Venture Prose

Venture Prose shares insights from a venture capital perspective, focusing on the intricacies of pitching, investment strategies, entrepreneurial challenges, and personal development within the tech space. It discusses leadership, communication, decision-making, the French tech ecosystem, investor-entrepreneur dynamics, and the importance of balance in professional and personal life.

Venture Capital Entrepreneurship Leadership and Communication Investment Strategies Personal Development Tech Ecosystems Work-Life Balance Startup Culture Decision-Making

The hottest Substack posts of Venture Prose

And their main takeaways

How to make a compelling pitch deck

19 implied HN points • 11 Nov 19
💼 Business Startups Entrepreneurship Finance Marketing Strategy
  1. Pitch decks can be helpful to reflect on your venture, explain it clearly, and convince others with strong arguments.
  2. When addressing a problem or opportunity, start by engaging with customers/users and then explain the reasons why the problem persists before talking about your solution.
  3. In a pitch deck, focus on the product/service first, demonstrate its value proposition, and show its benefits from the customer's perspective before diving into the target market and competitive landscape.

A tous les candidats qui souhaitent rejoindre une startup

19 implied HN points • 11 Nov 19
💼 Business Startups Career development Work-life balance Personal Growth Entrepreneurship
  1. When joining a startup, focus on finding a mission that resonates with you and helps you grow, not just on financial gains or publicity.
  2. It's crucial to align your skills and motivations with the opportunities in the startup world to avoid confusion and steer your career in the right direction.
  3. Success in a startup requires a deep understanding of the effort and commitment needed, and it's important to prioritize personal growth and giving your best every day.

Pour tous ceux qui n’ont pas le temps

19 implied HN points • 11 Nov 19
🏥 Health & Wellness Time management Productivity Self-care Personal Development Well-being
  1. Define a routine to structure your day and maximize productivity; set boundaries for meetings and tasks to maintain focus.
  2. Organize yourself by managing notifications, delegating tasks, and learning to say no to non-priority items.
  3. Step out of comfort zones, expand your network for new opportunities, and communicate honestly to save time and foster growth.

0 to 10 Billion

19 implied HN points • 29 May 19
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Venture Capital Startup Growth Investing Ambition
  1. French entrepreneurship has shown significant growth in market maturity and capital raised, leading to ambitious founders and valuable companies.
  2. Venture capitalists are supporting entrepreneurs with high ambitions to create companies worth over $10 billion at exit or IPO, fostering growth and innovation.
  3. Entrepreneurs should surround themselves with individuals who push them to unlock their full potential and think big, aiming for ambitious goals rather than settling for mediocrity.
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About Writing

19 implied HN points • 26 Apr 18
📚 Literature Writing
  1. Don't worry about competing with others in writing, focus on improving your own abilities and writing for yourself
  2. Writing is about self-fulfillment and expressing your thoughts, not about pleasing others or attracting fans
  3. Starting to write is about doing it for yourself, because it feels right and because you want to

The NPE Canvas: Fundamental Principles for any end-user facing product

19 implied HN points • 27 Apr 17
💼 Business Product Development Entrepreneurship User Experience Investing Startups
  1. Building a successful consumer product takes time, talent, and hard work. Patience is key.
  2. For end-user facing applications, it's crucial to focus on a strong Narrative (user behavior), a simple Primitive (core feature), and Enablers (enhancements).
  3. Entrepreneurs should take time to reflect on their product's Narrative and Primitive to ensure clarity and simplicity.

The Pitch Deck Template

19 implied HN points • 04 Apr 17
💼 Business Startups Presentations Marketing Entrepreneurship Finance
  1. A pitch deck needs to be concise and to the point, with no more than 20 words and 3 main ideas per slide.
  2. The structure for an effective pitch deck includes sections like problem, product, market, data, story, and final.
  3. It's essential to tell a compelling story and showcase a clear business plan to engage your audience.

How To Run Great Board Meetings

19 implied HN points • 28 Jan 17
💼 Business Management Meetings Startups Entrepreneurship Strategy
  1. It's crucial for board meetings to have relevant, accurate, and well-mastered information and data to facilitate effective discussions and decision-making.
  2. Board meetings should not just be casual check-ins, but rather off-site retreats emphasizing past, present, and future strategic matters and decisions.
  3. Founders should send board packs in advance, encourage preliminary quality work from all attendees, and set a pattern of understanding to ensure productive and efficient board meetings.

Yet Another Monthly Investor Report Template. That Works. Super Well.

19 implied HN points • 30 Sep 15
💼 Business Reports Investors Templates Entrepreneurs Communication
  1. Monthly investor reports should be simple, informative, and business-focused to help investors understand the company's progress and needs.
  2. Structure the report with KPIs, specific needs, and a thank you message to engage investors and prompt actionable responses.
  3. Keep paragraphs short, use consistent formatting, and prioritize relevant information over unnecessary details in the report.

TokTokTok: Personal Delivery at Scale.

0 implied HN points • 29 Jul 16
💼 Business Startups Entrepreneurship Innovation Technology Delivery Services
  1. Investors sometimes miss out on unique investment opportunities, like Capitaine Train, because of not understanding the team, product value, or market potential.
  2. TokTokTok stands out for its CEO's clear vision, team commitment to customer satisfaction, and focus on personal delivery at scale beyond traditional food or personal services.
  3. Success doesn't always come from following the crowd; sometimes it's the outliers that surprise us the most.

The 3 Questions All Monopoly-Breakers Should Ask Themselves

0 implied HN points • 29 Jul 16
💼 Business Monopoly
  1. Before breaking a monopoly, consider the impact on market competition and consumer choice.
  2. Think about the long-term consequences and whether the breaking of a monopoly will lead to sustainable change.
  3. Evaluate if breaking up a monopoly aligns with your values and long-term business goals.

The Venture Chills

0 implied HN points • 30 Jan 19
💼 Business Venture Capital Entrepreneurship Investment Startups Founders
  1. The key traits of great founders include humble-aggressive convictions, obsession, ability to learn and execute with speed and excellence, and unbreakable will to build world-changing ventures.
  2. Great founders stand out by leveraging learnings from others, overcoming difficulties, and revealing unexpected brilliance, leading to unwavering trust and conviction.
  3. Experiencing 'venture chills' in Venture Capital comes from witnessing founders like Lucrezia of Kukua, Pierre of Side.co, and Phil of Dice.fm, who strive to build iconic, transformative companies with purpose and resilience.

Quick not about updating prospective investors at seed stage, especially business angels

0 implied HN points • 02 Apr 19
💼 Business Investment Entrepreneurship Startup Finance Communication
  1. Entrepreneurs should focus on concentrating meetings, gathering interests, and keeping prospective investors updated during the fundraising process.
  2. Avoid collusion among investors by keeping people in /bcc when sending updates, updating every few weeks, and disclosing names of binding commitments with permission.
  3. Engage with candidates, work on the product, and bring exciting news in updates during the fundraising process to maintain business dynamic and investor interest.

Paradoxical Singularities

0 implied HN points • 15 Apr 19
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Startups Leadership Investing Management
  1. Within teams and companies, singularities exist - unique attributes that can be strengths or weaknesses.
  2. These singularities can lead to paradoxical effects, like early strengths turning into future liabilities.
  3. Investors can assist founders in addressing their imperfections by understanding their major behavioral patterns.

Irresistible to fund

0 implied HN points • 18 Jun 19
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Venture Capital Investing Startups Leadership
  1. Investors make decisions to back entrepreneurs based on patterns and moments of enlightenment during interactions.
  2. Founders who show talent, hard work, and consistent quality interactions can be irresistible to fund.
  3. People are the essence of any venture, and supporting individuals with big opportunities can lead to transformational impact.

For foreign investors willing to back startups in France

0 implied HN points • 18 Jun 19
💼 Business Investing Startups Venture Capital Entrepreneurship Global Markets
  1. French entrepreneurs are increasingly talented and ambitious, with valuable experiences and learning curves.
  2. The growing startup environment in France is fostering excellence, velocity, and compounded effects, indicating a promising future for French startups.
  3. Foreign investors are showing increasing interest in French VC firms and startups, but many struggle with knowing how to engage effectively in the French ecosystem.

Damien

0 implied HN points • 31 Oct 17
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Startups Leadership Management Failure
  1. Damien started his entrepreneurial journey at a young age, making money through computer repairs, organizing events, and venturing into smartphone repair business.
  2. Learning from his experiences, he realized the importance of listening, observing, and involving his team in decision-making, instead of being overly dominant.
  3. Despite facing challenges and setbacks, Damien was able to save his business with hard work, luck, and external support, highlighting the importance of resilience and learning from failure.

The Future Of Syndicated Investment

0 implied HN points • 28 Jan 14
💰 Finance Investment
  1. The post discusses the future of syndicated investment.
  2. The information was shared on 2lr.substack.com on January 28, 2014.
  3. The topic of syndicated investment is likely central to the discussion.

Venture Crap

0 implied HN points • 16 Aug 17
💼 Business Venture Capital Entrepreneurs Investors Responsibility Mistakes
  1. Venture-backed entrepreneurs need to focus on building companies and understanding their responsibilities to employees, customers, and shareholders.
  2. Investors in the venture capital industry may lack excellence due to various reasons like lack of emotional intelligence, industry norms, and structural issues in the investment model.
  3. Investors have different agendas and interests compared to founders, which can lead to challenges in communication and alignment of goals.

The Startup Pitch Deck Template

0 implied HN points • 30 Oct 14
💼 Business Startups Entrepreneurship Pitch Decks
  1. The post shares a pitch deck template for startups for seed/series A rounds with updates
  2. There were multiple changes made in different versions of the template, like typo clean-ups and slide adjustments
  3. The template includes slides on goals, advisors, story, and product, focusing on key aspects for fundraising

Record items to build routines

0 implied HN points • 11 Nov 19
🕹 Technology Productivity Apps Meetings Readings
  1. Recording meetings & readings can help build routines and sustainable habits.
  2. Automatically saving recordings of meetings and readings can help in managing tasks efficiently, reducing backlogs.
  3. Additional tips like using Google Calendar for default app, saving tweets in Pocket, and setting Kindle app on home screen can enhance productivity in managing meetings & readings.

Crypto-Casino or Crypto-World ?

0 implied HN points • 09 Dec 17
🔮 Crypto Cryptocurrency Blockchain Investing Technology Economy
  1. Bitcoin's main weaknesses include slow transaction processing and high energy consumption, hindering its scalability as a decentralized protocol.
  2. Bitcoin's volatility and lack of adoption for real-life transactions make it unstable and ineffective for broader economic use.
  3. For the crypto-world to mature, technology needs to scale efficiently, distribution models must allow growth without creating bubbles, and cryptocurrencies must gain real-world use cases for stability.

An Ugly VC-Founder Story

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 15
💼 Business Venture Capital Entrepreneurship Investment Leadership Management
  1. Investors should empower CEOs by providing guidance and resources, not running the company in place of founders.
  2. It's crucial for founders to carefully choose investors who understand their market and can genuinely support their growth.
  3. Interference from investors who lack expertise and make poor decisions can lead to tragic outcomes for startups, impacting founders' control and company success.

En France, l’ambition se nourrit d’amour et d’eau fraiche. Puis elle meurt, dans l’indifférence.

0 implied HN points • 29 Jul 16
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Investment Startups Finance
  1. Ambition in France is often fueled by inspiring role models and team dynamics, enabling individuals to push boundaries beyond perceived limits.
  2. Challenges exist in deploying public funds for startup financing in France, indicating a need to reevaluate or change approaches when faced with persistent issues.
  3. To enhance startup success and growth in France, motivating investors with effective incentives similar to those in the UK could be a key solution for addressing the funding gap.

API or Platform

0 implied HN points • 29 Jul 16
🕹 Technology Startups API Platform Entrepreneurship Data
  1. Entrepreneurs should focus on either building a BtoB SaaS API or a Platform, not both simultaneously.
  2. A BtoB SaaS API offers technology for others to use, while a Platform provides both technology and data to users.
  3. Platforms, which combine tech and data, are harder to succeed with compared to APIs, which focus solely on technology.