You are an entrepreneur who wants to find and win over a venture capitalist (VC) or an angel to give your idea a financial boost. Yet many entrepreneurs make basic mistakes in that first meeting. Here are five mistakes to avoid:
你是一个创业者，你想找到一个风险投资人，并赢得他们的投资；或者你希望能有一个天使投资人来为你的好点子买单。不过，许多创业者在与投资人的第一次会面中就会犯下一些基本错误。以下五点你应该去避免犯错：
Cold call instead of trusted introduction– A common belief among VCs is that “if a CEO isn’t resourceful enough to find someone I know to recommend him to me, then he isn’t going to make a very good CEO.” Don’t blind email – I have never funded a company based on blind mail.
错误一：冷不防地给投资人发邮件，而不是通过熟人介绍。风险投资人中有这样一个共识，“如果创业者连‘找一个熟人把他自己介绍给我’这样的资源都没有的话，那么这个创业者也不会成为一个好的CEO。”不要盲目地给风险投资人发邮件。我从来不会投资那些随便发邮件的人。
Went to VC without preparation – You should study the VC meticulously before the first meeting. What's his background? What other companies has he funded? What are the common elements that you might try to demonstrate and leave a positive impression?
错误二：不准备就去见投资人。在你第一次去见投资人之前，你需要做好深入细致的调查。投资人的背景是什么？他都投资过哪些公司？你想要给投资人展现的基本要素是什么？你要怎么给投资人留下积极的印象？
Poor communication– You need to communicate succinctly. Start with the one sentence that describes your company. Be prepared to succinctly talk about: How large is the market? Who are the competitors? How are you differentiated? What makes your team special?
错误三：沟通不畅。你需要简洁清楚地表达。开场白可以用一句话来描述你的公司。简洁清晰地准备好以下问题：你的市场有多大？谁是你的竞争对手？你的与众不同之处在哪里？你的团队有哪些特别的地方？
Too much time on market and not enough time on product and team-- Don’t spend too much time on market overview or opportunity. The VC probably knows that better than you, and even if he doesn't, he would probably make up his mind after just a short description. Save your time for your product and your team, which he doesn't know.
错误四：把太多时间花在市场上而不是产品和团队上。不要把太多的时间花在市场情况和潜在机会上。风险投资人比你更了解这些。即使他们不甚了解，通过简单的描述后，他们也能自己拿定主意。把你的时间花在你的产品和团队上，这些才是投资人不清楚的地方。
Argue in the first meeting– You are not going to convince a VC that she was wrong about something in a first meeting. Of course, also avoid being a push-over and agree with everything the VC says. If you get stuck on a point, move on to another point. Focus on the positives of your company.
错误五：第一次会面就与投资人争论。在与投资人的第一次会面上，你不是要去说服投资人，告诉她她哪里错了。当然，也不要当应声虫，认为投资人说什么都是对的。如果你们产生了意见分歧，那就讨论下一个话题。把注意力集中在公司的积极面上。
（本文英文原文来源于李开复LinkedIn博文）
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