practice YOU GET ONE SHOT !! YOU GET ONE SHOT !!

Venture Presentations Presentation Rules Sell the Venture, not the Product Sell the Venture, not the Product Have a Hook Have a Hook Stay On Point Stay On Point Be Honest Be Honest

Presentation Take-Always Presentation Material – a direct reflection on management Presentation Material – a direct reflection on management Clear, concise, compelling Clear, concise, compelling If you don’t know it, admit it If you don’t know it, admit it Credibility and believability Credibility and believability Practice, practice, practice Practice, practice, practice One shot to present – make it count One shot to present – make it count

Presentation Content General Intro of the Company and the Presenter General Intro of the Company and the Presenter Management Team Management Team The Company The Company  Include history and achievements to date Value Proposition Value Proposition  Present the problem / your solutions Business Model – alliances, partners, how revenue generated Business Model – alliances, partners, how revenue generated Products and technology Products and technology Marketing Strategy Marketing Strategy Competition Competition Financial Snap Shot Financial Snap Shot Anticipated benefits of SCI2 partnership Anticipated benefits of SCI2 partnership

Common Presentation Errors Failure to………. sell the venture to the investorsell the venture to the investor define an exit strategydefine an exit strategy Support achievable numbersSupport achievable numbers Use solid market research methodologyUse solid market research methodology Assume proper management roleAssume proper management role Be open to investor recommendationsBe open to investor recommendations Limit length of business planLimit length of business plan –30 pages with financials, 5 year projections –Appendix

TOP DEAL-KILLING QUOTES  no on else does what we do  key employees will join us at funding  several VCs are very interested  this is the best deal you will ever see

TOP DEAL-KILLING QUOTES  big corporations are too slow to be a threat  all we have do to is get 1% of the market  we are chasing a billion dollar market  these financial projections are conservative

Business Plan / Venture Presentation References  The Art of Telling Your Story   Secrets of Great Planning   Dawnbreaker’s “Business Planning For Scientists & Engineers 

7 Keys to Successful Ventures Proprietary Technology Proprietary Technology Defined Market Need Defined Market Need Sufficient Capital to Commercialize Sufficient Capital to Commercialize Experienced Management Experienced Management Experienced Support Team Experienced Support Team Product Development Expertise Product Development Expertise Excellent Marketing Excellent Marketing