How to choose a winning startup (hint, start with the founders)
The 3 M’s angel investors consider before investing As an investor (whether angel, VC, or seed) arguably the most essential element in identifying a promising investment is the management team. This idea led to the famous mantra that just like in real estate there are 3 L’s – Location, Location, Location; in the startup investing world there are 3 M’s – Management, Management, Management. In fact, many VCs prioritize talented, creative, and experienced management over a great idea, product, or booming sector. Carlos Eduardo (not the European soccer player) is the co-manager and partner of Seedcamp (a leading micro-seed investment fund in Europe) — he claims that: “A startup’s management team is its lifeblood… no amount of awesome ideas will ever overcome a fundamentally flawed management team.” (Source) Still not convinced? Why do startups with great ideas fail? According to research from the University of Tennessee, while almost all startup failure is due to some sort of mismanagement, 30% of all startup failures can be directly attributed to what it describes as Unbalanced Experience or Lack of Managerial Experience....
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