Success Story: What it Takes to Fund Your Startup
With so many funding options out there, raising funds can be a confusing and somewhat overwhelming process. Every entrepreneur is looking to bring their idea to life, but do they have what it takes to make it happen?
Are you willing to drive across 27 states over the course of a month? Drive miles on end with your business partner with an iMac and printer in the back, a bag of clothes, and a gym membership in hand?
We have the pleasure of working with two people who have done all of the above and more! VERB, which just so happens to stand for “take action,” has shared their funding success story with us which left us in awe.
They took a road trip in their personal car and sought out to receive funding from Venture Capital investors. They dedicated an entire month of their time to pursue leads from their own research. VERB put everything they had into what they believe in. They took a chance.
“You have to be willing to give up anything you have in order to make something like this happen.” — VERB
They believe that you need personal engagement. You need to put yourself in front of them. Make your presence known. Don’t depend on just sending an email deck to an investor — you’ll get turned down quicker than you can hit send.
One of VERB’s targets was to have 8 potential investors lined up. When they weren’t meeting with potential investors face-to-face, they were set up at a local Starbucks with their iMac and printer plugged in, iPad open, and personal greeting cards lined up. People would literally walk by and ask to take a photo of their workstation!
VERB went to 46 different firms within 2 days! That’s commitment. However, it isn’t as simple as knocking on the front door of the first investor you find. These folks don’t just open up their checkbook to anyone who walks in with an idea. VERB decided to take an aggressive approach which they describe as crazy and creative.
They brought two separate envelopes with a VERB thank you card stating, “Thank you in advance for meeting with us next week,” with a photo of themselves inside, and an investors name handwritten on top.
Their crazy and creative idea paid off because they finally established six fruitful relationships. Investors were really impressed with the personal gesture and creativity. The results from their idea were ridiculous. They got into doors of places they couldn’t get into before. They were persistent and didn’t give up after the first “no.” Persistence is key.
“If you want what everyone gets, do what everyone does.” — VERB
Do you have what it takes as a team to make your dream become a reality? The strength in a relationship for partners to get through it is scarce, and to be able to sustain after the fact is paramount.
VERB has recently partnered with NasDaq Stock Market, the second-largest exchange in the world by market capitalization, and will be powered by them. Check out their video below! They have continued to prove that they have what it takes to win.
No Comments