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Standard formattingmeaning do NOT cram two, three, four
fiveparagraphs of text onto any page. Usually, a slide has three
point with amaximum of three sub-points. Use one.
If you ever use any font smaller than 14 points on a slide then
we will huntyou down and wag a finger at you.
Why? Well, as one of the panelists said, its like dating. Would
you go out withsomeone who told you everything about your life in
your first meeting? You need tomake it compelling by highlighting
the essential points, that is, the points that will get
theattention of the VC, so that you can get a meeting (or another
meeting). And only thosepointsnot a dissertation on the points.
The Slides:
OK, so you have 15 slides. What should they say?
1. Title Slide
2. What Market We Are in
3. What the Market Is and Will Be
4. What We Do & How We Do It
5. What We Do Uniquely/Differently (sorry for the grammar)
6. Who the Competition Is and Will Be
7. How We Differ from/Are Similar to the Competition and How We
BeatThem
8. Who our Management Team Is and Those We Will Need
9. Who our Management Team Is and Those We Will Need (page
2)
10. What It Will Cost11. How Much We Need
12. How We Will Use that Money (including milestones)
13. How We Will Use that Money (page 2)
14. Bonus Slide
15. Closing Slide (Thank You)
Now, if you think about it, some of those slides are variations
of the same topic and canbe combined (e.g., Slides #2 and #3; #4
and #5; #5 and #7). And, you can break out #4into two slides. You
will notice that, actually, you could do it in something like 12
slides
but we gave you two slides for a couple of topics and a bonus
slide just because we're inthat kind of mood.
Thats it. Those are the slides. Now, each slide does not have to
be the exact topic listedin this list. This is our outline, not one
necessarily sanctioned by VC's, but you get thepoint (we hope). You
figure out the language, but that language should answer
eachquestion (or, more to the point, explain the topic of each
slide). And remember: nothingless than 14 points and only then if
you are explaining subpoints. Or we'll find you andwag a
finger.
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And why is it that entrepreneurs don't follow this simple
approach?
And more to come in subsequent postings and articles . . .
James C. Roberts IIIis the Managing Partner ofGlobal Capital
LawGroup(www.globalcaplaw.com) and CEO of the strategic consulting
firm, GlobalCapital Strategic Group (www.globalcapstrat.com). He
heads the international,mergers & acquisitions and
transactional practices and the industry practicesconcentrating on
digital, media, mobile and cleantech technologies. He is
currentlyinvolved in opening the Milan office. Mr. Roberts speaks
English and French and, withany luck, Italian in the distant
future. He received his JD from the University of Chicago Law
School, his MA from Stanford University and his BS from the
University ofCaliforniaBerkeley.
The GLOBAL CAPITAL firms counsel domestic and international
clients on strategic andlegal issues inherent in the deployment of
intellectual & financial capitala merger oracquisition, foreign
market expansion, a strategic alliance, a digital content license,
amobile deal, foreign and domestic labor and employment policies,
starting a new entityor raising capital. Clients range from global
Fortune 100 corporations such as
Deutsche Bank and News Corporation and its subsidiaries,
MySpace.com and FoxInteractive Media, to start-ups. Industries
represented include digital media, Internet,software, medical and
biotechnology, nanotechnology, consulting firms,
environmentaltechnology, advertising, museums and other cultural
institutions and manufacturing.
GLOBAL CAPITAL LAW GROUP P C
GLOBAL CAPITALSTRATEGIC GROUP
W W W .G L O B A L C A P L A W.CO M W W W .G L O B A L C A P S T
R A T.C O M
LO S AN G ELES | WA S H I N G T O N, DC | C O L O R A D O | M I
L A N ( A S S O C I A T E D )
http://www.globalcaplaw.com/http://www.globalcapstrat.com/http://www.globalcaplaw.com/http://www.globalcaplaw.com/http://www.globalcaplaw.com/http://www.globalcaplaw.com/http://www.globalcaplaw.com/http://www.globalcapstrat.com/http://www.globalcapstrat.com/http://www.globalcapstrat.com/http://www.globalcapstrat.com/http://www.globalcapstrat.com/http://www.globalcaplaw.com/http://www.globalcapstrat.com/http://www.globalcaplaw.com/http://www.globalcapstrat.com/
