2 min read, I’m always surprised by how many investors say the team is the most important element of a startup, but how little the due diligence process focuses on the team.
I can look back on successes and failures in my startup investing career, and almost all failures can be traced back to the “team wasn’t up to the task.”
I recognize that I often underestimated the challenge at hand, but in all cases, failure was due to the team lacking skills or focused commitment.
In running the due diligence process, it’s not about the product; it’s about the team.
There are standard checklists, and the investor should verify the basics such as legal entities, tax filings, patent filings, etc., but the real due diligence comes when you go to the startup’s office and meet the team.
I had a new angel investor ask me the other day how he should diligence a startup. I encouraged him to set up a meeting in the startups’ office and meet the team and interview each one.
The first person you want to meet if you haven’t already is the CEO. You are assessing leadership, communication, strategy, and other key skills.
If this interaction isn’t stellar, there’s no need to continue further with the potential investment.
In reviewing the rest of the team, you want to check to see those on the team’s skill levels. If there are advisors or mentors, you want to meet with them to see how much time commitment they have for the project.
In the end, time, skills, and focus will need to be applied, and you are looking to see if the team can do that. You can learn a great deal about a company when you go to their workplace.
I had a friend who worked for IBM and considered investing in a startup by some of his former coworkers and set up a meeting at their office. When he followed the address, it led him to a skyscraper in the downtown area. There he found the team had rented out the entire 12th floor of the building. Needless to say, the startup ran out of cash in just 6 months.
Walking through their office, you’ll get a much deeper sense of who they are and what they are doing.
Products come and go, markets shift, and change, but the team is a constant.
Read more: https://tencapital.group/education/
Hall T. Martin is the founder and CEO of the TEN Capital Network.TEN Capital has been connecting startups with investors for over ten years. You can connect with Hall about fundraising, business growth, and emerging technologies via LinkedIn or email: hallmartin@tencapital.group
