Adventures in Entrepreneurship

Adventures in Entrepreneurship

Margaret Wallace, CEO, PlaymaticsTwitter: @MargaretWallace

Trust Us.We’re Dressed as Pirates.

Margaret Wallace Shirley Lin

Twitter: @MargaretWallace

Tech, Media, Gaming

Entrepreneur

Adviser

Inventor

Entrepreneurs Must Juggle Many Things.

Users

Employees

Investors

Friends/Family

…and people.

Entrepreneurs Must Wear Many Hats.

Rainmaker

Therapist

Visionary

Enforcer

Inventor

We Do Whatever

it Takes.

That Goes for Funding.

Different Funding Options Different Considerations

Understanding The Impact of Funding Choices

Important.

Five Start-Ups I’ve Worked With or Founded

Lessons Learned

Start-Up #1: PF.Magic

Be Passionate or Go Home.

Excel in at Least One Thing.

Then innovate….

Create Meaningful Rituals

Offering to Software Gods at GMC.

Diversity in the Workplace Matters

Funding Options

Venture Capital

Angel / Super-Angel

Friends & Family

Bootstrap

Start-Up #2: Skunk Studios

Start-Up #2: Skunk Studios

Start-Up #2: Skunk Studios

Start-Up #2: Skunk Studios

Start-Up #2: Skunk Studios

Timing is Everything

“Own” Your Audience

Own Your IP

Create Ongoing Revenue Streams

Don’t Get Stale.

Funding Options

Venture Capital

Angel / Super-Angel

Friends & Family

Bootstrap

$

Copyright 2010. Margaret Wallace. Please Attribute Proper Credit if You Use These Slides

Raised $3.5 million in VC

Start-Up #3: Rebel Monkey

Understanding VC Psychology

Strength of IdeaMarket Size

Strength of TeamCompetition

Takeaway: VCs are all about managing risk. The more risk you remove, the more comfort they have with you.

80%

15%

5%

#FAIL

Break-Even

Break-Out Success

Takeaway: VC & Start-Up Goals Are Not Always in Alignment.

How VCs Rate Your Chance of Success

Verbal Cues CanBe Misleading

Non-Verbal Cues CanBe Misleading

Pivoting Takes Runway, Strength & Shared Vision.

Choose your Investor (or VC firm) carefully.

Choose your individual VC carefully.

Choose your attorney carefully.

Guard Board Composition with your Life!

1. Cover Page

2. Company Snapshot

3. Numbers

4. Timeline & Runway

5. Demo

6. Traction

7. Trajectory

From: 365 Days, $10 Million, 3 Rounds, 2 Companies, All With 5 Magic Slides

“Stop Using the projector for initial meetings.”

-- Tim Young

Accept Failure Swiftly & Gracefully

Start-Up #4: Playmatics

Funding Options

Venture Capital

Angel / Super-Angel

Friends & Family

Bootstrap

Breaking Bad: Cost of Doing Business

http://www.amctv.com/shows/breaking-bad/cost-of-doing-business

Gamification

Start-Up #5: Shadow Government

Funding Options

Venture Capital

Angel / Super-Angel

Friends & Family

Bootstrap

Find a Completely

Unique Niche

The “Truth” is Not Out There.

Questions?

Margaret Wallacemargaret@playmatics.com@margaretwallace