Last week at TechCrunch Disrupt (recaps coming soon), I spent less time than usual in the green room where staff and speakers work behind the scenes, and spent hours walking around Moscone Center. More than 10,000 people passed through the conference hall over three days: I moderated three investor panels and a Q&A, but I must have spoken with at least 30 early-stage founders. No one I met said they were looking for "thought leadership" or scorching hot takes: Almost everyone wanted actionable advice that would help them fundraise, build and scale. Six out of the seven VCs I surveyed this month included their contact details, so getting in touch with a tech investor is the easy part. The hard part is crafting a story about your startup that's so convincing, they'll recognize the value in your idea and wire you some cash. Here's who I spoke to: - Maria Buitron, principal, Piva Capital
- Karl Alomar, managing partner, M13
- Raja Ghawi, partner, Era Ventures
- Anamitra Banerji, managing partner, Afore Capital
- Mukaya (Tai) Panich, CIO and CEO, SCB 10X
- David Phelps, founder, chairman and CEO; Merlin Ventures and Merlin Cyber
- Kavita Gupta, founder and general partner, Delta Blockchain Fund
Fun fact: Today is my fourth anniversary at TechCrunch! If this were a startup, I’d be fully vested by now. Thanks very much for reading TC+, Walter Thompson Editorial Manager, TechCrunch+ @yourprotagonist Read More |