#startup

Build a 3-year financial forecasting model for a SaaS startup. Inputs: 1. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC). 2. Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) growth rate. 3. Churn rate. 4. Headcount expansion plan. 5. Operating expenses (OpEx). 6. Server/infrastructure costs. Outputs: 1. Cash flow statement. 2. P&L statement. 3. Burn rate analysis. 4. Break-even point calculation. Include sensitivity analysis scenarios.

Create a comprehensive Business Model Canvas. Nine building blocks: 1. Customer Segments (target personas). 2. Value Propositions (unique benefits). 3. Channels (distribution and sales). 4. Customer Relationships (acquisition and retention). 5. Revenue Streams (pricing models). 6. Key Resources (assets required). 7. Key Activities (core operations). 8. Key Partnerships (strategic alliances). 9. Cost Structure (fixed and variable costs). Use visual layout with sticky-note style. Validate each block with customer interviews.

Design a compelling 15-slide investor pitch deck. Slide sequence: 1. Cover (company name, tagline). 2. Problem (market pain point). 3. Solution (your product). 4. Market Opportunity (TAM/SAM/SOM). 5. Product Demo (screenshots/video). 6. Business Model (revenue streams). 7. Traction (growth metrics). 8. Competition (positioning). 9. Go-to-Market Strategy. 10. Team (founders and advisors). 11. Financials (3-year projections). 12. Funding Ask (use of funds). 13. Vision (long-term impact). Use clean design, minimal text, strong visuals.

Achieve and measure PMF. Indicators: 1. Sean Ellis test ('how disappointed if product went away?' >40% 'very'). 2. Organic growth and word-of-mouth. 3. High retention rates. 4. Users getting core value quickly. 5. Revenue growth acceleration. 6. Qualitative: strong customer enthusiasm. Before PMF: talk to users constantly, iterate quickly. After PMF: scale efficiently. Don't scale prematurely. PMF is not permanent - can lose it.

Create a Lean Canvas for rapid business planning. Nine sections: 1. Problem (top 3 customer problems). 2. Customer Segments (target users). 3. Unique Value Proposition (single clear message). 4. Solution (top 3 features). 5. Channels (path to customers). 6. Revenue Streams (pricing model). 7. Cost Structure (key costs). 8. Key Metrics (measurable success). 9. Unfair Advantage (competitive moat). Fill out in 20 minutes. Iterate based on customer feedback. Use as living document for startup validation.

Prepare effective board meetings. Deck structure: 1. Business updates (metrics dashboard). 2. Progress since last meeting. 3. Highlight wins. 4. Key challenges and asks. 5. Strategic initiatives. 6. Financial performance. 7. Team updates. 8. Looking ahead. Send materials in advance. Be transparent about problems. Use board's expertise. Follow up on action items. Typically monthly or quarterly.

Build a 5-year financial projection model for Series A fundraising. Components: 1. Revenue forecast with multiple growth scenarios (conservative, base, aggressive). 2. Unit economics (CAC, LTV, payback period). 3. Operating expenses breakdown (headcount, marketing, infrastructure). 4. Cash flow statement and runway calculation. 5. Key metrics dashboard (burn rate, MRR growth, gross margin). Use Excel/Google Sheets with clear assumptions tab. Include sensitivity analysis for key variables.

Manage equity and cap table. Considerations: 1. Founder vesting (4-year, 1-year cliff). 2. Employee stock options (ISOs vs NSOs). 3. Option pool size (10-20% pre-funding). 4. Strike price and 409A valuation. 5. Equity grants for key hires. 6. Dilution from funding rounds. 7. Secondary sales policies. 8. Cap table modeling. Use Carta or similar. Keep equity competitive but not excessive. Refresh grants for retention.

Create compelling pitch deck. Slide structure: 1. Problem (pain point). 2. Solution (your product). 3. Market Opportunity (TAM/SAM/SOM). 4. Product Demo. 5. Business Model. 6. Traction (metrics, growth). 7. Competition (differentiation). 8. Team (why you). 9. Financials. 10. Ask (amount raising, use of funds). Keep to 10-15 slides. Tell a story. Practice delivery. Visual over text.

Create business model with canvas. Components: 1. Value Propositions (what you offer). 2. Customer Segments (who you serve). 3. Channels (how customers find you). 4. Customer Relationships (engagement type). 5. Revenue Streams (how you make money). 6. Key Resources (assets needed). 7. Key Activities (what you do). 8. Key Partnerships (who helps). 9. Cost Structure (expenses). Use for lean validation and iteration.