As a co-founder of several companies, an angel investor in several more, and Co-Maintainer of two great resources for entrepreneurs - AngelList and Venture Hacks - Naval Ravikant has a unique view of the startup and investing landscape. That's why we asked him to speak at a previous Founder Showcase event in San Francisco to almost 500 founders and investors, and he did not disappoint.
In a great speech appropriately titled "The Anatomy of the Fundable Startup," Naval broke down the 5 main qualities of an "exceptional startup,” in the following order:
- Traction
- Team
- Product
- Social Proof
- Pitch/Presentation
And while all these qualities are important, the most essential aspect according to Naval is:
Investors are trying to find the exceptional outcomes, so they are looking for something exceptional about the company. Instead of trying to do everything well (traction, team, product, social proof, pitch, etc), do one thing exceptional. As a startup you have to be exceptional in at least one regard.
Naval’s talk is a must watch for any technology entrepreneur or angel investor:
