Startups, fundraising, Italy

Andrea Giannangelo

21 years young

twitter.com/Facens

Images from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2006/08/17/pt_crowdblock_front_01kpng/ and http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2006/02/06/pt_stuhl_front_01kpng/

startups, fundraising, Italy

ZzZ

my story

my experience

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2007/09/28/pt_paul_worker_07spng/

there is no best way

web design

as LEGO-replacement

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2006/03/10/pt_paul_gamer_01wtpng/

Graphic Farm

high-traffic forum on web graphics and web design

twitter.com/FacensImage from …me

three months in a web agency

at fourteen

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2011/01/03/pt-taubenfutterer-01k-png/

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUU****

classical studies

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2008/03/19/pt_paulbackpack_02tpng/

in the meantime

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2006/07/16/pt_monkeys_01tpng/

the years of IRC

MONKEYS ARE ALWAYS

MONKEYS

pixel art

twitter.com/FacensImage from …me

at seventeen, me-too of altervista.org

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2010/06/30/pt-bonanzabikeguy-01t-gif/

on a three-letters domain (ypu.com)

abandoned

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2007/01/17/pt_paul_smallrocket_01tpng/

lesson learned:

I had to be “ready”

NO FUEL

at university:

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2006/03/29/pt_paul_graduate_01tpng/

economics and marketing

at nineteen,

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2006/07/16/pt_paketbote_01tpng/

ecommerce for (well-designed) t-shirts,

with innovative business model on the concept of scarcity

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2007/07/03/pt_luandaliondinner_01tpng/

abandoned

lesson learned:

again, I was not “ready enough”

GNAM

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2006/02/17/pt_ecity_explosion_t01_3xpng/

few months later,

webtelevideo.com comes to life in a week

and starts growing

I finally hit the shot

THE SHOT

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2007/01/05/pt_dpplsandhaufen_01tpng/

not for money

but for experience

DON’T TALK, DIGG!

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2009/10/05/pt_yahoomoustagebillboard_01t-png/

lesson learned:

you're alone, SEO is great,

most twenties are completely unreliable,

start something and use it as a gym

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2007/01/05/pt_dpplsandhaufen_01tpng/

at twenty

iubenda comes to my mind

LOOKING AT BUTTERFLIES

?

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2007/12/14/pt_burningguy_02kpng/

developing it with other twenties?

failed

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2006/05/25/pt_shot_guy_01_4xpng/

developing it with a web agency?

failed

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2010/09/30/pt-shootkneeler-03k-png/

developing it alone?

too much complexity, I’m not a back-end developer

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2006/11/22/pt_zeltguy_01tpng/

what to do?

venture capital!

WHAT TO DO?BARBARA

STRAISAND

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2007/03/02/pt_paul_donkeyshake_01kpng/

a period of study:

know everything about Venture Capital,

identify and start following key people,

read everything about pitching,

watch tens of Dragon's Den episodes,

be patient and wait for the right moment

STUDY!

twitter.com/FacensImages from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2006/11/03/pt_academypodest_02kpng/ and http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2007/03/09/pt_paul_cupid_02kpng/

weeks for preparing a single email,

Gianluca Dettori, dPixel

a single shot:

LOVE ME! PLEASE!

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2006/06/15/pt_2guysandeames_01tpng/

goal reached:

it’s on May 2010

Gianluca schedules the meeting,


lesson learned:

that email had probably the power to change my future;

luckily, it was well prepared

after that, reach the goal of being interesting

INTERESTING ENOUGH?

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2007/11/26/pt_menhole_01tpng/

six months of deal flow,

spent building the team,

defining the idea

twitter.com/Facens

I had no prototype,

and no possibility to build one.

I had to play my cards right

BUNGA BUNGA!!!

Image from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2007/12/15/pt_rocketgirls_03kpng/

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2006/11/20/pt_disco_01tpng/

what I did:

customer development

market research

building the network

MARKET RESEARCH

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2006/06/22/pt_devilandangel_01tpng/

lesson learned:

bulding trust toward the investors is a key,

and if your track record is poor,

I LOVE YOU TOO...

you have to prove how good you are

TOO...


lesson learned:

don’t ask the money until you are sure of the response,

and be patient

BE PATIENT, BE PATIENT,BE PATIENT!

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2006/02/23/pt_blacklimo_01kpng/

lesson learned:

it’s much easier to find team members

with a VC behind you

LIMOUSINE EFFECT

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2006/06/30/pt_hulahoopgirl_02tpng/

lesson learned:

raising money is horribly time-consuming

TIME-WHAAAT?AAAH..!! BUNGA

BUUUUNGA..!

twitter.com/Facens

lesson learned:

negotiating principles:

luckily, studied at University

this avoided many errors!

Image from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2007/03/02/pt_paul_donkeyshake_01kpng/

STUDY!

twitter.com/Facens

lesson learned:

convertible debt

is your best friend

Image from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2007/03/02/pt_paul_donkeyshake_01kpng/

STUDY!

twitter.com/Facens

lesson learned:

work on people,

build relationships while you're not looking for something

Image from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2009/09/07/pt-nuns-01k-png/

BUNGA BUNGA!

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2007/11/26/pt_menhole_01tpng/

disclose yourself,

ask for help

COMPLETELY DISCLOSED...

BUNGA BUNGA?

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2006/12/20/pt_weddingrp_01kpng/

raising money is not the goal, it’s the beginning

product is the only real battleground

JUST THE BEGINNING


working hard: granted

but “you can”, even in Italy

BUNGA BUNGA: WORKING HARD...


you have to be good, it’s a necessity

anyway, is the ability to show how good you are

“GOOD” ENOUGH?

to make the difference

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2007/12/19/pt_tokiotaxigirls_01kpng/

forget everything and do it your own way

SANTA SAYS:YOU CAN

SUCCEED, EVEN IN ITALY, AND

“BUNGA BUNGA” IS NOT THE ONLY WAY

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2009/08/08/pt_delorean_doorsopen_02tpng/

slides already available online

YOU'RE GOING TO SEE

SOME SERIOUS

SHIT.

at www.thinkamination.com

twitter.com/FacensImage from http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/2009/12/24/pt-cnnvan-01t-png/

slides already available online

Andrea Giannangelo

twitter.com/Facensfacebook.com/andrea.giannangelo

www.iubenda.comwww.thinkamination.com

at www.thinkamination.com

Startups, fundraising, Italy

Investor Relations

Transcript of Startups, fundraising, Italy