Yes, that title is absurd, I know…but it came right out of the mouth of a pretty prominent VC .
TechStars had an open session last week at University of Colorado – Boulder on the subject of Funding your Startup. There were lots of great points, tons of great questions answered, but I had felt like maybe there was one that was still itching to get asked. A hard question it was not, but at the same time, I’m sure it’s one of those things that goes through the mind of any startup trying to get some funding.
“What do you wear to a funding meeting?”
The laughs erupted from the audience, but only for a second from the panel, because it seemed like they actually got my question and understood it to be very relevant. Brad Feld immediately answered “Wear your swimming trunks” …actually some people heard Speedo, but I could be mistaken. The panel expanded on this point stating that it was important to be yourself. Lisa Rutherford brought one more bullet point to “being yourself” by saying “be yourself but be clean”.
The fact remains, if you’re going to go into a prominent meeting where you’re pitching to someone that might potentially help fund your startup, make sure you’re going to be able to be comfortable and be yourself. As soon as you’re trying to put on a false image of yourself, you might start to lose focus of why you were there, or possibly get nervous. Maybe that means that you’ll be wearing your favorite wool suit to your meeting, or maybe it means that you’re in khaki’s and a polo, whatever it is just make sure you’re being you…oh and be somewhat respectful of your audience. That basically means don’t go in wearing your Pabst Blue Ribbon tshirt your dad gave you when you were 10.
As with every panel, there’s going to be at least one argument against the grain. Kimbal Musk of me.dium had said to wear a business suit to your meetings. His angle was that if you have met the VC or Angel before, and they know that you’re not exactly the most put together person, he/she will be impressed that you spent time getting ready for something like that. Kimbal thinks it’s a good way to make a good impression.
Needless to say, if I ever get the chance to pitch to Brad Feld, I will be wearing my swimming trunks. No Joke.
[tags]trunks, techstars, brad feld, kimbal musk, vc, angel, investing, funding, lisa rutherford, attire[/tags]
