A year and a half ago, in December/January 2022, I started pitching V-ALL with a basic tech concept and a hypothesis. We've refined the pitch multiple times over the year, but I haven't officially entered the fundraising market yet.
It's been long, and I've been burning through funds. I've tapped into the marriage fund, the LIC fund, and stocks, and now I'm approaching the retirement provident fund. When you work in the non-profit world, the starting balance for a bootstrapped startup is not very high.
Enough with the sob story! Let's get down to business:
It's fundraising time again! The pitch is almost ready, and I'm planning trips to Bombay and Bangalore soon. Hit me with recommendations and connections – my "wish list" is growing fast!
I enjoy this too much or do I?
As you can see, my relationship with this pitch is a bit...complex. Working on it for a week and a half has turned it into my obsession. I think about it constantly, even dreaming about it and sending Divya incoherent voice messages at 5 am. We've flipped the entire pitch – vision statement, format, core idea – three or four times. You might think I should know all the answers by now.
I DO
I just can't quite seem to articulate them perfectly. So, what do I do?
Pitch, of course!
I talk to friends, family, and ex-colleagues and it has been helpful. They have been part of the journey and they understand. But this Friday, I think I reached a new peak. Exhausted from the week, I ordered a drink after a meeting. Normally, I'd pick up a book, but this time, I dove back into the pitch.
Imagine my surprise – how could I work on the pitch and not talk about it? So, martinis in hand, I pitched from 6 pm to midnight. Starting with one person, and the next thing I knew, I'd pitched to ten! Half of them even seemed interested in getting involved with V-ALL. I was in full sales more and everyone got the schpiel
Well spoke to a startup friend because I was worried that I was losing it. And she said,
“Welcome to the Club, about time you join the Party”
Apparently, a year and a half in, I hadn't truly joined the party yet. Living and breathing my startup – that's when I'm finally there. Looks like I'm on that fast-paced, downhill slope. Any tips for what to watch out for?