Download - Investment for the Underdog - SVc2Lx
Investment for the Underdog
Tips for European Startups Raising Capital Abroad
Sean AmmiratiPartner, Birchmere Ventures
Menlo ParkOffice
PittsburghOffice
Past:
Research Fellow, CMU Software Industry Center
Director Business Development, Peak Strategy (sold to Morgan Stanley)
CEO & Co-Founder, mSpoke (sold to LinkedIn)
COO, ReadWriteWeb (sold to SAY Media)
Now:
Partner, Birchmere Ventures
Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship, Carnegie Mellon University
The Basics ...
A VC’s Job:
Step 1: Find the best companies
Step 2: Invest on rational terms
Step 3: Help them grow
1 Investment:100 - 150 Pitches
The Relevant Question ...
What makes a great investment?
The Relevant Question ...
1 Fantastic Team2 Large Market3 True Differentiation 4 Market Validation 5 Fit with the Fund
Hustler+
Hacker(full time)
The Team ...
VCvs
Angel(not necessarily a reflection on the biz)
Large Market ...
Patents
Engaged Community,
Strategic Relationships,
etc ...
True Differentiation ...
Market Validation ...
Fit with the Fund ...
Sector
Stage
Partner can add value
3 Tips Beyond Building a Great Company
200,000 air miles in 2008 & 2009
(all domestic)
#1 Travel ...
#2 Creatively Self Promote ...
#3 Relentlessly Network...
Adam NashVP, ProductLinkedIn
Questions ????
@SeanAmmirati
Sean Ammirati
Sean Ammirati joined Birchmere Ventures in 2012 to as the partner leading Birchmere Labs, a seed and studio fund focused on community driven commerce startups.
He has over 12 years founding, building and selling businesses in the media and software industries. Sean was previously Chief Operating Officer of ReadWriteWeb, one of the most influential sites about the future of technology and innovation. In December 2011, the company was acquired by SAY Media to strengthen its technology channel. Sean was previously co-founder and CEO of mSpoke, which was the first acquisition of LinkedIn.
Sean is currently an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper & Heinz Schools. He also was a founding advisor to Innovation Works’ AlphaLab accelerator. He holds a B.S. in computer information systems from Grove City College and was a research fellow at Carnegie Mellon’s Sloan Software Industry Center.
p: 412.401.0037e: [email protected]
t: @SeanAmmirati