7 personal tips from a bloke who works in a startup and observes others

1. Getting started in the startup scene.
7 personal tips from a bloke who’s working in a startup and observes others
@gregornoltes

2. Note:There are different startup communities.
They exist in parallel universes. My time and expertise have been focused on
the tech segment. However, I feel that to a large extent these tips apply to
any individual, team or company looking to getting starting in an inclusive
startup scene.
By the way, if you wanna read a great book, you should check out Brad Feld’s Startup Communities:
Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City.
Enjoy!

3. 1
Immerse yourself in the startup scene.
Go to startups events to surround yourself with fellow idiots.
Sources: meetup.com, startupdigest.com

4. 2.
Validate your product.
Get user feedback early & often to meet the demands from your customer base.
Sources: theleanstartup.com, steveblank.com

5. 3.
Talk to founders that secured funding.
Learn from success stories. Don’t be shy, they know what you’re talking about.
Sources: nothing beats actual conversations, but techcrunch.com and
venturebeat.com are pretty good too.

6. 4.
Ask investors what they’re looking for.
Before your first investor pitch, ask investors informally what they value.
Sources: your local pitch events (meetup.com, startupdigest.com)

7. 5.
Have a killer pitch deck.
Who reads business plans these days?
You need a pitch deck that will blow investors and partners off their socks.
Sources: Nancy Duarte’s and Garr Reynolds’ books

8. 6.
Pitch.
You’ve got 2 minutes to impress the man at the other side of the table. So train.
Pitch to your mother. To your teacher. To random people in the park.
Pitching often will make sure you’re ready when it really counts.
Sources: it’s just you and your story, dude!
just kidding, check out my favorite pitch at bit.ly/perfectpitching

9. 7.
Get mentors.
Ask experienced entrepreneurs with whom you click to be your mentor.
Getting some heavy weights in works magic for your investor proposition.
Sources: Trailblazer Live Project (bit.ly/trailblzr)

10. That’s all folks!
@gregornoltes
Amsterdam and beyond