How to be fundable from day 1 by Eugenia Dunaeva.

Keynote presentation day 2.

1. How to be
fundable from
Day 1
Eugenia Dunaeva

2. Who am I and why I talk
about fundability

15 years of corporate career
Ex-EMEA Director of tech and startup
partnerships at Meta
Partner at SF-based VC Fund
Founder and CEO of Ultralite
Consulting
Angel Investor
Startup Advisor

3. WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT FUNDABILITY NOW?
Week 1Week 2Week 3
Problem Definition
Ideation
Team Formation
Customer Discovery &
Validation
Product

Market Research
Market Definition
Marketing
Marketing Campaigns
Startup Expo


Intellectual Property
Business Models and
Financials
Pitch & Pitch Decks
Fundraising & VCs

Your EIA Journey

4. WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT FUNDABILITY NOW?
Week 1Week 2Week 3
Problem Definition
Ideation
Team Formation
Customer Discovery
& Validation
Product

Market Research
Market Definition
Marketing
Marketing Campaigns
Startup Expo


Intellectual Property
Business Models and Financials
Pitch & Pitch Decks
Fundraising & VCs

6. “Your Startup is
not VC
Fundable”
•What does it really mean?

7. #1 Your
Model is not
Scalable or
Capital
Efficient

10. Source: OpenVC

11. #2 Your
Team is a
Concern for
the
Investors

12. Source: Endeavor.org

13. How to choose a right co-founder:
•Look for someone with complementary skills but same values
•Choose someone you trust – or build this trust
•No ego!
•Discuss your long-term strategy and vision for the company
•Check if they are able to commit the necessary time and resource
•Make sure they are someone you can have fun with
•Give each other a trial period
•Have a regular cadence to discuss your interaction as co-founders and re-assess your founders
agreement if needed

14. #3 Your
Problem is
Too Small

15. Swing High:

TOM of $1B is a good
TOM for investors

SAM shows how well
you know the market

SOM shows your
realistic GTM effort

19. #4 Your Are
Like All The
Others

20. Source: The Unfair Academy

22. #5 Your
Signal Is not
Strong
Enough (Yet)

24. To Sum Up: To Be Fundable
•Have a Scalable Model
•Assemble a Great Team
•Choose a Big (better huge!) Market and Show Healthy
ambition
•Figure Out your Unfair Advantage
•Demonstrate Strong Signal and Consistency in
Communication with VCs

25. Bonus. Questions to ask your potential
investors:
•What is the VC’s approach to investing? What is their investment thesis?
•Which startups from your country / industry / business model are already in their
portfolio? Can you talk to the founders directly?
•In which areas does the VC have significant background knowledge and expertise?
What can they offer to you?
•Does the VC have a robust network, and would they be willing to introduce you to
some key players?
•How has the VC helped other companies in which they have invested?

26. You can
do it