1  ©  2011  FORDCASTLE  F  

Image  source:  Brendan  Baker    

Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit, Santa Clara Universit June 15, 2011

How to Raise Angel and VC Money for your Business

(and a proposal for a Longevity Fund)

Stephen Johnston, Founder & CEO, Fordcastle

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$1.1m raised, 130 ✗ 14 ✓

•  Old Style / New Style / Time Wasters •  “Only take intros from people with 10+ intros” •  Avoid Summer

Case Study:

Source:  Brendan  Baker  &  Daniel  Odio  

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Case Study:

$1.1m raised

•  Cast broad net (350 targets) •  Minimize risk = Financing + Biz model + Execution •  Good lawyer

Source:  SeniorHomes.com  

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Build a great deck 1 sentence pitch, traction, social proof

Get warm intros

Promote your brand

Follow the leaders steveblank.com, startuplessonslearned.com, avc.com, venturehacks.com, www.cdixon.org

Four steps

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Proposal for a “Longevity Fund”

Impa

ct

100m 10m

10 - 15 people

2 - 3 people

Key features: •  Mentor network •  Legal, marketing, PR services, consumer panel •  LPs co-invest, get beta access •  Raise awareness via a contest

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Travel,  Educa5on,  Legacy  

Community  

Financial  Services  

Housing,  Aging-­‐in-­‐Place,  Design  

Diagnos5cs,  Compliance,  Stress,  Diet,  Sleep  

Cogni5on,  Mobility,  Sensing  

A longevity ‘customer needs’ pyramid

Priority  

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Opportunities in cognition

• Alzheimer’s: 66m by 2030. A $2trillion problem.