E74: Tips on Finding the Right VC for Your Business with Margaret Wu of Georgian Partners

Margaret (Margo) Wu is a Vice-President on the Georgian Partners investment team involved in deal sourcing, due diligence and supporting portfolio companies. Prior to joining Georgian Partners, Margaret was a Senior Product Manager at Amazon, where she developed mobile metrics and content strategies for marketers and site merchandisers across Europe.

 

Previous to this, she co-founded a biotech company called Uma Bioseed and served as the Chief Operating Officer at OneSpout.com, where she held a variety of responsibilities ranging from business development and product management to finance and accounting.

While there, she helped the company grow to a peak of 350,000 users. Margaret began her career as a consultant in Accenture’s technology practice.

 

 

Episode Overview:

 

This episode is all about VC's (Venture Capital) but how to make a lasting impression and get that investment. This is relevant episode to everyone that wants to make an impression in their corporate world (with their bosses), networking .. wherever you are pitching something.

In this episode, Margaret Wu and I talk about:

How Georgian Partners differentiate from other & areas of focus How to get noticed by VCs - warm handshakes What to do and what NOT to do! Best practices based on the numerous mistakes that entrepreneurs make How Toronto job market is bigger than Silicon Valley and others - tonnes of opportunities Books, Books Books!!! I’m seriously thinking of starting a business book club

 

 

About Gregorian Partners:

 

Georgian Partners is a thesis-driven growth equity funds currently investing in 4 areas where we believe that first movers will outperform their market competitors: Applied AI, Conversational AI, Security First, and Trust.

 

 

Lessons Learned:

 

Fail fast - figure out which one works for you If you are meeting a VC, it is like going on a first date. You have to be bring a little bit of compassion, be an interesting person. You have to be able to articulate your vision in a very convincing way. Don't approach a VC if there are errors in your numbers

 

 

Book Recommended:

 

Art of the Start 2.0 by Guy Kawasaki Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days by Jessica Livingston

 

 

Connect with Margaret:

 

Website: Georgian Partners

LinkedIn: Margaret Wu and Georgian Partners

Twitter: @GeorgianPrtnrs

Facebook: Georgian Partners