Advisor Resources

Where to Find Advisors:

1. Ask colleagues, friends, and family

2. Ask your attorney, accountant, and other professionals who are or may be working with the company

3. Ask other entrepreneurs

4. Search the Internet for people in positions with the requisite knowledge

5. Ask angel investors

6. Advisors themselves - one will lead to three!

7. Go to successful CEOs and ask who was instrumental early in their business to help them.

8. When you give VCs an early look at your business they will also know and suggest possible advisors.

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Where Advisors can Contribute:

1. Review the business plan

2. Review the investor pitch

3. Review of investor presentation

4. Introductions to industry people who can help answer questions about the market, business model, operations, sales, marketing, service, and supply chain

5. Introductions to and vetting of potential team members

6. Introductions to potential target customers for validation

7. Introductions to and vetting of investors

8. (Candid) feedback from the investors to whom the advisor made introductions. This “back-channel” of information can be one of the most valuable contributions.

9. Introductions to potential partners

10. Evaluation of the technical merits and drawbacks of the core IP

11. Evaluation of the business model

12. Evaluation of priorities, timelines and budget estimates

13. Founder issues

14. Cash management

15. Go to market strategy

16. Evaluation of positioning and messaging - are we telling the story well?

17. Review of business terms in agreements

18. Review of term sheets

19. Identifying the key issues to attack next

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