12 Steps to Short-Circuit the Fundraising Marathon

the best way to get a good VC to take you seriously is through a trusted referral, and then to have something promising to show -- a great prototype or great traction.

blasting emails is a waste of your time and theirs (hi, i'd like you to give me $15mm, but can't take the time to email you personally or find a trusted intro) and it smacks of desperation.

I heard an interesting talk at Startup Rockstars last week (an event hosted by Viget labs in Arlington, VA) given by Jonathan Aberman of Amplifier Venture Partners.

Speaking about how the current economic "dip" will affect startup funding, he said that the current situation is a result of people investing in completely un-transparent things, and then not being able to untangle the mess.

He went on to say that funding for entrepreneurs will not dry up because people are searching for transparency in their investments, and what is more transparent than one or two guys working on an idea in a garage?

On the other hand, he said that bigger funding will be harder to get.

Finally, he echoed Sequoia in that the goal now is to become profitable and to make your company last, and let economics drive your competition out of business.

It seemed like a reasonable analysis to me. Any thoughts?

That is an excellent process to follow. Now I just wish we had someone on the team with 29 startup ventures under their belt.

Does anyone know where/how he built the financial model? It looks like it could come in handy.