How Vcs Think About Midwest Startups With Sramana Mitra

Case studies of Investors (Angels and Venture Capitalists) in the US Midwest on Venture Capital Fundraising

What you'll learn

Through in-depth interviews with prominent investors, learn how investors think about Midwest startups.

What investor-entrepreneur fit is and how to look for it before looking for funding.

Why 99% of entrepreneurs who seek funding get rejected by VCs.

Why traditional VCs only invest in hyper growth startups.

What the key considerations are for investors when they evaluate startups.

How entrepreneurs can position themselves for success while building a startup.

What some of the common mistakes are that entrepreneurs make when pitching their startups to VCs.

The fastest way to find the relevant sources of funding when building a startup in the Midwest.

Requirements

The only requirement for this course is an open mind and a willingness to learn.

Description

I really find Midwestern investors very interesting to talk to. While the broader trends are the same throughout the US, I find Midwestern investors to be uniquely pragmatic. Their feet are much more firmly planted on the ground. We see a lot of investors in the Midwest very interested in good fundamentals business. They’re often more interested in capital efficient startups. Early exits at modest multiples are much more acceptable with Midwest investors.If you want to build a Unicorn startup or get financing from outside your own geography, that is perfectly acceptable today too. As an entrepreneur building your startup in the Midwest, however, you may have more financing options within your own geography with investors looking for more reasonable investment and outcomes.Raising money is a low probability game. You need to understand how investors think to be able to raise money successfully for your startup.During this course, I will be teaching how investors in the Midwest of the United States think about and analyze startups. We will have in-depth conversations around startups with several real world investors.Designed for tech entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs interested in building startups in the Midwest, this course provides insights into the minds of several investors operating in this region for many years in their own words.We hope you will join us.The 1Mby1M courses are all heavily based on interview-based case studies on Innovation, Business Models, Go To Market Strategies, Validation Principles, and various other nuances of an entrepreneur's journey. We offer extensive opportunities for entrepreneurs to learn the lessons from the trenches from successful entrepreneurs who have done it before and Investors who support their ambition.

Overview

Section 1: How Investors Think About Startups in the Midwest

Lecture 1 Introduction

Lecture 2 How Do Investors Think About Midwest Startups?

Lecture 3 Finding Investor - Entrepreneur Fit

Lecture 4 What Investors Are Looking For With Mark Achler, MATH Venture Partners

Lecture 5 Discussing Entrepreneurs From Smaller Cities with Mark Achler, MATH Ventures

Lecture 6 Small Midwestern Startups with Mark Hasebroock, Dundee Venture Capital

Lecture 7 Venture Activity in the Midwest with Ira Weiss, Hyde Park Venture Partners

Lecture 8 SaaS Companies in the Midwest with George Spencer of Seyen Capital

Section 2: Conclusion

Lecture 9 Bonus Lecture

Ambitious entrepreneurs who want to pursue ideas for which they have both passion and expertise.,Engineers who want to turn their tech knowledge into multi-million dollar revenue businesses by becoming startup founders rather than remain employees.,Aspiring Midwest founders who want to increase their chances of being accepted into top startup accelerators such as Y Combinator, Techstars, and 500 Startups.,Any entrepreneur who wants to learn from successful entrepreneurs who have done it before and from investors who have supported them.,Professors who are teaching technology entrepreneurship courses.