1. Ashley Mitchell

2.  Entrepreneurs who don’t understand what investors are looking for are unlikely to get traction.  But those who know how to position their startup to meet investor criteria will be far more likely to attract venture capital.

3.  When you present to VCs, you are not simply selling your product / service or your assets.  You are actually selling your vision for your company, your plan for the future, and a business partnership.

4.  It’s critical to position your company so that you can outshine your competition.  Branding may not feel like a priority in the early stages of your startup, but even if you don’t have competitors and imitators now, you will.

5.  Branding is one of the most important aspects of any business, startup or established, large or small, retail or B2B.  An effective brand strategy gives you a major edge in a cluttered marketplace.  But what exactly does "branding" mean?  (And how does it affect a small business like yours that is seeking to raise VC funding?)

6.  Simply put, your brand is your promise to your customer.  It tells customers what they can expect from your products and services, and it differentiates your offering from your competitors'.  Brands also provide clarity and guidance for choices made by investors and other stakeholders.

7.  Branding isn’t just about a logo, a slogan, or a slick marketing campaign.  Branding is also about conveying the message and personality of your company.  Not surprisingly, a start-up company’s personality is inextricably linked to the founders’ personalities.

8.  If you can communicate your brand identity (not just the features and benefits of your products or services) to VCs, you’ll put yourself a class above most entrepreneurs who don’t put time and energy into branding.

9.  Consistent, strategic branding leads to a strong brand equity which is the added value brought to your company's products or services that allows you to charge more for your brand than what identical, unbranded products and services can.

10.  Based on estimates by Interbrand, Brandz, and Brand Finance, the world’s top 100 brands have intangible assets roughly equal to the gross national income of all of the 63 countries defined by World Bank as ‘low income’.

11.  Your brand is derived from who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be.  If you develop a strong brand message and your products, services and customer experience hold up to your messaging, you give customers a reason to come back for more.

14.  Most start-up ventures have very little by way of tangible assets  Doing a company valuation for early-stage businesses can be somewhat fraught  Your intangible assets are an important source of value  As a multiplier of value, a strong brand represents a substantial advantage for its owner.

15.  Tell stories  Know what you stand for  Don’t try to be all things to all people  Define how you act  Understand your visual codes.  Remember personal branding

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