Index Ventures!
FUNDING YOUR STARTUP!
LONDON COLLEGE OF FASHION!
M.A. FASHION ENTREPRENEURSHIP & INNOVATION!
Nina
Faulhaber
@ninafaulhaber

BITS ABOUT ME!
Index Ventures!
Previously Goldman Sachs!
London Women in Venture Capital!
European Venture Capital Network!
Likeminded!
Mentor at Seedcamp, BBCW labs, Front Row I/O!
Speaker at hy! Berlin, Nacue, Start Up Sweden!
Consumer internet, innovation, fashion, fitness, foreign cultures!
!
Index Ventures!

BITS ABOUT INDEX VENTURES!
Founded in 1996 in Geneva!
Offices in London, Geneva And San Francisco!
Currently three Funds: Technology Growth & Venture, Life Sciences
>€3bn Capital Raised.!
Exits: Skype, Betfair, Net-a-porter, Moleskine, Supercell, Criteo!
Investments: King.com, Dropbox, JustEat, Sonos, SoundCloud,
Squarespace, Zendesk, Shapeways, Viagogo!
Index Ventures!

INVESTMENTS IN FASHION!
Index Ventures!

FUNDING YOUR
STARTUP!

WHAT ARE POSSIBLE SOURCES
OF CAPITAL?!
FRIENDS & FAMILY
CROWDFUNDING
GRANTS
SEED FUNDS
BANK LOANS
VENTURE CAPITAL
ANGELS
PRIVATE EQUITY
ACCELERATORS
STRATEGICS
INCUBATORS
PUBLIC MARKETS
Index Ventures!

Does every startup have to raise?!

The answer is NO - not raising is a
viable option !

BOOTSTRAP!
• Pull yourself up up by your bootstraps!
• Lots of advantages!
Keep 100% of your equity!
Report to no one but yourself!
Building for profitability!
• Once bootstrapped doesn’t mean forever bootstrapped!
• Success stories: Plentyoffish, Native Instruments, 37Signals (at
first), Thrillist (at first), Matches (at first), Github (at first), …!
Index Ventures!

So, why the hell would I raise?!

WHY RAISE OUTSIDE FUNDING?!
Ambition
Global domination is easier with capital and global support!
Growth!
Faster growth enables you to conquer your market ahead of
your competitors!
Advice
Building a business can be lonely – investors can act as
mentors, sparring partners and helpers!
• Success stories: Google, Ebay, Amazon, Skype, Facebook,
Twitter, Net-a-Porter, …!
Index Ventures!

WHEN TO RAISE?!
IDEA & PROTOTYPE
Ø FRIENDS & FAMILY
PRODUCT MARKET FIT
Ø SEED
GO TO MARKET
Ø SERIES A
ACCELERATE
Ø SERIES B
ROLL OUT
Ø SERIES C
ROLL OUT FURTHER
Ø SERIES D, E, IPO
HARVEST
Ø IPO OR SALE
Index Ventures!
You can raise
at any stage,
really!!

VALUE CREATION
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU?!
Index Ventures!

WHAT ARE POSSIBLE SOURCES
OF CAPITAL?!
FRIENDS & FAMILY
CROWDFUNDING
GRANTS
SEED FUNDS
BANK LOANS
VENTURE CAPITAL
ANGELS
PRIVATE EQUITY
ACCELERATORS
STRATEGICS
INCUBATORS
PUBLIC MARKETS
Index Ventures!

ANGELS!
SEED
• SEIS and EIS!
• High net worth individuals!
• Ex-entrepreneurs!
• Company executives !
• Your immediate surrounding!
• Go for people with expertise!
• Find the fashion-savvy investors!
Index Ventures!

ACCELERATORS!
SEED
• Foster entrepreneurship and fuel the ecosystem!
• Helping entrepreneurs !
Operationally!
Strategically!
Product market fit!
Partnerships!
Making them ‘Investment-ready’!
• US: Y Combinator, Techstars, AngelPad, …!
• Europe: Seedcamp, Techstars, Entrepreneurs First,
Startupbootcamp, Hub:raum, Startup Sauna, Wayra, Front Row
I/O, BBCW Labs, …!
Index Ventures!

CROWDFUNDING!
SEED, AT ANY STAGE
• Advantages MONEY
MARKETING
• Equity crowdfunding:!
Seedrs, Crowdcube, Angellist, …!
JOBS Acts!
Advantages & disadvantages!
• “Passion” crowdfuding:!
Kickstarter, Indiegogo, …!
Advantages & disadvantages!
• Fashion-specific crowdfunding?!
Index Ventures!
MARKET RESEARCH

SEED FUNDS!
SEED TO SERIES A
• Invest almost exclusively in Seed rounds!
• London: Connect Ventures, Episode 1, No 1 Seed, EC1
Capital, Hoxton Ventures, Initial Capital, Jam Jar, …!
• Germany: Point Nine Capital, Project A Ventures, Paua
Ventures, …!
• Nordics: Creandum, Northzone, Sunstone, Open Ocean, …!
Index Ventures!

VENTURE CAPITAL FUNDS!
SEED OR SERIES A TO SERIES D
• Investment strategy!
• Return expectations!
• LPs!
• London: Index Ventures,
Accel, Balderton, DFJ Esprit,
Atlas, Wellington,
ProFounders, Octopus
Ventures, Notion, …!
• US: Sequoia, Kleiner Perkins,
Benchmark, Andressen
Horowitz, USV, Index
Ventures, Accel, DFJ, …!
Index Ventures!

FASHION SPECIFIC INVESTORS?!
WHICH ONES CAN YOU THINK OF?!
Index Ventures!

THE INVESTOR’S VIEW!

INVESTOR’S PERSPECTIVE!
• We have investors, too!!
• High risk, hopefully high return for everyone!
• IRR EXAMPLE!
Invest £15m over time, own 5% of £1bn exit valuation = £50m /
£15m = 3.3x return!
• Trying to find the top 1%!
• We look for portfolio fit!
• Term sheet protections!
• Trust trust trust!
Index Ventures!

BEHIND THE CURTAINS!
DEALFLOW
INBOUND!
CONTACTS!
OUTBOUND!
EVALUATION
CALLS &
MEETINGS!
RESEARCH &
ANALYSIS!
CUSTOMER
CONVERSATIONS!
INVESTING
TERM SHEET!
DUE DILIGENCE!
LEGALS!
PORTFOLIO
BOARD
MEETINGS!
REGULAR
CATCHUPS!
RECRUITING
HELP!
HELP WITH
INTRODUCTIONS!
FURTHER
FUNDRAISING
ROUNDS!
AGREE
BUDGETS!
DISCUSS
ROADMAP!
SPARRING
PARTNER!
PORTFOLIO
SYNERGIES!
BRAINSTORM!
MENTOR!
HELP WITH
EXIT!
Index Ventures!

HOW TO APPROACH INVESTORS!
• “Do or do not, there is no try”!
- Brad Feld/Jason Mendelson quoting Yoda!
• Make a list of suitable investors for you – look at their existing
portfolio and expertise!!
• Try to go via your own network – people who know you will be
more confident to recommend you to others!
• Positive references = increases trust!
• If you can’t find a common contact, send highly customized
email and attach a few slides!
Index Ventures!

WHAT IMPRESSES AN INVESTOR!
THE HIGH LEVEL STUFF
• Passion!
• Product / business model innovation!
• Large market up for disruption!
• Teams, who!
Are best to win their respective
market!
Capability & drive to build large
business!
Get things done!
Index Ventures!

WHAT IMPRESSES AN INVESTOR!
THE REAL STUFF
• Show your product!
• Show you can be scrappy!
• Know your customer inside out!
• Know your market inside out!
• Show you’re a team!
Index Ventures!

DREAM
TEAM
OPERATOR
HACKER
DESIGNER
HUSTLER
SOURCE: DAVID E., HACKER DOJO

HOW TO DO A DEAL!
• At any time: Think about the future!
• Amount & valuation: Come up with something that makes sense + give
investor the opportunity to get to 20-25%!
Amount: How much cash makes sense for your business now!
Valuation: Benchmark!!
• Employee option pool: At least 10-15%, depending on your needs!
• Vesting: Founder vesting and employee vesting for protection!
• Ordinary shares (EIS investors) vs. preferred shares (VCs)!
•
Book recommendations:!
- Raising Venture Capital by Rupert Pearce & Simon Barnes (recommended by our
lawyer, so can only be great!)!
- Venture Deals by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson!
!
Index Ventures! Presentation Title Date!
Section Title!
28!

THE PITCH!

BUSINESS PLAN VS. PITCH DECK!
+ Visual and easy to flick through!
- Takes ages to get through!
- Many irrelevant facts for initial
evaluation!
- Difficult to differentiate!
Index Ventures!
+ Forces you to focus on key messages!
+ You can make use of design!

ANSWER THE RIGHT QUESTIONS!
What are you doing?!
What problem are you solving?!
Who else is doing it?!
Why are you going to win the market?!
How are you going to make money?!
KPIs / how do you track your progress?!
Index Ventures! Presentation Title Date!
Section Title!
31!

SUGGESTED STRUCTURE!
TEAM!"
SUMMARY"
ß GET PEOPLE INTERESTED!!
MARKET "
ß TOP DOWN / BOTTOM UP!
PROBLEM"
SOLUTION = YOUR PRODUCT"
BUSINESS MODEL"
ß MAIN PART!!!
ß 1-2 SOURCES OF REVENUES!!
COMPETITION "
!!
ERE
REH
E”
ß W
BUSINESS PLAN AND ROADMAP"
ß WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, HOW!
FINANCIALS + METRICS"
ß PAST METRICS > PROJECTIONS!
FUNDRAISING"
ß HOW MUCH $ + WHAT FOR!
"
Index Ventures!

THE DO’S!
• Have one presentation to present and one to send!
• Make sure the problem is clear!
• Show what you have done!!
Product demo e.g. screenshots, videos, live demos!
Metrics e.g. users, KPIs, engagement!
• Show how you will get users!
• Show how you can get to positive unit economics!
• Show how you can get to scale!
Index Ventures!

THE MEETING!
• Know who you’re pitching to!
• Pitch your problem first!
• Bring your most important stuff
first!
• Interactive session: React to
your audience!
• Make sure your demo works!
• Have some questions!
• Leave an impression!!
Index Ventures! Presentation Title Date!
Section Title!
34!

CASH IN THE BANK –
AND NOW?!

NOW IT’S ALL ABOUT!
VALUE CREATION
• Increase users!
• Increase engagement!
• Increase productivity!
• Increase revenues!
• Increase margins!

AS SIMPLE AS THAT!
REVENUES!
BREAK EVEN!
COST!
CASH!
Year 1!
Year 2!
CASH BURN PHASE!
Year 3!
Year 4!
Year 5!

COMMON USES OF FUNDS!
• Hiring hiring hiring!
• Development = product!!
• Building out sales functions = customers!!
• Marketing = customers!!
• Internationalization!
• Potentially acquisitions!
Index Ventures!

CONTROL YOUR FINANCES!
• Set targets!
• Track KPIs including unit economics!
• Track P&L versus budget!
• Keep an eye on cash burn and run rate – prepare for potential
further fundraises!
Index Ventures!

ALWAYS REMEMBER!
Make sure you keep figuring out!
• Product market fit – test iterate test!
• Viable product – test iterate test!
• Viable customer segment – test iterate test!
• Unit economics – make them work before you scale!
Index Ventures!

THEMES IN ONLINE
FASHION TECH!

WAVES OF FASHION TECH!
FIRST WAVE!
STRAIGHT FORWARD E-COMMERCE!
e.g. NET-A-PORTER, ASOS, AMAZON, ZALANDO!
SECOND WAVE!
FLASH SALES, LEAD GEN, CURATION, ONLINE-OFFLINE, …!
e.g. ZULILY, THE FANCY, BONOBOS, MATCHES.COM, …!
THIRD WAVE!
PERSONALIZATION, DATA, PEER-TO-PEER, WEARABLE TECH, …!
e.g. TRUNK CLUB, EDITD, POSHMARK, JAWBONE, …!
Index Ventures!

MARKETPLACES!
u Etsy!
u Farfetch!
u Not On The Highstreet!
u Vestiare Collective!
u Shapeways!
u Joor!
u Botticca!
u StreetHub!
Index Ventures! Presentation Title Date!
Section Title!
43!

BRANDS!
Index Ventures!

DATA!
Index Ventures!

PERSONALIZATION!
Index Ventures!

WEARABLE TECH!
Index Ventures!

Index Ventures!
THANKS!!
!
email nina.faulhaber@indexventures.com!
twitter @ninafaulhaber!