Secrets to a Successful Pitch
Asking for money for your business is always time-consuming, often fruitless, and inevitably stressful. But there are ways to make the process more productive and maybe even a little bit enjoyable--beginning with how, and to whom, you make your pitch. To start, "keep it short," advises Barry Schuler, the former America Online CEO and chairman turned high-profile venture capitalist at DFJ Growth.
He's one of several top investors Inc. recently asked to share their pitching advice for entrepreneurs--based on their experiences vetting thousands of founder pitches, managing billions of dollars, and backing companies including Tesla, Uber, and Twitter. So while there's no one right way to make the money ask, you can get ahead of the game by consulting these investors' secrets for making successful pitches.