Unusual Ventures’ Post

Back in 2009, researchers from Indiana University undertook a major study to determine why companies decide to support a new idea. They collected information about 145 corporate ventures (businesses launched by corporations) within 72 corporations. They asked the corporate manager, who had detailed knowledge about the venture, and the venture manager, who led the day-to-day operations of the venture, what the motivations were for starting the venture. Three reasons jumped out as the strongest motivations for companies to launch ventures: 1. To leverage corporate resources into new business arenas 2. To build new capabilities 3. To generate quick and predictable financial returns The least compelling reasons to launch new ventures were: 1. To create a business that would be spun-off 2. To hedge the core business 3. To create an option Their findings can help you make a smarter choice about how to pitch your idea. Learn more advice for intrapreneurs: https://lnkd.in/dqf8VXvu

Eight in ten surveyed CEOs report new-business building as a top five priority despite recent heightened economic volatility. That makes sense, as every dollar of revenue from new businesses generates almost twice the enterprise value versus every dollar of core business revenues. Still, organizations will need to more than double their rate of business building to achieve leaders’ expectations that 29 percent of revenue in 2027 will come from new businesses. It’s easy to set an ambition to create a pipeline and portfolio of new ventures and investments that disrupt existing markets and create new ones. It’s easy to say “we need a growth engine”. The question really is – how? For Christian Lindener 🥷, Co-Managing Partner of EMEA Delivery and Client Success at Mach49, the answer is clear. To succeed with corporate venture building, lean on one of the main resources you already have: your people. To be more precise, the bold entrepreneurial people that are part of your organization already. Read more > https://lnkd.in/eBzp8Pbk

⤴️ How to spin out a corporate venture - PART #2 🚀 When is the right time for a corporate venture to spin out (with an external co-investor)? A tough question that of course depends on the circumstances of the idea and the market environment. In our conversation with Ralph Hartmeier from rready AG we discussed the pros and cons of spinning out vs. staying part of the corporate mothership. 💡 #Main #Learnings: - Corporate assets like the brand and market credibility, the network of management, and development resources are key to developing an early version of the solution and acquiring first test customers. - To achieve fast growth beyond the early stage a spin-out can be beneficial to take control of the venture brand and hiring. - A spin-out is the right path if the new business model does not fit in with the corporate business and core competencies or if the corporate acts regionally while the venture aims for a global scale. ➡ Read more in our blog part #2: https://lnkd.in/dhqKaPwG ➡ Download the summarized learnings here: https://lnkd.in/enR_4acf Stay tuned for further corporate entrepreneurship stories being released soon. #inspire #empower #create #corporateinnovation

💡✨ Unlock the secrets to attract potential investors and take your startup to new heights! 🌐✨ 🚀 Dive into the world of successful investor communication with our latest blog post: "Mastering Investor Communication: Optimal Approaches for Startups." Ready to revolutionize your approach? 🌟 Don't miss out! Click here: https://lnkd.in/gkug28Gc to read the full article now! 📖 🔗 Let's empower your startup journey together! 🚀👥 #InvestorCommunication #StartupStrategies #EntrepreneurialMindset #BusinessSuccess #FinancialWisdom #StrategicInvesting #NewBlogPost #StartupGrowth #InvestmentTips #BusinessInnovation #VentureCapitalInsights #FinancialPlanning #SuccessStories #InvestmentOpportunities #BusinessMastery #StrategicPartnerships #EntrepreneurLife #FinancialSuccess #InnovationHub #BusinessDevelopment #StartupVentures #InvestmentJourney #BlogReads #UnlockPotential #GameChanger #ClickLinkInBio

This Forbes article highlights important questions that all founders should consider before approaching investors. There's a lot to cover! We work very closely with our founder clients to ensure that they are absolutely investor ready when researching and approaching investors for their businesses. Fundamentally, our clients will all demonstrate 5 Key Attributes when our experienced partners get involved with supporting founders on their journeys... - There will be a 'Big Idea' - A clear proof of demand - A plan to scale - Founders and management who can deliver - Comprehensive, but simple, financial model Being prepared for a thorough evaluation by any investor is essential - this article has some great examples of questions, covering all aspects of an early-stage business... #earlystageinvesting #startupfunding #entrepeneur #vcfunding #angelinvesting

What's the prime reason startups falter? Misalignment among the varied stakeholder interests. Failure is tough, and one glaring oversight is neglecting to unify all stakeholders under a singular objective. This is especially crucial during fundraising when new investors come on board. Do you know where they envision the company's direction? The solution? Cultivate a robust strategic process within your organization. Successful leadership hinges on articulating and disseminating the company's vision. I've termed this as the "landing zone". While the future remains a mystery, clarity on your firm's vision and mission is non-negotiable. Recently, while sifting through old files, I stumbled upon a presentation from a project I was working on a few decades ago: Infusing strategic processes into a global public corporation. With a defined landing zone, the path becomes straightforward. Chart your course backward and pinpoint immediate actions and habits to set the company on its intended trajectory. This approach is pivotal for startups and expansive global enterprises alike. Master the basics. Diminish the odds of failure. Once the results of your strategic evolution are in hand and refreshed annually, articulating the company's vision, purpose, and mission to outside parties becomes a straightforward task. As for those who dissent from the vision? It's wiser to keep them off the table. Without a clear landing zone, discerning potential objections becomes an elusive endeavor.

It's particularly rewarding to find a positioning for a client's business and witness the energy it creates in the team. ⚡️ When you unlock a truth about a business, messaging becomes clear, teams align and new ideas flourish. It’s wonderful to see! This energy is contagious: investors, clients and partners see the new clarity and want to jump on board too. As exited marketing agency founders, Venture Partners, and VC Investment Committee members with over 50 years of collective experience, we understand exactly how this energy translates into sales and investment success. Book a time to talk through your marketing/growth challenges with us via the link in the comments. 👇 #Marketing #Consultants #Positioning #StartUp #ΕlysianFields

When and How To Say No 𝗔𝘀 𝗔𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 Investors say NO 99 out of every 100 pitches they receive. But let’s face it, most investors are bad at it. And startup founders end up: 🔻 Ghosted 🔻 Confused 🔻 Frustrated Here’s how you can say NO while giving advice: ▶ When founders have no skin in the game: "A stronger commitment from the founding team, in terms of personal investment, is needed for the success of this venture.” ▶ When the numbers don’t make sense: "I encourage you to revisit your numbers and consider adjustments that could make your proposal more viable for investors." ▶ When the product isn’t good enough: “At this stage, your product may not yet be ready for the market. Focus on refining and enhancing your product to improve your chances in the future." ▶ When the Product-Market Fit is unclear: “I recommend exploring how you might adapt your product to more closely align with market needs." ▶ When it doesn't align with the Investment Thesis: “We are focused on [specific sectors or types of investments], and we believe it's important to stay consistent with our investment strategy." I know we don’t have time to respond to all of them but it won’t hurt to give some advice or reasoning as we reject some of these aspiring founders. You never know when they might be a good investment for you in the future. Or the impact you may have on their development as founders. Image was taken from Chris Donnelly’s post 👉 https://lnkd.in/gbqi94KE #investing #venturecapital #strategy #innovation #technology #startups 🔔 Curated content for investors - trends, insights, and resources.

Dear Start-uppers, You are the primary Investor in your Start-up. 👉 Behave like one: Grasp the drivers of your start-up's valuation, For a start-up founder, grasping the drivers of a start-up's valuation is vital for at least 4 reasons: -       Negotiating with investors -       Demonstrating progress to investors -       Improving the business -       Raising additional capital 1️⃣ Negotiating with investors The management team and the founders of a startup can better negotiate with investors if they are aware of the factors that contribute to the valuation of the company.  For instance, if the team knows that the value is highly reliant on the market opportunity size, they can be ready to talk about the market opportunity and the start-up's strategies for capturing a large portion of it. 2️⃣ Demonstrating progress Startup founders and managers may show investors how far they've come by keeping tabs on the metrics that matter most to the company's valuation.  If the management team's strength is a major factor in the value, for instance, they can show success by bringing attention to important promotions or new hiring. 3️⃣ Improving the business The startup's founders or management team can make better decisions for the company's future if they know what factors contribute most to the valuation. As an example, the team may choose to allocate more resources towards creating a new IP or defending the current IP if the value is strongly influenced by the quality of the company's IP. 4️⃣ Raising capital By demonstrating progress and improving the business, the founders or management team can increase the start-up's valuation, which can make it easier to raise capital from investors. Dear Start-uppers, remember: You are the primary Investor in your Start-up.  👉 Behave like one. #startups #founders #valuation #investors

At Orlandopreneur, we’ll be teaching and utilizing our "secret sauce" method for startup investment, revealed by Rupert Meghnot! Rupert will share his unique methodology for determining whether to invest time or money into projects, a method he successfully applied at Burnout Game Ventures and now plans to implement at Orlandopreneur. The high failure rate of venture capital deals (75%, of the 0.05% who GET capital) underscores the importance of having a SMART decision-making process. Too many investors equate money with intelligence, yet a vast majority of their deals fail for totally avoidable reasons (and causes). Having a SMART methodology for investment decisions is paramount. Come learn about and discuss practical applications with Rupert Meghnot - and all the other experienced #womenpreneurs - at NIGHT'S event! Make the time. When 51.4% of our event attendees say our events "make an impact", you will not be disappointed! https://www.rfr.bz/llft18p #Orlandopreneurs #RupertMeghnot #investment #business #strategy #success #marketresearch #vizard