哪些科技公司是潛力股?女投資高手從創(chuàng)始人看起
近日,在《財(cái)富》雜志在美國(guó)加州拉古納尼格爾市舉辦的新一代最具影響力女性峰會(huì)創(chuàng)投公司上,三位女性投資人——Trinity Ventures合伙人安朱拉·阿查瑞亞、私募投資公司斐然資本合伙人利亞·巴斯克和風(fēng)投基金B(yǎng)BG Ventures創(chuàng)始人妮莎·杜阿齊聚一堂,介紹了她們認(rèn)為有潛力的企業(yè)家應(yīng)具備哪些素質(zhì)。 以下是她們分享的心得。 能給人留下深刻第一印象的創(chuàng)始人 “優(yōu)秀的創(chuàng)始人總會(huì)一門心思解決問(wèn)題,收到反饋后又能靈活調(diào)整方向,這種創(chuàng)始人就是最理想的人選,”杜阿說(shuō),“他們要有相當(dāng)?shù)淖灾??!倍虐⑦€說(shuō),和創(chuàng)始人聊天或者提出反饋的時(shí)候就能看出來(lái),“見(jiàn)上幾次面就能大致了解某個(gè)人?!? 擅長(zhǎng)描繪創(chuàng)業(yè)理想的創(chuàng)業(yè)者 身為共享人力資源平臺(tái)TaskRabbit的創(chuàng)始人,巴斯克認(rèn)為講好故事很重要?!皠?chuàng)始人有沒(méi)有為了抓住商機(jī)努力奮斗?看著他們的眼睛,你信不信他們能堅(jiān)持下去?”她這樣問(wèn)。這就是創(chuàng)始人講好創(chuàng)業(yè)理想很重要?!埃ㄒ鞔_告訴我)坐在我對(duì)面的人是誰(shuí)?他們來(lái)這想做什么?” 杜阿也同意巴斯克的看法。她說(shuō):“你問(wèn)對(duì)方他是誰(shuí),實(shí)際上就是在問(wèn)他們希望未來(lái)五年、十年內(nèi)公司發(fā)展成什么樣。” 不自以為是的創(chuàng)始人 阿查瑞亞說(shuō):“募資就像約會(huì)。千萬(wàn)不要看起來(lái)急不可待?!? 杜阿認(rèn)為,創(chuàng)始人也不能看起來(lái)太有防備。她列舉了一些創(chuàng)始人應(yīng)該避免的表現(xiàn):“有些創(chuàng)始人,只要你一問(wèn)他問(wèn)題或者主動(dòng)提出反饋,他就戒心很強(qiáng),還有些人會(huì)遮遮掩掩。不要把公司的營(yíng)業(yè)收入放在附件第60頁(yè)里。有人問(wèn)起經(jīng)營(yíng)數(shù)據(jù)時(shí),不要因?yàn)閷擂喂室廪D(zhuǎn)移話題。投資者希望了解你對(duì)公司的真實(shí)想法?!? 目光長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)的創(chuàng)始人 阿查瑞亞認(rèn)為,找到目光長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)的投資人很重要。她說(shuō):“對(duì)我?guī)椭畲蟮膶?dǎo)師是(唱片公司Interscope Records和錄音設(shè)備品牌Beats Electronics的聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人)吉米·艾歐文。他給過(guò)我一大筆投資,一周后告訴我公司會(huì)倒閉。他說(shuō):‘對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō),創(chuàng)始人要對(duì)專輯負(fù)責(zé),不能只盯著單曲?!?,我尋找理想的投資公司創(chuàng)始人時(shí),不希望對(duì)方曇花一現(xiàn)。” 她接著說(shuō):“有次我雖然不相信項(xiàng)目能成功,但還是私下給創(chuàng)始人投資,目的只是和他們共同進(jìn)退。老實(shí)說(shuō),后來(lái)那家公司的確垮了,但后來(lái)我和吉米合作成功不少次。他當(dāng)年信任我,現(xiàn)在我同樣信任其他創(chuàng)業(yè)者。投資是和創(chuàng)始人共赴征途,要把眼光放長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)?!? 女性創(chuàng)始人 杜阿說(shuō):“我們認(rèn)為,如果女性創(chuàng)始人為和自己類似的消費(fèi)者開(kāi)發(fā)產(chǎn)品,還是非常值得投資的。因?yàn)榇蟛糠窒M(fèi)者都是女性,85%的購(gòu)物決策都是由女性做出。她們是大多數(shù)社交平臺(tái)上的活躍分子。我們?cè)絹?lái)越成為第一個(gè)吃螃蟹的人?,F(xiàn)在創(chuàng)始人發(fā)生了很大變化,再也不只是斯坦福大學(xué)的書呆子了。女性創(chuàng)業(yè)大潮已經(jīng)興起?!? 巴斯克也表示贊成?!巴顿Y者總是說(shuō)要找搭調(diào)的人,”她說(shuō),“我就什么調(diào)都不搭。只有少數(shù)有眼光的人把握住了機(jī)會(huì)跟我合作?!? 勇于承認(rèn)失利的創(chuàng)始人 巴斯克是由創(chuàng)始人轉(zhuǎn)型的投資人。她坦言:“我現(xiàn)在還覺(jué)得自己像深入敵后的人。所以我可以說(shuō):投資人不投資你的公司可以有成千上萬(wàn)條理由,其實(shí)和你本人沒(méi)關(guān)系?!? 雖敗猶榮的創(chuàng)始人 阿查瑞亞說(shuō):“每個(gè)人內(nèi)心都會(huì)有一些斗爭(zhēng)。最優(yōu)秀的創(chuàng)始人是糾結(jié)的。”(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)) 譯者:Pessy 審稿:夏林 |
Three female investors—AnjulaAcharia of Trinity Ventures, Leah Busque of FUEL Capital, and NishaDua of BBG Ventures—gathered at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Next Gen Summit in Laguna Niguel, Calif. to outline the qualities that they look for in promising entrepreneurs. Here’s what they said. Founders who make a great first impression “You’re always looking for a founder that has incredible conviction in what they’re solving yet has flexibility and an ability to pivot when they receive feedback,” Dua said. “They need some level of self-awareness.” Investors can hear it when founders chat with them or respond to feedback, she added. “You can tell a lot about a person in those first few meetings.” Founders who tell a great story Busque, who is also the founder of TaskRabbit, the on-demand labor marketplace, said storytelling matters. “Is this founder purpose-built for the opportunity? Can you look them in the eye and believe that they’re going to persist?” she asked. That’s why the story a founder tells matters. “Who is this person sitting across from me? Why are they here?” Dua agreed: “In asking a person who they are, you’re really asking what they want that business to be in five, 10 years.” Founders who check their ego at the door “Raising money is like dating,” Acharia said. “You can never look desperate.” Nor should you look defensive, Dua said. “Founders who get defensive when you ask them questions or give them unsolicited feedback…and people who try to hide things,” she said, listing founder no-nos. “Don’t put your revenue on page 60 in the appendix. Don’t deflect when you’re asked about it because you’re embarrassed. The investor wants to know how you’ve thought about the business.” Founders who take the long view Acharia said that it’s worth finding investors who are in it for the long run. “My biggest mentor is Jimmy Iovine,” she said. “A week after he gave me a really big check, he told me my business would fail. He said, ‘For me, founders are about albums, not singles.’ So when I look at a founder, I don’t just look for that one hit.” She continued: “I’ve given personal checks to founders to people whom I didn’t even believe their business plan but I want to be in business with them. And to be quite frank, my business failed, and I went on to do more things with Jimmy that were successes. That belief he had in me is now something I have in others. It’s about being on a journey with a founder and taking that long-term view.” Founders who are women “We think it’s a competitive advantage to invest in female founders who are building a product for consumers who look like them,” Dua said. “Women are the dominant consumer. They drive 85% of purchasing decisions. They drive most social platforms. And we’re increasingly the early adopter. The changing profile of the founder—it’s no longer the Stanford hoodie. So we’re seeing this tidal wave of female founders.” Busque agreed. “Investors always say they’re looking to pattern-match,” she said. “I didn’t match a pattern. It was a few people who took a chance on me.” Founders who recognize that it’s not always about them “I still feel like I’m behind enemy lines” as a founder turned investor, Busque said, “So I’ll say this: I’ve learned that there are thousands of reasons why an investor won’t invest in your company that have nothing to do with you.” Founders who wear failure like a badge of honor “Everybody’s struggling with something on the inside,” Acharia said. “The best founders are struggling with something.” |