WHO, first…then HOW MUCH: Investment Advice from DEMO

This morning at DEMO Fall 2013 in Santa Clara, Erick Schonfeld (@erickschonfeld), Executive Producer of DEMO, interviewed Di-Ann Eisnor (@DiAnnEisnor) of Waze. I first saw Waze when they launched at DEMO Fall 2009 in San Diego. In four years, Waze has become the world's fastest-growing community-based traffic and navigation app and was recently purchased by Google for $1B!

When asked what investment advice Di-Ann would pass along to startup founders, here is her recommendation to founders: start by thinking less about HOW MUCH you’re raising, and spend more time researching and getting recommendations from other entrepreneurs about WHO you’re getting investment from. And don’t just focus on the investment firm. Learn about the INDIVIDUAL investor and, because everyone is great when things are rosy, make sure you know how that person handles things during the DOWN TIMES. Once you’re comfortable with who you’re investing with, then work on the best terms you can get.

Want more great startup advice? Check out this article that covers more of the interview with Di-Ann Eisnor.

 

 

Contributed by: Midori Lawler

Midori is the Global Marketing Manager for Microsoft BizSpark. You reach the BizSpark team on @bizspark or @midoril