Alex Giannikoulis is a general partner at Graphene Ventures who has 15 years of entrepreneurial experience helping startups reach revenue. He discusses the customer development process of understanding customers, adapting based on their feedback, and becoming a domain expert. Giannikoulis also covers pricing strategies like positioning, benchmarking competitors, and starting higher. He offers tips for managing demand like waitlists and MVPs, as well as surviving through bootstrapping, pre-payments, recurring services, and scheduled patience before external investments.

1. Alex Giannikoulis, General Partner at Graphene Ventures
Sales for Start Ups - Reaching Revenue
cc: the justified sinner - https://www.flickr.com/photos/54799099@N00

2. Agenda
1. Who is this guy?
2. Entrepreneurial Challenge:
Reaching Revenue
3. Customer Development Process
4. Pricing
5. Managing The Floodgates
6. Surviving
cc: Fotos GOVBA - https://www.flickr.com/photos/37885263@N05

3. Who is this guy?
• 15 years Entrepreneurial Experience
• Sales Expert(ise) - B2C, B2B, B2BC International
Sales [EMEA]
• Past 3 companies were acquired
• Founded & Sold the Apex Group to Level 3
(NYSE: LVL3)
• Econ & Communications from Northwestern
University
cc: PhotKing ♛ - https://www.flickr.com/photos/36766427@N05

4. What am I doing now? .
• Building Graphene Ventures
• VC investing in US high-
growth tech companies
• Value add around defining and
implementing growth strategy
(Sales, Mkting, BD)
• Helping scale revenue
cc: fatboyke (Luc) - https://www.flickr.com/photos/8264376@N03

5. How To
Reach Consistent a Revenue Stream
cc: bob august - https://www.flickr.com/photos/8677133@N02

6. Challenge: Reaching Revenue
• Start-up company with:
* Great product idea & infinite
possible features
* Limited resources
* Few, if any, customers
* Need cash flow / investment
cc: DarrelBirkett - https://www.flickr.com/photos/34459996@N04

7. REACHING REVENUE - FRAMEWORKS
1. Customer Development
Process
2. Pricing Model
3. Managing Demand
4. Surviving
cc: LifeSupercharger - https://www.flickr.com/photos/8047705@N02

8. Customer Development Process
1. Deeply understand your
target customers
2. Ask for advice and you’ll get
money
3. Listen. Adapt. Repeat.
4. Be a passionate domain
expert
cc: rachaelvoorhees - https://www.flickr.com/photos/17237319@N00

9. Pricing
1.Choose Your Positioning
Vector
2.Remember the other 3 Ps
3.Benchmark across
Competition, Value, & Cost
4. Price Higher
cc: Magic Robot - https://www.flickr.com/photos/54723260@N00

10. Managing the Floodgates
1. Create a Waiting List
2. Sequential MVPs with Hard Delivery
Dates
3. Grow Following
4. Build Customer Steering Committee
cc: MasterBi Photography - https://www.flickr.com/photos/117677525@N06

11. Surviving
1. Bootstrapping
2. Pre-payments & Annual
Contracts
3. Service-Based Revenues
4. Scheduled Patience
5. External Investments
cc: Grant MacDonald - https://www.flickr.com/photos/28801512@N00

12. Alex Giannikoulis
General Partner, Graphene Ventures
www.graphene.vc
@giannikoulis
cc: mag3737 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/50318388@N00