What to Include in Your Data Room as an Early-Stage Startup

One of the most common questions founders ask when raising money is: "What should we include in the data room?"

Here’s a snapshot of key documents you should consider, according to Yana Abramova:

▪️ 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺: Contracts, ESOP, advisor details, and reference lists.

▪️ 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆: Your deck, one-pager, and case studies.

▪️ 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: Contracts, pipeline data, usage stats, and market research.

▪️ 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹: Incorporation docs, patents, security agreements, and policies.

▪️ 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: Cap table and SAFE or similar agreements.

▪️ 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀: Budget and financial projections.

▪️ 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲: Highlighting your traction and credibility.

While this isn’t a full due diligence checklist, organizing a clear and professional data room early on signals to investors that your startup is ready to execute.

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Как оценить стоит ли работать с VC, с которым ты общаешься?

Пообщался с десятками фондов, поделюсь как понять, стоит ли с ними связываться:

1/ Историческая подтянутость в теме — спроси, с какими проектами из твоей ниши работали. Если сразу перечисляет кейсы и делится задачами/решениями — это тот, кто реально шарит. Если начинает хуйню молоть про будущее AI/AR/VR/ML без конкретики — съебывай нахуй.

2/ Value Add — если VC говорит только про деньги, а не про то, как поможет с контактами, нетворкингом, процессами, то он скорее всего «денежный мешок без мозгов». Такие иногда нужны, но рассчитывать на помощь бессмысленно.

3/ Скорость — опытный VC делает предложение быстро. Если тянет резину месяцами, то представь, как вы вместе будем тянуть потом на следующем раунде.

4/ Репутация — проверь их предыдущие сделки и поговори с фаундерами из их портфеля. Никогда не верь сайту — найди на LinkedIn основателей из их портфельных компаний и просто позвони им. Спроси прямо «чуваки чем-то реально помогают или только ебут мозги?»

5/ Размер и тип чека — если VC хочет слишком большой кусок за слишком малые деньги, смотри критически на это. Пиши мне в личку, если не понимаешь, адекватно ли тебе предлагают.

6/ Нормл коммуникация — если венчурщик не отвечает на простые вопросы, юлит или делает вид, что не понял, что ты спросил — работать с ним будет невыносимо.

7/ Прозрачность процесса — адекватный VC сразу говорит, как проходит их процесс принятия решения и сколько времени займет.

8/ Требования к репортингу — некоторые фонды потом требуют еженедельные репорты с данными, которых у тебя нет и никогда не будет. Выясни до подписания.

9/ Партнерский IR — посмотри как VC общается с тобой - как босс или партнер. Если тон снисходительный, работать будет так же.

Ставь 👍, если согласен.

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The one minute pitch that gets investors to say YES

Your pitch isn't failing because your idea is bad.
It's failing because you're saying too much.

"The founders who raise aren't necessarily smarter, they're clearer."

Here's the 60-second pitch formula that actually works:

1) Hook (5 sec)
"[Company] is solving [specific pain] for [target market]."

2) Problem (10 sec) 
"Today, [audience] struggles with [problem] costing them [quantified pain]."

3) Solution (15 sec) 
"We've built [solution] that delivers [unfair advantage] through [key benefit]."

4) Traction (10 sec)
"We've already [achievement], growing [metrics] month-over-month."

5) Market (5 sec)
"This is a $[X]B market growing [Y]% annually."

6) Team (5 sec)
"Our team built [previous success] and has deep expertise in [domain]."

7) Ask (10 sec)
"We're raising [$ amount] to [specific milestone], which gets us to [...]."

Most founders don't ramble for 20 minutes, lose the investor in the first 30 seconds, and wonder why they didn't get funded.

Don't be that founder. Keep it tight. Keep it clear 💪

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Great communicators don’t just talk, they connect.

Here's what they do (and don't do) ⬇️

Your communication skills might be holding you back.

Most people think they’re great communicators.

But in reality, small mistakes can cost you opportunities,
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Here are 12 do’s and don’ts to improve your communication:

Do...
↳ Hear others fully before responding.
↳ Use simple words to share your message.
↳ Confirm understanding with open-ended questions.
↳ Speak calmly and respectfully in every situation.
↳ Show engagement with appropriate eye contact.
↳ Tailor your style to suit the listener.
↳ Be receptive to ideas, even if unexpected.
↳ Show interest with nods and verbal cues.
↳ Use open gestures to build trust.
↳ Be mindful of how words may impact others.
↳ Share your opinion calmly and professionally.
↳ Summarise points and agree on next steps.

Don't...
↳ Interrupt or assume you know their point.
↳ Overcomplicate or ramble unnecessarily.
↳ Assume you’ve understood without checking.
↳ Use an aggressive or dismissive tone.
↳ Stare or avoid looking at people altogether.
↳ Use the same approach for every person.
↳ Shut down perspectives different from yours.
↳ Zone out or look distracted when listening.
↳ Cross your arms or look unapproachable.
↳ Use harsh or careless language.
↳ Raise your voice or become dismissive.
↳Leave discussions without clear conclusions.

Mastering these habits will make you a stronger
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🧠 Remember: Great communication isn’t about
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💰 What is EBITDA?

EBITDA stands for:
Earnings
Before
Interest
Taxes
Depreciation
Amortization

It's a financial metric that shows how much money a company makes before taking into account certain expenses.


❗️ Why is EBITDA important for Businesses?

EBITDA is important because it gives businesses an idea of how much money they're generating from their operations.

This is useful for investors and lenders who want to know how profitable a company is.

It’s like a scorecard to know how much money a company is making.


💸 How is EBITDA calculated?

To calculate EBITDA, you need to start with a company's revenue and subtract its cost of goods sold.

Then, you subtract its operating expenses (like salaries and rent).

This gives you the company's EBITDA.


👧🏼 Example:

Let's say you and your friends sell lemonade from a stand.

You make $20 selling lemonade, but you spent $5 on lemons, sugar, and cups.

You also spent $5 on flyers to advertise your lemonade stand.

To calculate your EBITDA, you would start with the $20 you made selling lemonade, and subtract the $5 you spent on lemons, sugar, and cups.

This leaves you with $15. Then, you would subtract the $5 you spent on advertising.

This leaves you with an EBITDA of $10.


🔼 EBITDA vs Net Income

Imagine that on top of your expenses of your lemonade stand you have to pay taxes (for example to be allowed to sell on the street).

Imagine as well that you need to put money aside to invest in a new machine or a new stand because your machine is getting old.
This is called depreciation.

In EBITDA, you don’t take consideration these expenses.

But the net income is what remains as profit after all these expenses are taken in account.