By Evan Baehr and Evan Loomis
Get backed is a fascinating and informative book written by a dear friend of mine and serial entrepreneur, Evan Baehr. Published by HBR Press, the book outlines the capital-raising and pitching processes which are now the mainstay for successful startup companies.
The book serves as a useful primer for any early-stage entrepreneur, but it also offers useful guidelines for more seasoned entrepreneurs who seek to polish their approach towards raising capital and pitching ideas in an ever-more competitive space.
The book details with immense precision, in a slide-by-slide manner, what should be contained within a clear business pitch to serious venture capitalists. It draws upon real-world examples of successful startup companies and goes from cover-to-end on excellent pitches.
It further goes on to discuss how entrepreneurs might best articulate their story in a manner that appeals most to the investor. It drills down to the level of studying which colors, fonts, and visual elements best transmit a desired message within each pitch. This helps new entrepreneurs get a sense of the sheer effort that is required to design an ideal pitch-deck.
It is important to see the proof in the pudding, since the cases covered in the book do reflect real-world success stories as startups that have evolved into larger ventures.
I’ve found the book to be a useful toolkit for early-stage entrepreneurs, given that it even includes drafts and templates of emails and other correspondence to send to investors, as well as comprehensive diagrams and indicators about the macro-structure of the venture capital markets.
I highly recommend this book to any young entrepreneur writing their first pitch deck, but I would also encourage more seasoned entrepreneurs to have a look at this book, because there is always room for improvement in the world of venture capital.
Get Backed: Craft Your Story, Build the Perfect Pitch Deck, and Launch the Venture of Your Dreams, by Baehr, Evan and Loomis, Evan (2015). Paperback. Harvard Business Review. Available on Amazon.
This is part of a series of book reviews by Dr Aron Ping D’Souza.
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