Green Options

We have heard too may times now that the dismal economy does not bode well for investments in funds or real estate. And given the credit crisis, people are not regarding their favorite banks as reliable either. However, all this might just be a cloud with a silver lining when it comes to entrepreneurs.

I’m a fan of The Funded, an online community of entrepreneurs to research, rate, and review funding sources worldwide. It’s a great example of a venture that promotes transparency and allows entrepreneurs to help each write business plans, share ideas and ultimately obtain funding.

A recent post discussed what the entrepreneur seeking funding should bring to an investor meeting. Answer: a deck that will take no more than 20-30 minutes to get through and cover the following points:

The ten slides that you need, in my experience, are:

1. Vision: What are you trying to do, and why are you doing it?

2. Market: What is the market you are addressing and the estimated value of this market over the next 5 to 10 years?

3. Team: Who are the key three to five executives (Vision, Operations, Tech, Sales, Marketing), and what are their specific qualifications in the target market?

4. Offering: What is your exact offering? If possible, present a three to five minute pre-recorded video demonstration.

5. Roadmap: Where are you in your offering release cycle and with respect to gaining traction?