"Think about what you're trying to achieve and think about what the other person's trying to achieve in the meeting and tailor your remarks to address those needs and practice. Because I think sometimes when you are too heads down, you kind of forget that what you think is really obvious about your business might not be so obvious to another person. So it's finding the right level to have the conversation not too high level and not too weedy, but striking that balance between, hey, here's the core assumptions about why this is an amazing opportunity. And then there's like the deep dive into all the great work that we've done and why we think we have a glorious future ahead." - Shiyan Koh
"People sometimes underestimate how much energy you need to show online relative to being in person. They come across as super flat and low-energy, even though they're not necessarily that way in real life. They might not even perceive themselves to be that way. Online, you need to amp up your energy at the beginning and think about how that comes across. There's that sort of initial 1, 2 minutes where you're doing intros and trying to connect with the other person where your body language and how you lead into the conversation can all send subconscious cues to the other person. Sometimes, people look super tentative and nervously ask the audience to refer to the slide and start going through it. That's something you have to practice. How would that lead in a more casual and natural way, set the other people at ease, and make them want to do it conversationally? As the founder, you want your preferences for whatever you're better at, whether you're good on your feet and you want to do it conversationally, or you prefer the structure of the slides. But then, you want your slides to be good and tight. You have to think through that in planning your fundraising meetings." - Shiyan Koh
"One of the basics is making sure that you're set up in an environment that you're comfortable with. If necessary, feel free to reschedule or find another time that you'd be comfortable with because you get one first meeting and then you never have a first meeting with that person ever again. First impression is so important. Humans are psychologically wired for first impressions. You also have to make sure that you have good audio equipment, and that you have done practice sessions or you've recorded yourself. You can have someone do some dry runs with you. That 30-minute meeting timeframe is so solvable because it's like an interview. You can prepare for anything that's 30 minutes long." - Jeremy Au
In this episode, Jeremy Au speaks on founder-investor first meeting dynamics, pitching preparation, and navigating the conversation framework.
Keywords: Founder-Investor First Meeting Dynamics, Pitching Preparation, Navigating Conversation Framework, VC, Founder Story, Thought Leadership
