Oregonstartups.com Blog

At OTBC, we meet with a lot of entrepreneurs who want to raise venture capital to fund their idea. If they haven’t raised venture capital before, they tend to underestimate how difficult it is and how long it takes. One way to increase the odds of getting funded is to understand what VCs look for in an entrepreneur. (Of course, it also takes an investible business concept and enough headway to reduce the risk – but that’s a different story.)

Mark Suster, a partner with venture fund GRP Partners, made 3 posts to cover his list of “10 skills I look for before writing a check”. He cheated a little, and actually listed 12. Still, it’s a good list of traits that are important for a start-up entrepreneur. You can find the list in these three posts:

1. Part 1
2. Part 2
3. Part 3

The short version is:

1. Tenacity
2. Street smarts
3. Ability to pivot
4. Resiliency
5. Inspiration
6. Perspiration
7. Appetite for risk
8. Detail orientation
9. Competitiveness
10. Decisiveness
11. Domain Experience
12. Integrity

It’s hard to argue with the list. The only thing that surprised me is that Integrity came as almost an afterthought, at the end of the list. I know investors who would put that at the top. But all in all, it’s good food for thought. If you’re launching a company, I suggest you read all three of Mark’s posts.