Connecting startups with angel investors and connectors in New Mexico and beyond
What is the NM Investor Roundtable?
The NM Investor Roundtable is an activity done in collaboration with local entrepreneur support groups to bring together local startups to connect with local angel investors. The goal is to support startup founders with connections and feedback in order to potentially receive investment in their business venture. It is a private event between founders and investors. Startups must apply online for consideration. If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to us.
General Schedule for participating startups:
- 1:00 pm – Introductions
- 1:15 pm – Meeting 1 with Entrepreneur and first group of 4-5 investors/connectors
- 1:50 pm – Short Interim Debrief on Round 1
- 1:55 pm – Meeting 2 with Entrepreneur and different group of 4-5 investors
- 2:30 pm – Debrief and Close
Requirements
Startups will need the following in order to participate:
- Apply Online and provide details about your startup
- Startup Pitch Deck
- Recommended to keep it under 5 mins
- Host the PDF or SlideDeck Online so we can download a copy for the investors to view
- Executive Summary one-pager for investors
- For example, it could be a Gust.com one-pager export is recommended (see below)
- An Ask
- The ask should be framed from the context of specific challenges and needs to grow your startup. For example, a startup needs to hire a programmer to prototype an MVP in the next three months. The Ask might be a connection to a qualified CTO or development partner. Be specific about your need. Do not ask for money.
- Participate in the event
- Send the founder or one representative to present on behalf of the company
- The event is currently online only so best practices and requirements to utilize a webcam and Zoom meeting software.
Apply Now
Click here to apply for the next Investor Roundtable
Suggestions on how to prepare to get the most out of the event
Virtual Presenting
This event will be conducted in a virtual meeting with breakout rooms where you will be paired up with investors. Plan to meet with two groups of 2-4 mentors during this session, they will be back to back. Please use best practices when it comes to video calls such as using a headset, mute when not speaking, having a strong internet connection, etc.
Practice your presentation skills
Decide who is going to present and then practice a lot, at least 5 full times prior to your actual presentation at the event. The goal is to make it smooth, engaging, and comfortable for you to engage the audience. Make it simple and leave room to answer questions. Ask friends and colleagues to do a “dry run” with you. Make sure you distilled the presentation to the most important engaging slides to make the time requirement of under 5 minutes.
Record a video presentation as a backup and follow up resource
Recording a video of your presentation will allow you to share it online with potential partners and investors down the road. It is also a good back to have in case of an internet connection failure. Here are a couple of tups.
- Suggested to be uploaded to YouTube or video hosting platform for quick reference and sharing
- This will be used as a follow-up reference video for the investors and those interested in your company.
- It is not meant for solicitation but to provide an introduction to your product/company to the audience.
You don’t have to make anything super high production value. The point to be able to explain your company to the audience. You might do this by using a tool like Microsoft PowerPoint and talk over your slides and then export the recording as a video file. You might use your cell phone and paste clips together. Here are a few examples of recorded pitches.
Do a Tech Check
Before your presentation conduct a “tech check” with the devices (laptop, phone, etc) that you plan to use for the presentation. Presenters regularly have technical issues during their actual presentation – don’t be one of these people! Have backup plans in place for the likely event that something won’t work exactly as you had planned. For example, the cofounder has a copy of the video and pitch deck ready to go on their laptop from a different location if the internet goes down.
How to download a Gust one-pager
Visit https://gust.com/
Inside Gust, you can download an executive summary. Find where that button is can be a little challenging.
If you are seeing the screen below, click on the “Find and apply to relevant investors….”
Then click on Company Profile on top nav bar.
Then most sections are under Executive Summary (under picture). The one pager download link is on the left (near bottom).
You should now have a one pager export of your executive summary that you can send in with your application for the investors to see ahead of the roundtable.
Here are example issues companies have brought to the roundtable previously that led to great discussion and advice:
Example 1: Feedback on our investor deck: What’s working? What’s not?
Example 2: How to best navigate the regulatory process within our industry, and how to choose the best distribution channels.
Example 3: Finding great talent remotely and wasting minimal time, how to be successful. Where to go to post for specific talent.
Have a mentors, advisor or team member play the role of note taker
It is best practice to have some you trust and collaborate with on your business come listen to your presentation and the feedback from investors to capture the learning. They are not there to add to the conversation or present they are there to practice active listening and capture the feedback for the startup.
Ready to Apply?
You got all your business assets ready to share? You can apply via this online application here.
Click to apply online for the next roundtable
FAQ
Can I bring a co-founder or team member to the presentation?
You are welcome to bring a team member or co-founder. You as the person presenting the company need to present alone and allow the angels to pose questions/issues they want to discuss. Then, co-founder/team member can then participate in the discussion thereafter. It is also good to have a team member there to note take and capture feedback.