If you’re reading this – you’ve likely been successful in your application to Talis Capital’s Office Hours sessions, so congrats! We’ve had a huge number of high-calibre applicants to each of our sessions so far.
We see around 30 founders in each session, so we allow each candidate 30 minutes with a member of our investment team. 30 minutes can go quickly, so to ensure you get exactly what you want to out of your session, we’ve put together some tips on how you can make the most of your time.
We look forward to meeting with you soon!
DO YOUR RESEARCH ON THE VC YOU’RE MEETING
When reviewing applications, we try to match founders with members of the team with the most relevant experience and interest to ensure the session is as productive as possible. So, the likelihood is that whoever you’re matched with will have relevant experience to what you’re doing.
It’s worth taking a look at their specific investments on their page on the website, as well as checking out their social channels to see what they’re looking into at the moment – as well as thinking about any introductions that they may be able to make for you.
If you want to discuss funding, it’s worth reminding yourself of our investment thesis so you can be clear on how you fit into that.
KEEP INTRODUCTIONS SHORT TO ALLOW MORE TIME FOR GETTING THE ADVICE YOU WANT
The likelihood is that we’ve selected you for the session because you’ve given us a good amount of detail on your founding story and the idea behind your business on your application.
All of our investment team are thoroughly briefed on applicants ahead of the session – so, rather than spending half the session running through your deck, use the first five minutes to give a brief introduction of yourself and the business. That gives you 25 minutes to get what you really want out of the session – leading onto our next point…
PRIORITISE WHAT YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT
While you likely won’t be able to give a 360 overview of the challenges within different functions of your business, you should use Office Hours to go into detail on one or two things. So, rather than lightly touching on 10 different aspects of your business, pick a couple of points where an investor’s perspective will be the most valuable. For example, you might be thinking about fundraising and want a VC’s perspective on how to approach this – or, you might be looking to break into a new market but are unsure of how the regulations will be different. Founders who come to Office Hours with really specific asks are much more likely to come out with tangible outcomes.
BE READY TO GET FEEDBACK AND TO TAKE TANGIBLE ACTION
The chances are that you’ll have applied to the session because you want some quick feedback that you can take immediate action from. So, rather than selling the successes of your business, spend your time talking about the areas where guidance and feedback will make the biggest difference to how you move forward. Feedback will be constructive in order to help you plan tangible next steps.
ENJOY IT – AND REMEMBER, YOU CAN ALWAYS FOLLOW UP
Once you’re prepped and ready – remember that Office Hours sessions are informal and you can enjoy it! Think about the connection you’re making, focus on getting the information you need and you can relax into it. It’s also worth remembering that we’re open to follow up sessions, so if you don’t quite get everything you need, you can suggest some more time at a later date.