Being well prepared to present a project to investors is almost as important as the quality of your idea. New start-ups are born every day and it is difficult to distance yourself from the rest.
When the entrepreneur has compiled the market information, studied the feasibility, and has a business plan, it’s time to look for financing! Financing is one of the most delicate aspects of starting a business. Therefore, in this article, we present the step-by-step guide to making a more than satisfactory presentation based on the experiences of entrepreneurs on luminablog.com.
Guide for presenting a project to investors
You may have your money to invest in your project, but it is not normally enough and we need to look for other ways, such as presenting a project to investors. It is very helpful to read US commercial finance companies’ reviews first.
However, the intentions of the entrepreneur and the investor are different and in many cases, we do not know what to present. Although all the information is important, it does not have to be in this case. This raises questions about what information to select for the presentation. We explain step by step what you should do!
Presentation objectives
Before launching to present your project, you need to be clear about the objectives of your presentation. Based on this, design a strategy:
Minimize risk perception: One of the main goals you should set is to minimize risk perception by investors. We are in a market where trust is a key element, investors are afraid of losing their money, and your job is to mitigate them.
You need to prove that your company is reversible: your presentation should aim to demonstrate that your project is not a crazy idea, but that it makes sense in the marketplace.
Capture investor interest: With your presentation, you need to be able to capture investor interest to start a negotiation. You need to be aware of the difference between investors who accept the presentation of your project and the basis for starting a negotiation.
Keep in mind that investors study many projects, but only negotiate with a minority of entrepreneurs, so everything you say and do not have to be geared towards the investor who is attracted to your project.
What structure should we follow to present a project to investors?
Once we have clear goals, it’s time to prepare the presentation! Keep in mind that, as an entrepreneur, you are the best cover letter for your project; Even if the idea is very good, if you do not know how to sell it, you will not win. Therefore, the maxim Keep it simple follows.
Prepare your business plan
You may have heard that the business plan is a thing of the past. That now, with tools with Business Model Canvas, it is no longer necessary to develop a business plan. I still think it is an important stage of entrepreneurship, as long as it is done correctly.
The business plan is not a standard form that you fill out in 10 minutes, because you have been asked to, and it shouldn’t take you several months to prepare. What you want is to have a reasonable view of what the business might be. For this you will need:
- Make a reasonable and reasoned estimate of sales (based on objective and verifiable data) and supported it by a market analysis.
- Make sure you list all the resources you will need and translate them into expenses and investments.