Sequoia Capital, a venture capital firm, was founded in 1972. The firm has achieved significant success, thanks to its investments in numerous brands that have grown into industry giants today. Sequoia Capital first invested in Apple back in 1978, which at the time, was just beginning as a company. This set the stage for its remarkable track record. Other prominent names in their portfolio include Oracle, Cisco, Yahoo!, Google, YouTube, WhatsApp, Airbnb, Stripe, and Zoom.
It shouldn’t come as a shock to learn that Sequoia Capital is one of the most sought-out venture capital firms for funding. While you‘ll need to have a great idea and an execution plan for your business, you’ll also need to excel in effective marketing. Effectively marketing yourself and your business is what will set you apart from other presentations.
As an entrepreneur, you need to tell a good story. Investors don’t have much patience, so it’s vital to capture their attention right at the beginning of your pitch. Ensure they understand precisely what your business does in the first 5 minutes of your presentation. The worst is when you’re 20 minutes into a meeting, and no one has a clue about what you do.
What is your company’s purpose? Craft one concise sentence which clearly states your purpose. Don’t include unnecessary information or overly specific details. Tell the investors what you can do for your consumers.
What issue are you solving? What isn’t working? Explain the problem affecting your customers. If investors aren’t convinced there is a problem, they won’t care about a solution.
This is where you explain how your business addresses and solves the problem. You may want to include visual examples.
Explain why you business is emerging now, and why there hasn’t been a solution prior to this. What is creating the perfect opportunity for your business?
Explain who the customers are who will use your business, how many of them there are, how this number will grow, and how you will generate revenue. You can use this point to illustrate your revenue and growth model.
Who are your competitors? How are you different? What is your victory plan? It’s better to be upfront about your competition from the get-go.
Tell the story of your team and founders. Why are they qualified to build the business? Explain their standout talents and experiences.
Include any relevant numbers you have. Demonstrate how you would allocate the funds to achieve specific business goals.
If you’re successful, what will you have built in 5 years? Describe your vision for the business, and your goals for the future.
Keep your pitch under 20 minutes. Long presentations are not well-received. This will allow time for discussion after the presentation and provide ample opportunity for meaningful interaction.