93 Questions You Need to be Prepared to Answer in Your Investor Pitch Meetings | Ep. 131 | Business Podcast
Summary
If you’re going to raise money for your company you’re going to get asked a ton of questions from your first meeting, to your second all the way through the due diligence period until you finally close your round.
Over the years I’ve kept a running list of questions that investors have asked me and our companies when pitching all the way through to the close and…
Questions I’ve asked as a venture capitalist and angel investor when entrepreneurs are pitching.
You don’t have to write them all down because we made it easy for you
Download this free cheat sheet with all 93 questions >>>
Listen to the episode stress free then download the cheatsheet with all the questions and you’re all set.
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More Information on Build a Business Success Secrets
Hello Friends, Welcome to the show today. We’re going over 93 questions. You need to be prepared to answer in your investor meetings and we’ve stepped up our game for you today and put together a cheat sheet that you can download for free so that you don’t have to take notes during this episode. You can grab that U. R. L. In the show notes and I give the U. R. L. At the end of the 93 questions. You’re going to love this episode because it’s going to prepare you for the questions that investors can ask you so that you’re not caught off guard during the meeting, giving you the very best chance to raise money from investors. Here we go. Welcome to build the business success secrets.
The only podcast that provides straight talk for entrepreneurs whether you’re an entrepreneur starting with an idea or growing your business. This show is for you. We’ll teach you how to build a strong mindset, powerful body and profitable business so you can achieve success and here’s your host Brandon. See White 93 questions investors can ask during your pitch meetings. Number one, what does your company do two? What is unique about your company? # three is your business in aspirin or of abdomen? And why? Number four? What big problem does it solve? Number five, How big is the market opportunity? Number six, where are you headquartered? Number seven, how big can your company get? Number eight? What is your addressable market? Number nine. What percentage of the market do you plan to get over? What period of time? # 10?
How did you arrive at the sales of your industry and its growth rate? # 11. Why does your company have high growth potential? Number 12? Who are your founders and key team members? Number 13. What relevant domain expertise does the team have? Number 14. Has anyone on your team been part of a team that has had a exit No 15. What key additions to your team are needed in the short term? # 16. Why is the team uniquely capable to execute the company’s business plan? Number 17? How many employees do you have? Number 18? Where are your offices? If you have them? Number 19, do you allow employees to work remotely? Number 20? How would you describe your company culture? Number 21.
What motivates you as a founder and why? Number 22? What is each of the founders? Financial status number 23 have you and your co founders invested your own money? We’re talking about cash or debt here. Not time number 24. If yes, You have invested or your co founders have invested? How much and in what form is it an investment is it alone? What are the terms? # 25? Do you have a CFO? Who is it? If you do?
And what experience do they have in running companies like yours? # 26. Is the current Ceo the right ceo to take the company to the next level. Number 27. What is the Ceos blind spot or yours? If you are listening to this and you are the Ceo number 28 How do you plan to scale the team in the next 12 months? Number 29 what are your first three hires once you close financing? Number 30 why are the first three hires you aunt just answered the ones you would make? Number 31. Why do users care about your product or service? Number 32?
What are your major product milestones? Number 33. What are the key differentiated features of your product or service?
Number 34. What have you learned from? Early versions of your product or service? Number 35. Provide a demonstration of the product or service. So you can show how it works. Number 36. What are the two or three key features you plan to add or offer for your product or service? Number 37. Who are your company’s competitors? Number 38. What gives your company a competitive advantage or a moat around your product or service? Number 39. What advantages does your competition have over you? Number 40 compared to your competition? How do you compete with respect to price? Number 41 compared to your competition? How do you compete with respect to features or offers? If your service number 42 compared to your competition, How do you compete with respect to performance? Number 48. What is your moat or barriers to entry? Number 44. How does the company market or plan to market its products and services? Number 45. What is the company’s PR strategy,
Number 46. What is the company’s social media strategy, Number 47. What are your customer acquisition costs? Number 48. What is the projected lifetime value of a customer? Number 49. What is your are pu average revenue per user? Number 50 What advertising you will you be doing? And why did you choose each type? Number 51? What is the typical sales cycle between initial customer contact and closing of a sale? You’re looking for your customer journey here? Number 52. What traction do you have a number 53? How can the traction be accelerated?
Number 54. What has been the principal reasons for getting your early and existing traction? Number 55. What do you see? Are the principal risks to your business? Number 56 What legal risks do you have? Number 57? Do you have any regulatory risks? If so, what are they? Number 58? Are there any product liability risks? Number 59. Do you currently have product liability insurance or service insurance?
Number 60 What is a likely exit number 61. When do you see the exit happening? Number 62 Who will be the likely acquirers?
Number 63. How will the valuation of the exit be determined given market cops? Number 64. What are your intellectual property, copyright or trademarks? Number 65. What comfort can you provide that? The company’s intellectual property does not violate the rights of any other third party. Number 66. How is the company’s intellectual property developed? Number 67. Do any prior employees? Team members or associates involved in the company have a potential claim to the company’s intellectual property. Number 68. What do the company’s five year financial projections? Number 69. What are the key assumptions underlying your projections? Number 70? How much equity and debt has the company raised?
Number 71. What does your cap table look like? Number 72. What future equity or debt financing will be necessary for your company? Number 73. How much of your stock option pool if you have? It is being set aside for employees number 74. What does the stock option pool, vesting schedule and terms number 75. When will the company get the profitability? Number 76. How much burn will occur until the company gets to profitability?
Number 77. What are your unit or service economics? Number 78. What are the factors that limit faster growth? Number 79. What are the key metric that your management team is focusing on and tracking number 80? Do you have a metrics dashboard number 81. How much is being raised in this round? # 82. What is the company’s desired? Pre money valuation in this round? # 83. Will existing investors participate in this round? Number 84. What is the plan use of proceeds from this round of financing? Number 85. What milestones will the financing get your company to? Number 86. Who is your law firm? Number 87. Why did you pick this law firm? Number 88. Who does your accounting internally?
Number 89. Do you have an accounting firm? Number 90. Are you talking to other investors? And if so, who 91? Do you have a term sheet from any other investors? Number 92. If yes, Who is it with? And what are the terms, 93? What type of company are you And there you go, 93 questions investors can ask you in your investor meetings as promised.
We have put together a cheat feet for you so that you didn’t have to take notes during this episode and you can grab it for free at build a business dot IO forward slash 131 That’s build a business dot IO forward slash the numbers 131 for episode 1 31. You can go to that. You are l grab this cheat cheat for free and jot down your answers to these questions so you’re not caught off guard during your investor meeting. Don’t miss the next episode, where I drop four zinger questions, investors can ask you to try to catch you off guard. Until then I’m rooting for your success.
Thanks for being generous with your time and joining us for this episode of build a business success secrets. Before we go, let me ask you a quick question, Are you the type of person who wants to get 100% out of your time, talent and ideas? If so, you’ll love our monthly built a business success secrets newsletter. It’s a monthly playbook about the inner game of building a successful business.
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