F-r-u-b: Entrepreneurs and investors who have rejected them

Rejection is a bad taste. For small business partners, it is as if you are full of joy to dedicate their favorite things to others, but he said that the same as worthless. Their hard-earned projects have been rejected by investors. This pain is beyond the ordinary people can not understand, especially in your ideas to practice, to prepare for a long time, feel that their company is the power to change the world.

As a bitter experience, you start to feel that the present (SHA) appearance (BI) Investors do not know how to cherish you is not worth your cherish, and then with a:

I'm going to prove it to them and make them regret today's decision.

Mood, decided to rally to move forward, let the unhappy things with the wind and died. In fact, this thing can have a better outcome, everything depends on how you face this hard-hearted to you say "no" investors.

Standing in the angle of the wind, say "no" for a variety of reasons, it's probably just because they don't know enough about your field, or if they've invested in your competitors, can't think about you for professional reasons, or they think your project is good, but it's not the right time to wait and see. For whatever reason, proving a "no" does not represent a denial of your entrepreneurial project. On the contrary, most of the time VCs will be very willing to keep in touch with the founding team they have negotiated.

So what's the point of keeping in touch? For example, a good startup may have a lot of investors chasing, and many times an investor who has not been selected by a start-up in the first round will stay in touch with the company and then get the next round of Twitter,facebook is a living example. Similarly, an investor who rejects you this time may be the next one to flag you or at least give you a word.

Analysis here, I believe everyone is gearing up, ready to reject their own investors contact. Keep in touch with tips, and let VCs feel the value of contacting you is greater than the time cost of contacting you. Here are three strokes in the investment project can still be elegant and the wind to keep in touch with the method, we call it "f-r-u."

feedback– make each other more respectful.

Startups need feedback, especially investors ' feedback, to improve. VCs usually give you and the team feedback when making decisions about whether or not to invest, and if not, politely ask for feedback. Many teams think VCs have made their decisions, and feedback is just formality, even making excuses. No wonder if you can seriously take the advice of VCs, and make timely response, will be from the venture to deal with countless team to stand out, leaving a good impression. This is respect for their time and opinions, but also for their own hard work-who knows if the next VC you want to see will ask a similar question?

Jim Robinson, one of Rre's founders, told the author that the VCs ' circle is really gossip, and many times investors have heard about the team from other investors before meeting a start-up team. Rejection of your investors generally have most of your project and team opinion, and seriously take these feedback, you can swords, before the comments to other investors to solve them, but also to investors to leave their serious impression.

In fact, all the development of all things need to help the feedback, the start-up companies are so, VCs are also the case. But since investors often have options, they rarely hear feedback from start-ups. If you can give some feedback on the process of contacting them, I'm sure they will appreciate your frankness. This one to the feedback, unconsciously let both sides win each other's respect, laid the foundation for trust.

referral– make each other more trusting.

Winning the respect, the next step is to win the trust. Chinese ancient adage has a cloud, "do not avoid revenge", in our here can be extended as "not to avoid the enemy", that is, regardless of the past to reject your investors recommend you a reliable entrepreneurial small partner. Through the previous round of feedback you will be aware of the interests of investors and the characteristics of the focus on what kind of projects and the team can get a general understanding of the investment. If the other small partners around the right candidate, may wish to recommend to the VC, this is equivalent to say "although we did not together, but I believe you can make my good friend happy", is how magnanimity and trust!

If your recommendation is reliable, it is further proof of your judgment and selfless character, and the investor will certainly appreciate your recommendation and do what it can to help you – if the investment is not negotiated for your company's own reasons and the investor appreciates your idea, It is also not impossible to introduce you to other investors around him who are better suited to your project.

Many investors, such as Brad Feld of Foundry Group, have openly expressed disgust at the entrepreneur who asked for the introduction, but you are not the same, and in the eyes of the investor, what you do is worth the credit of their reputation as collateral. In addition, investors can also use their own social circle for your team to recruit-millet can be dug from Google Reggie Hugo Barra, not benefit from investors Robin Chan and Hans Tung?

update– to get to know each other better.

After gaining trust, the third trick is to improve each other's understanding by constantly contacting and introducing the situation. The entrepreneurial team should regularly send information to people who have helped them about the status of their teams and projects, even if they have rejected their own investors. This will keep reminding investors of your progress so that they can re-examine their investment decisions and not be able to make the next round and they will come to you to invest.

Well-known VCs Fred Wilson missed Airbnb because the first time the team gave him the impression that "the hotel model of sleeping in someone else's living room" made him feel very unreliable. To this end he also regretted not to continue to pay attention to the development of Airbnb follow-up, missed the Unicorn company. If time went backwards, the Airbnb team would be able to send some information about their team's new market and new opportunities after being rejected, believing that Fred must have seen their results earlier and generously.

And these investors also need to pay attention to some tips: every time the current situation should bring a personal custom greeting (avoid mass group), and at the end of the list two shortcut options: VC If you are interested in the current situation, want to further talk about how to contact you, if the VCs are not interested, then say very embarrassed, later no longer disturb.

In fact, say so much, want to express is the investor and the entrepreneur, the most precious is the trust relationship. With a process such as "f-r-u", entrepreneurs are no longer an ideal project in the eyes of their investors, but as small partners who can maintain long-term ties and partnerships. Everyone can benefit (benefit)!