Preparation counts. That was the difference between third place where my team ended up and first place. More precisely, being more prepared than your competition counts.
Keep term sheets simple for seed stage startups. Build in basic protections. Build trust. Concentrate on due diligence – Market, Product, Team. Build rapport early and often, identify non-capital concerns and try to meet them.
Networking is work. And if you don’t follow up you’ve just wasted the work you put in.
Be prepared for any opportunity – if you don’t show up you miss so much. And people represent opportunity; look for excuses to connect frequently and often. As Igbo people would say “madu bu aku”.
Be complete. Be unexpected and be joyful. It makes you confident and attractive. Almost irresistible. Allows you to take the good that the universe delivers and handle the bad with equanimity.
If you can be funny, be funny. If you can’t, don’t worry about it.
