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Ash Rust
Ash Rust

5.1K Followers

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Introducing Sterling Road Fund 3: Deploying $20M through early-stage founder coaching

Today we’re introducing Fund 3, a $20M fund backing pre-seed stage founders of B2B startups, that have gone through our coaching program. Since day one, we’ve taken a different approach to early-stage venture investing. Rather than investing first, then offering to help, we partner closely with founders before making an…

Founder Coaching

3 min read

Introducing Sterling Road Fund 3: Deploying $20M through early-stage founder coaching
Introducing Sterling Road Fund 3: Deploying $20M through early-stage founder coaching
Founder Coaching

3 min read


Pinned

How to Build a Deck

For most founders, the deck is a cornerstone of their seed fundraising process. Unfortunately, most decks are terrible. They’re often difficult to understand, too detailed, or missing key details. The goal of the deck is to provide a clear, simple overview of your company and encourage investor questions to begin…

Founders

5 min read

How to Build a Deck
How to Build a Deck
Founders

5 min read


3 days ago

Pitch Practice with Featurewave

In the latest Pitch Practice session, Joe Parlett showcased Featurewave, a sales efficiency platform built on Salesforce. The platform uses AI to guide sales reps through every stage of the process, streamlining content management and boosting overall sales effectiveness. Here were the key takeaways: #1. Solid team and initial customer base…

Pitching

1 min read

Pitch Practice with Featurewave
Pitch Practice with Featurewave
Pitching

1 min read


3 days ago

Best Opportunities Come From Outreach

Today, I want to talk about the importance of doing outreach when considering new opportunities. When you’re thinking about what’s next, it’s easy to only consider roles that hit your inbox. However, proactive outreach opens up many more possibilities. 1. Outreach generates new opportunities. Even if you get lucky with an unsolicited offer, reaching out…

Networking

1 min read

Best Opportunities Come From Outreach
Best Opportunities Come From Outreach
Networking

1 min read


Sep 21

90 Days for Seed Fundraising

Today, we’re discussing how long seed fundraising typically takes for startup founders. While we all hear stories of miraculously fast rounds, what’s most common? 1. Plan for 3 months from start to finish. That means delegating all your other responsibilities so you can stay focused on fundraising. 2. Don’t get discouraged if it takes time. Having a tough time fundraising is practically a rite of passage for…

Seed Funding

1 min read

90 Days for Seed Fundraising
90 Days for Seed Fundraising
Seed Funding

1 min read


Sep 14

How One Investor Can Close Your Round

Today we’re talking about how just one investor can essentially fill up your entire round. Of course, they could simply write a check for the whole amount, but that’s quite rare and it’s actually advisable to have a few different investors, even if you have lots of demand. So here’s…

Startup

2 min read

How One Investor Can Close Your Round
How One Investor Can Close Your Round
Startup

2 min read


Aug 31

Checklist for Fundraising Before Demo Day

If you’re fortunate enough to be generating strong demand before demo day — you don’t need much to complete the fundraising process, but it certainly helps if these materials are great. 1. Pitch Decks. I like to have 2 versions, one is long form that you pitch in a meeting and the other…

Demo Day

1 min read

Checklist for Fundraising Before Demo Day
Checklist for Fundraising Before Demo Day
Demo Day

1 min read


Aug 31

Pitch Practice with OurFit

In the latest Pitch Practice session, Ohi Dibua and Andy Nguyen demonstrated a collaborative pitch for OurFit! Strong synergy between the founders and good preparation evident. Here were the key takeaways: #1. Seamless presentation, well-prepared 🖥️ #2. Enlarge team slide logos 🔍 #3. Focus on one problem per slide ❗️ #4. Hire a deck designer 💸 #5. Showcase one…

Investor Pitch Deck

1 min read

Pitch Practice with OurFit
Pitch Practice with OurFit
Investor Pitch Deck

1 min read


Aug 29

Management is Repetition

As a manager, repetition is critical. It’s all too easy to assume your key messages have sunk in after communicating them once. Unfortunately, you will have to regularly reinforce priorities and goals to maintain your team’s focus. Here’s why you need to repeat yourself, the right ways to do it…

Management

3 min read

Management is Repetition
Management is Repetition
Management

3 min read


Aug 24

Accelerator Interview Prep

Today, we’re talking about preparing for your accelerator program interview. They require unique preparation because it’s different from a standard pitch. 1. Try to get 3 to 5 mock interviews. Start by tapping your network for alumni you know, but it’s also fine to hustle for them on social media. Once you land an interview, lots of people will…

Accelerator

2 min read

Accelerator Interview Prep
Accelerator Interview Prep
Accelerator

2 min read

Ash Rust

Ash Rust

5.1K Followers

Pre-seed B2B Investor in 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇬🇧. Email: ash@sterlingroad.com. More info: http://SterlingRoad.com/process

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