Based on a SeedStart lecture by Charlie O'Donnell, Principle at First Round Capital

1. What Investors Look For at the Seed Stage Based on a SeedStart lecture by Charlie O’Donnell, Principal at First Round Capital

5. If you want to be part of the one percent that a fund like FRC will invest in, you will need to show your goods . . .

6. 1. Deriskify your idea

7. Startup Compulsive Disorder DERISKIFY YOUR IDEA entrprnr says: you know you’re afflicted when you start taking all the risks, then removing their barriers one by one

8. DERISKIFY YOUR IDEA as trained pattern makers, VCs will ask you: Have you figured out your No. 1 impediment and disproven it?

18. DERISKIFY YOUR IDEA Example: Warby Parker Warby Parker, a startup for eyeglasses, ran out of inventory in two days (via Founded Project ): Two days after we launched, we ran out of inventory. That weekend, we had an emergency meeting in Neil’s kitchen to decide whether we should continue taking orders for our home try-on program. The debate was whether to fulfill some orders late and explain the situation to customers or just temporarily shut down home try-ons and ask people to be patient with us while we waited for new stock. During our 30-minute meeting, 100 orders were placed. It was clear we did not have the inventory to meet demand and we’d have to shut down the home try-on program temporarily .

21. 2. Make love to a great market

25. 3. Create a great team

26. CREATE A GREAT TEAM 7 out of 10 of you are going to pivot

27. CREATE A GREAT TEAM Some of you will pivot hardcore

30. Final thoughts