Replaced by https://www.slideshare.net/MarkHary/startups-101-140615235 A 30-minute introductory discussion on what it is like starting a company that will go through the venture funding process.

1. Startups 101
Mark Hary - Executive in Residence
Vonzo Partners (www.vonzos.com)
https://slideshare.net/MarkHary
https://linkedin.com/in/markhary/
https://medium.com/@mark.hary
Twitter: @hary_mark

2. Overview
How to eat an elephant...
What to Expect
Transforming Idea into an Asset
Product Market Fit
How to Acquire First Customers
When/How to Approach Investors
Growing/Scaling Your Business

3. My Journey to EIR @ Vonzos Partners
BS Mechanical Engineering, Santa Clara University
MS Aero/Astro, Stanford University
2000 - Co-founded
Sensing Systems
2011 - 2d3
acquires Sensing
2015 - Boeing
acquires 2d3 Sensing
2016 - Angel investor
2019 - EIR
@ Vonzos

4. What to Expect
(How to succeed)
Buckets of blood, sweat, and tears
Ability to argue passionately but commit to
solidarity
Make Your Own Luck
Persistence and Determination
Prioritization and Work/Life Balance
“Everybody fights, no one quits”
- Johnny Rico, Rico’s Roughnecks
Starship Troopers

5. idea <<< product < business < asset
Idea = $0.10 / 12
Product = Customers want it
Business = Customers pay for it
Asset = Your property that has value
Transforming an
Idea into an Asset
Value
Asset
Business
Product
Idea
$0

6. Product Market Fit
1. Establish Need, Schedule, Budget
2. SaaS Metrics 2.0 - David Skok
https://www.forentrepreneurs.com/saas-metrics-2/
Terms You Should Know
● Monthly Recuring Revenue (MRR)
● Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
CAC = ($ spend)/# customers
● Lifetime Value (LTV)
LTV = MRR * months
● Months to Recover CAC (MtRC)
MtRC = CAC / MRR
● LTV:CAC
● Churn = ΔCustomers/Customers
Characteristics of strong PMF:
● # customers increases w/out increasing
outbound spend
● CAC =~ $0
● LTV = high
● MtRC << 12
● LTV:CAC >> 3
● Churn = 0
Need Schedule
Budget

7. How to Acquire
First Customers
● Product or service; Domain knowledge
required (CTO, co-founder?)
○ Perhaps consulting to get domain expertise?
● How did you get idea that product was
needed?
○ Former experience, employees, co-workers
● Develop a set of User Stories
○ What are they doing?
○ How do they do it now?
○ What is painful about it?
○ How does this alleviate pain?
● A customer has these three things
○ Need, Schedule, Budget
● Marketing to spread the word
○ Viral marketing is best
○ Early traction usually w/ word-of-mouth
○ AdWords/CPC expensive
● Pick right GTM strategy1
○ Direct to consumer (Inbound vs Outbound)
○ Channel Sales
○ Enterprise Sales2
1https://www.advanceb2b.com/thegrowthhub/the-mission-matrix-
saas-go-to-market-strategy

8. When to Approach
Investors
Don’t Forget Corporate Venture Capital
Parul Singh. FounderCollective. Sep 25, 2018.
“https://medium.com/swlh/raising-seed-capital-heres-your-2018-guide-
on-how-to-do-it-successfully-c73c42530598”

9. How to Approach Investors
Approach seeking funding the exact same way you approach
building a sales pipeline:
● Warm >>> cold
● Research your targets (entity & individuals) by expertise, focus, and stage
● Get introduction through your networks, double opt-in best
● Have concise pitch ready (30-3-30 rule) w/ ask
● ⭐ Work w/ an EIR ⭐
Need network? Target incubators, accelerators, pitch days, labs, bootcamps,
strategic investment arms/corporate VC, and trade shows.
Investors are easily scared, do not stalk or surprise your prey.

10. How to Grow &
Scale
● Asset = Func(Business(Product(idea)))
● Just do it. When in doubt, do. Fail fast.
● Data-driven decision making from inception
○ MAU/DAU, Churn, # customers, CAC,
LTV:CAC
● Make decision to impact one of these at a
time, in a very specific manner
● Grow sales: inbound, outbound, channel,
enterprise
● Get to profitability ASAP1
● Consider annual up-front payments for
discount and reinvesting in sales to fuel
growth
Precision strikes, beware opportunity cost
1https://slidebean.com/blog/startups/slidebean-profitable

11. Thank You
Questions?