Hello and greetings

I want to share my experiences in talking with various investors in several parts on the Mehrdad website. I hope these experiences can also help you.

I will try to write as concisely as possible and focus more on the useful points.

As usual, I have many projects and decided to list them. The number of projects was very large because I had been writing them for a long time and they kept increasing. So, I gathered the projects related to hardware and software and prepared 17 of them in a list for presentation.

I didn't want the project ideas to be revealed, and I knew some of them could be patented, so I presented them briefly and wrote explanations about each.

I tried to write the title and purpose of each project and explained its application and the potential revenue it could generate.

I prepared a PDF file and sent it to several people to get feedback. I looked for investors and accelerators, and through a Google search, I found a large number of accelerators.

From the websites of some of these accelerators, it was clear that they operate very superficially and weakly. Others didn't have a clear contact method. For example, one accelerator that had suddenly organized a large event had no clear contact method, which was surprising how poorly they operate. I think this website was just for show, or perhaps they had no intention of attracting projects through the internet.

I entered negotiations with an accelerator from Karaj. First, I had to enter information on their website. I spoke with the manager there, and after several conversations, we had good discussions, but in practice, this did not materialize.

They told me that according to the confidentiality agreement, I could present my project, and they have strong domestic and foreign investors, so I shouldn't worry about the amount of capital.

We agreed to set a time for an online platform meeting and consultation. A time was set, and the manager of that organization told me that specialists would be present in the meeting and that I should give a confidential presentation so that we could proceed according to the agreement for the next meeting.

In advance, I prepared a text and briefly wrote about one of my projects. I told myself to choose one of the projects with a good idea but test this accelerator with it, and if they responded well, I would present my other projects.

The online meeting started with a significant delay, as if one of the participants was on the way and didn't have a good internet connection.

The meeting started with me, the accelerator manager, and apparently two or three other listeners and specialists.

They asked me to explain myself and my background, which was strange to me because it wasn't related to the project. I explained anyway.

The specialist there also explained about himself, which I didn't think was necessary because the output, understanding, and actions of individuals are more important than their age and years of experience in a business.

I started my explanation. Contrary to what they had said about giving a confidential presentation and that the main meeting would be under a confidentiality agreement, they asked me to explain in more detail.

The meeting lasted about 45 minutes, and since I wanted to impress them, I gave many details and fully presented the idea.

The strangest thing was that they asked me to compare it with a strong sample that has entered the market, although some parts could be compared, and to tell them about the competitive advantages.

I mentioned about 10 competitive advantages, and it was strange that they kept asking for more competitive advantages.

More interestingly, there was another specialist there, and when the accelerator manager asked him if he had any questions, he said, "No, I'm writing." He meant my project, the competitive advantages, and other things.

The result of my thinking in a short time was easily in their hands, and since I had also worked on software analysis and the market, the project was very appealing to me.

I really don't understand, how many more advantages or options should one car have compared to another? That they emphasized competitive advantages so much. Of course, the project I presented was a super app in the business field, and there is still no complete sample like it.

In summary, the specialist insisted a lot and aggressively on competitive advantages, and I, surprised by the tone and manner of speaking, said so, and the meeting ended.

Seeing that they didn't have good intentions, I didn't expect a positive response because there was no confidentiality agreement, and it wasn't clear exactly who these people were that they could receive a design and solution so easily and have no legal commitment in exchange for the formula they received.

And the result for startup funding was not positive, and they didn't give reasons for rejection, and it didn't even occur to them that the confidentiality agreement and privacy had not been respected as per our conversations.

Based on my own experience, I don't expect everyone to give a positive response, and hearing more negative responses is more logical, but this type of experience was also interesting.

In my next writings, I will continue to share my experiences in raising capital for startups.

Thank you

https://mehrdad.ir/sjzk