In the Springboard Enterprises Learning Center Video Archive, you will find a selection of video clips through which you can browse at your convenience. The clips are organized by topic so that you can select to watch those that are most relevant to your needs. Each clip will open in YouTube under the SpringboardVideo name.
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Starting a Business (0:50 min)
Starting a business is like being on a roller coaster ride, fun and exciting, yet at the same time challenging and time consuming. An entrepreneur must be persistent and believe in what she is doing.
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Link to Learning Center
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Meeting with VCs (1:24min)
Before an entrepreneur meets with a VC, see if they are meeting or have term sheet with any competitors. Do not be paranoid about telling people your idea; it is just "the seed to the company."
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What are Investors Looking for? (1:44 min)
Venture capitalists are looking for presentations that include: what the market drivers are, what the competition is like, who the management team is, and how the company is going to use the funds. The entrepreneur must be committed and excited about the idea that they are presenting.
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Being Scaleable, Cal Hackeman - Grant Thornton (0:29 min)
Springboard Director and accountant Cal Hackeman explains what it means for a business to be scaleable, which is a necessary attribute of a business that seeks to attract venture capital.
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Link to Equity Capital
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Industries That Attract VC Financing, Cal Hackeman - Grant Thornton (1:28 min)
Springboard Director and accountant Cal Hackeman reviews industries that are attractive to venture capitalists.
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Valerie Buckingham, MEconomy, Inc., Silicon Valley 2001 (1:07 min)
Buckingham hooks her audience by showing her audience of potential investors why privacy--MEconomy's business--matters to them.
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Kim Fisher, AudioBasket.com, Silicon Valley 2000 (0:36 min)
Fisher opens up her presentation by showing a stack of magazines that she has received this past week and uses that to help show the problem her company AudioBasket intends to solve.
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Krishna Subramanian, Kovair Software, Silicon Valley 2000 (0:36 min)
Subramanian uses humor to tell her audience what her business is about—B to B. (This presentation was given right at the time that VCs were turning away from B to C.)
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Fay Wood, SatisFusion, Inc., Mid-West 2001 (0:25 min)
Wood starts with her best selling point: she has more than an idea--she has a company with profits.
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Link to Creating Your Pitch: Opening
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Michael Gansky, McKinsey & Co., Mid-Atlantic 2000 (3:14 min)
Gansky talks about how to explain the problem in the market and your company's solution.
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Nancy Spangler, Piper Marbury Rudnick & Wolfe LLP, Mid-Atlantic 2000 (2:26 min)
Spangler suggests that you detail the problem and solution. She also advises that you describe the product or service succinctly and clearly (in ten words or less).
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Rachel Barenbaum, Planethopper, Inc., New York 2001 (1:24 min)
Barenbaum gives an example of how PlanetHopper’s product works.
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Gail Blauer, Post2Post.com Inc., New York 2001 (1:08 min)
Blauer provides the audience with an actual example of how her company Post2Post is able to save clients both time and money.
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Lauren Flanagan, WebWare, Silicon Valley 2000 (0:43 min)
Flanagan provides a snapshot of the problem—a strawberry. She could have talked about the problem in a general/abstract way by saying, “Companies have millions of images to manage and it costs them a lot of money.†Instead she describes the problem of just one image.
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Annette Gilchrist, cue BIOtech, Mid-West 2001 (0:29 min)
Gilchrist explains how cue BIOtech solves consumers’ concerns about drowsiness by taking out one of the histamines in the drug.
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Tricia Mills Gray, Useractive, Inc., Mid-West 2001 (1:36 min)
Gray describes the crux of the problem, i.e., why hasn’t anyone done this before? She answers the unstated question by giving a specific example. She could have just said, “We have technology that works and others don’t.†But instead she gives an example of the technology barrier to prove to her audience that Useractive has something very different to offer.
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Christina Lomasney, iSoChip Networks, Silicon Valley 2001 (1:00 min)
Lomasney acknowledges that, of course, reusing code will save companies valuable time to market and money, but she then discusses iSoChip's differentiation: legacy code. She proceeds to support her product's advantage with examples of Intel and Cisco, illustrating the magnitude of the problem and her target market.
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Janet Wylie, Webversant, Inc., Mid-Atlantic 2000 (0:37 min)
Wylie explains her company's product by showing specific examples of current customers (Wal-Mart) and how Webversant will add value for them.
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Link to Creating Your Pitch: Problem and Solution/Products and Services
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Darrell Williams, Telecommunications Development Fund, Mid-West 2001 (3:15 min)
Williams advises you to define your competition as broadly as possible.
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Analyzing Competition, Mark Oster - Grant Thornton (3:43 min)
Accountant Mark Oster defines differentiation and competition and explains how to establish and maintain a competitive advantage.
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Mary Naylor, VIPDesk.com, Mid-Atlantic 2000 (1:01 min)
Naylor describes her 2 biggest competitors and why her clients chose VIPDesk over competitors.
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Caroline Oberg, ODAC, Inc., New England 2000 (1:30 min)
Oberg identifies the teams media buying as ODAC's competitive advantage.
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Margy Ronning, HandSignal, Inc., Mid-West 2001 (1:05 min)
Ronning explains how HandSignal does not directly compete with the hundreds of competitors by explaining the difference between user initiated and server initiated and how that gives her a competitive advantage.
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Krishna Subramanian, Kovair Software, Silicon Valley 2000 (1:37 min)
Subramanian describes her competition in a 4-quadrant landscape, and she illustrates how Kovair’s partner strategy positions them to be a front-end solution.
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Link to Creating Your Pitch: Competition
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Rob Stein, Women's Growth Capital Fund, Mid-Atlantic 2000 (4:21 min)
Stein stresses the importance of a well reasoned business proposition and revenue projections: How will you make money?
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Laurie Thomsen, Prism Venture Partners, New England 2000 (1:24 min)
Thomsen talks about how to break out the revenue model into easily defined pieces, making it easier for investors to understand.
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Valerie Buckingham, MEconomy, Inc., Silicon Valley 2001 (1:00 min)
After describing MEconomy's business model, Buckingham tells the potential investors about MEconomy's expected revenues and gross margins. Finally, she talks about the upside potential expected with the value-based pricing model.
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Mary Naylor, VIPDesk.com, Mid-Atlantic 2000 (1:10 min)
Using an typical contract as an example, Naylor describes their revenue streams and the typical contract size.
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Meredith Taylor, Senior Surfers, Inc., Silicon Valley 2001 (1:00 min)
Taylor explains Senior Surfers revenue model and why she expects it to scale rapidly.
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Link to Creating Your Pitch: Business Model and Financial Projections
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Darrell Williams, Telecommunications Development Fund, Mid-West 2001 (1:47 min)
Williams talks about the balance between describing your accomplishments, tangible milestones and use of funds.
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Cal Hackeman-Grant Thornton, "Appropriate Uses of Funds" (2:04 min)
Springboard Director and accountant Cal Hackeman discusses typical uses of venture capital.
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Diane Hessan, Communispace, New England 2000 (0:45 min)
Hessan gives very clear examples of Communispace's accomplishments.
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Jane Homan, ioGenetics, Mid-West 2001 (0:23 min)
Homan clearly explains how ioGenetics intends to use the funds the company both previously sought and is currently seeking.
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Rosemary O'Neil, InfoPop, Silicon Valley 2001 (1:20 min)
O'Neil explains where her company has been and where it is going.
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Margy Ronning, Handsignal, Inc., Mid-West 2001 (1:11 min)
Ronning weaves HandSignal's accomplishments, use of funds, and milestones together.
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Meredith Taylor, Senior Surfers, Inc., Silicon Valley 2000 (0:52 min)
Taylor clearly explains Senior Surfers milestones to date.
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LaVonne Reimer Young, Cenquest, Silicon Valley 2000 (0:28 min)
Young talks about how she plans to put investment capital to work.
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Link to Creating Your Pitch: Accomplishments, Use of Funds, and Milestones
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Monica Doss, Council for Entrepreneurial Development, Mid-Atlantic 2000 (1:11 min)
Doss advises you to match the team and its strengths and abilities to the challenges facing the company.
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Chip Hardt, McKinsey & Co., Mid-West 2001 (1:51 min)
Investors would rather bet on an "A" team with a "B" idea than the other way around. Hardt gives advice on how to present a company's management team, advisory board and board of directors.
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Gail Blauer, Post2Post.com, Inc., New York 2001 (1:29 min)
Blauer details the Post2Post management team's concrete accomplishments.
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Cynthia Fisher, ViaCell, New England 2000 (0:27 min)
Fisher explains the unique scientific advisory board of ViaCell.
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Joan Wilbanks Lyman, SecureWorks, Mid-Atlantic 2000 (1:43 min)
Lyman clearly outlines the accomplishments of her team members and her motivation for running the company.
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Cheryl Mayberry, Nia Enterprises, LLC., Mid-West 2001 (0:59 min)
Mayberry talks about herself early in her presentation and her team later in the presentation. You’re the speaker. Your audience wants to know early how you’re connected to this business (i.e., what is your experience and what is your passion for this business). Mayberry establishes her credibility early and by using humor.
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Cheryl Mayberry, Nia Enterprises, LLC., Mid-West 2001 (1:07 min)
Mayberry gives specific details about her and her team while classifying it as Class A.
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Krishna Subramanian, Kovair Software, Silicon Valley 2000 (0:23 min)
Using her current accomplishments as a transition, Subramanian then discusses her abilities as well as those of her team.
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Link to Creating Your Pitch: Management Team
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Cheryl Mayberry, Nia Enterprises, LLC., Mid-West 2001 (0:40 min)
Mayberry emphasizes her main point with an image and a new example. What you can’t see in this example is the photograph Mayberrry used for her slide—a Wrigley doublemint twins ad for the Williams sisters. She uses this example to emphasize the timing and market opportunity for reaching African Americans.
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Caroline Oberg, ODAC, Inc., New England 2000 (1:07 min)
Oberg is unorthodox. She surprises her audience by jumping off the stage in high heels and gets their attention by physically moving closer, emphasizing her passion and making a lasting impression.
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Harriet Peterson, Buzz Notes, Inc., Silicon Valley 2001 (0:53 min)
In another unorthodox approach, Peterson speaks directly to 47 investors whom she has studied. She warmly, but assertively, confronts them and tells them, “You should have ME in your portfolio.†Her audience spontaneously applauds.
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Joan Wilbanks, Secure Works, LLC., Mid-Atlantic 2000 (0:20 min)
Wilbanks confidently asserts that they will hear about the problem and without a doubt, Secure Works will be the answer.
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Link to Creating Your Pitch: Closing
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The Players, Marcia Hooper - Castile Ventures (4:22 min)
Investor Marcia Hooper explains the roles and steps involved in a venture capital deal process.
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The Process, Heather Shively - CapitalThinking (3:11 min)
Springboard alumna Heather Shively offers a CEO's perspective on what to expect when you're "doing the deal".
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The Goal, Susan DeFife - Streaming Text (1:52 min)
Springboard alumna Susan DeFife advises fellow entrepreneurs to take as much money as possible and to focus on the ultimate goal of building a successful company rather than on securing a high valuation in the deal.
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Timing, Heather Shively - CapitalThinking (1:37 min)
Springboard alumna Heather Shively offers advice on the timing of the fundraising process.
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Investor Likes and Dislikes (3:24 min)
An investor describes investors' likes and dislikes in a potential investment.
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How To Select Investors To Target, Darryl Wash - Ascend Venture Partners, LLC (4:27 min)
Investor Darryl Wash discusses how to select investors to target.
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Tips on Targeting Investors, Julia Feldman - Goldman, Sachs, & Co. (0:40 min)
Investment banker Julia Feldman suggests that start-up companies focus on funds that are actively investing capital and that can add value other than capital.
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Presentation Dos and Don'ts, Darryl Wash - Ascend Venture Partners, LLC (1:46 min)
Investor Darryl Wash offers dos and don'ts for the investor presentation.
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Importance of the Management Team, Linda Mintz - Greenberg Traurig, LLP (0:43 min)
Attorney Linda Mintz advises that the management team is the most critical factor to an investor when deciding to fund a company.
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Key Attributes of the Term Sheet, Mary Hildebrand - Goodwin Procter LLP (2:42 min)
Attorney Mary Hildebrand discusses key attributes of the term sheet and emphasizes that it is simply a framework for moving forward in a deal.
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The Term Sheet and The Capitalization Table, Gail Goodman and Marcia Hooper - Various (3:01 min)
Springboard alumna Gail Goodman and investor Marcia Hooper explain the differences between the term sheet and the capitalization table and emphasize the importance of understanding the capitalization table.
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An Investor's Approach To Valuation, Nelson Stacks - 3i Group (0:30 min)
Investor Nelson Stacks talks about how investors approach valuation.
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Valuation, Mary Hildebrand - Goodwin Procter LLP(2:07 min)
Attorney Mary Hildebrand reviews three bases for approaching valuation: market, income, and assets.
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Insights and Pointers On Due Diligence, Mary Hildebrand - Goodwin Procter LLP (2:37 min)
Attorney Mary Hildebrand shares insights and pointers on the due diligence process.
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Presenting Financial Information During Due Diligence, Investor- Apax Partners, Inc. (4:55 min)
Investor reviews the presentation of financial statements and information, a critical component of the due diligence process.
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After Closing, Heather Shively - CapitalThinking, Inc. (0:57 min)
Springboard alumna Heather Shively advises that following negotiations and closing, it is important to recognize the investor as a partner.
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Creating a Business Plan (1:42 min)
A business plan helps you to crystallize your ideas, focus your thinking about how to execute them, and will show the potential for the idea. Once the business plan is drafted, it has to be revised constantly.
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Contents of a Business Plan (1:35 min)
A business plan tells the story of your company and should be concrete rather than abstract. Its contents should include an executive summary, followed by background information, market and industry analysis, business strategy, and financials.
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Strategies for Success (2:10 min)
When investors read a business plan, they focus on the management team, target market, business model, competition and the company's approach to the market. The company must understand their competitive landscape, how they are differentiated, and what gives them a competitive advantage over their competitors.
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Link to Springboard Tools: Business Plan Guide
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