Chris Neumann's Top 10 Posts of 2022

When I launched chrisneumann.com back in April, I committed to publishing a new post and accompanying newsletter every Wednesday. No repeats. No missed weeks. No excuses.

I also promised my wife that I wouldn’t do any work between Christmas and New Years (except in the case of a portfolio company emergency). In other words, I’m taking a break.

So here you are, my dear reader: the 39th original post of 2022 and the first annual unapologetic cop-out: Chris Neumann’s Top 10 Posts of 2022 (in reverse order…so there’s a bit of drama):

 

#10

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How to Setup the Perfect Fundraising CRM
How to Setup the Perfect Fundraising CRM

A robust yet lightweight CRM is essential to running an effective fundraising process. Here’s how to setup the perfect CRM for your next fundraising round.

 

#9

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High-Velocity Fundraising
High-Velocity Fundraising

High-velocity fundraising is a method of fundraising in which you try move as many investors as possible through your funnel at roughly the same page and as quickly as you reasonably can. This post provides an overview of high-velocity fundraising, how it works and why it's the best approach for most early-stage startups.

 

#8

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Wow, Did My Pitch Deck Suck
Wow, Did My Pitch Deck Suck

Long before I was a VC, I cofounded DataHero, the world’s first cloud BI company. I recently came across one of our old fundraising decks and boy, did it suck! Let’s look at all the mistakes we made in that deck.

 

#7

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How to Pitch Like an American
How to Pitch Like an American

Americans are born confident. So much so that the rest of the world often mistakes it for arrogance. But in many aspects of life, American confidence — born of a deeply held belief that success is manifest destiny — is an unfair advantage.

In fundraising, it’s a game-changer.

 

#6

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Why Did I Come Back to Canada?
Why Did I Come Back to Canada?

Since moving from San Francisco to Vancouver in late 2020, I’ve been asked one question over and over: “Why did you come back to Canada?

 

#5

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The Dark Side of VC Recycling
The Dark Side of VC Recycling

There’s a worrying trend I’ve seen recently. A dark side of VC recycling that represents the worst in VC and reflects a desperation amongst a handful of large funds to undo some of their 2021 investments.

 

#4

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Canadian VCs Need to Get Out of Canada
Canadian VCs Need to Get Out of Canada

As a Canadian investor, I get to meet incredible founders from Victoria to St. John’s every single week. But as much as I enjoy crisscrossing this magnificent country, for me to be an effective investor, it's essential that I get out of Canada.

 

#3

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Canada Needs to Stop Competing With Itself
Canada Needs to Stop Competing With Itself

Canadians endlessly chase our tails worried about how we’re doing relative to each other. It drags us all down. I'm over it. And you should be too.

 

#2

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You Keep Using that Word...
You Keep Using that Word...

I can’t help but hear Mandy Patinkin’s voice in my head when some founders pitch me their startups. Not because of mistakes in language or grammar, but because many founders misunderstand how certain words and phrases are interpreted by investors.

Here are 5 of the of the most common phrases that founders and investors interpret differently.

 

#1

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Things That Make You Go Hmmm...
Things That Make You Go Hmmm...

There are obvious traps that can derail a fundraise, and then there are things that make investors go "hmmm..." They won't kill your fundraise outright, but they'll make enough VCs pause to meaningfully hurt your process.

Thanks for reading!

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See you in 2023! 🥳 🎉 🥂

 
The Quiet Part Out LoudChris Neumann