This is a question I answered today, probably for the 4th time. The anonymous person asking said: "They asked for your deck, never read or open it, tells you off or too early."
Sigh…aside from not commenting on the lack of care in getting the language right, here's my response:
I ALWAYS am polite to entrepreneurs. I do not ask for decks if the company is outside my investing mission, enterprise IT. I nicely decline the invitation and try and recommend other VC’s to approach. Often, entrepreneur requests to venture firms get shunted to associates, some of whom have not developed necessary skills in communications and public behavior.
Just to let you know that all investors are not arrogant…we know being an entrepreneur is tough and try to be understanding.
While I’m at it, here are three rules to keep in mind when contacting VC’s:
- We are busy too—I know you really want to get funding…yesterday, but I have 20 portfolio companies I am trying to make successful. Sometime I’m attending BOD meetings, closing rounds, helping hire, etc. etc. I try and respond either quickly, or within a few weeks.
- Don’t say let’s do a webinar to explain the deck—See 1. above. I’m busy, but not too busy to give 5 minutes instead of an hour to viewing a deck. If interested in the deck, you’ll get a meeting.
- Don’t call me every few weeks if I passed—I often say get some things cleaned up in the deck and we’ll talk later, then send me a deck with a single page added and want to spend another hour discussing it. Be thoughtful and correct all the shortcomings. I’ll look at it again.
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