COMMON QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Our consultants have hands-on experience starting, funding, and growing their own businesses, so we understand exactly what you need.
What industries do you specialize in?
We take pride in our ability to learn the fundamentals of virtually any industry or technology quickly. Some of the markets we have served include green technologies, medical devices, biotechnology, Internet/e-commerce, telecommunications, distance education/e-learning, real estate, financial services, insurance, energy, and networking.
Having said that, we believe that the value we bring to the table is not industry expertise — which you already possess in abundance — but rather an understanding of what investors like to see in a potential opportunity.
What makes your financial projections special?
Balance sheets that balance. Cash flows, income statements, and balance sheets that tie together (you’d be surprised by how many consultants who don’t get the basics right). Fully assumption-driven, so that you can do what-if analyses. Depending on your needs, we can include a lot of very sophisticated features.
How does the process work?
Every situation is unique. However, some fairly common steps include the following:
- Initial discussion to understand your basic needs.
- Review your existing materials (draft business plans, financials, market research, competitors, etc.).
- Follow-up discussion to clarify details and agree upon the scope and fees for the project.
- Several in-depth discussions to better understand the details, develop strategies, and agree on all major elements of the business plan and financial model.
- Conduct additional research, as needed.
- Draft an Investor Presentation and review it with you to ensure that all parties agree on the vision.
- Draft the Executive Summary and review it with you to ensure that we all agree on the next level.
- Prepare a draft outline of the business plan for your review.
- Begin filling in the details on the draft. Obtain and incorporate your feedback.
- Incorporate your revenue and expense models into the financial model, and explain how it works so that you can take “ownership” of the financials.
- Finalize all deliverables.
- Coach you on the best way to deliver the investor presentation and on how to address questions.
- Provide ongoing support, including making minor updates to the deliverables at no additional charge.
Depending on how we structure the project, you should expect to spend anywhere from 10-30 hours on the process over the course of a typical engagement.
What are your qualifications?
We’re all experienced entrepreneurs. Many have MBAs from top schools like Harvard or Stanford, and some have PhDs in scientific areas. Most importantly, we have proven track records.
How long will it take us to raise capital?
If you have everything investors are looking for, perhaps 6-12 months. A few raise capital more quickly. Some never raise any capital. A lot depends on the nature of your opportunity and the effort you put into the pursuit of capital.