Get Backed: Craft Your Story, Build the Perfect Pitch Deck, and Launch the Venture of Your Dreams Kindle Edition

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.  Is there a formula for raising a million dollars? This is the question that Evan Baehr and Evan Loomis tackle in their debut book, an insider’s manual for entrepreneurs who want to raise a ton of money — from startup founders, to small business owners, to Kickstarters.Where this book truly shines is in the “Actual Pitch Decks” chapter (page 73). These decks have raised well over $100 million, and the founders' commentary makes it feel like you're reading a secret playbook for successful entrepreneurs. Why struggle for years in the trenches, trying to get your fledgling startup off the ground, when you can raise all the money (and friends) you need to prosper? After reading this book, it seems much easier (and wiser) to do the latter. One of the authors tells a personal story about how he raised over $2 million in a month for his idea. Not his business… his IDEA. I shudder to think of how many of my own ideas never got anywhere, simply because I didn’t know how to raise money. Now I know.If you’re wondering how to take your  Lean Startup  to the next level, this book might just be the answer you're looking for.

This book does much more than teach you how to get backed...I've worked in the private sector, federal government, and for non-profits, and this book is extremely useful to learn how to communicate and push big ideas in the most tangible way in each of those contexts. Since getting this book, I routinely find myself referring to it to guide me through my fundraising pitches for my non-profit and to help me define and communicate our core strengths amongst a crowded field of similar organizations. I'd recommend this book to anyone looking to improve their communication skills, sell better, tell better stories, design better graphics, improve branding, and influence others through their ideas. Even though this book should be a required addition to the syllabi of every business school, international affairs school, and journalism/mass communication school, students who use it to design their own presentations will stand out among the crowd. Great job on creating a simple, practical, and relevant guide to fundraising and beyond.

With so many books like this having been written previously, my expectations were somewhat low that one could be written that would provide unique insights and a fresh perspective. I was wrong. First having bought the Kindle version, I consumed the raw content, but appreciated the book even more for its colorful charts when my sister gave me the hard copy. Evan Baehr and Evan Loomis have artfully developed a piece that should be used by any entrepreneur and even their advisers. Let's face it. Business plans are boring in the traditional 50+ page format. PowerPoint is now used to liven-up decks for pitches but most professionals lack the ability to develop the pictures that are "worth a thousand words". And, most decks either leave out the critical elements or drown audiences in far too many extraneous slides. This book offers structure, discipline and techniques. Not the only reference I would suggest - Guy Kawasaki, Brad Feld, Vinod Khosla, Sequoia Capital, and my professor, the late Jeffry Timmons have all written books and decks that one should use. But definitely you should add this to those esteemed VCs' guidance.

I'm an entrepreneurship educator who supports student entrepreneurs, and this text is the most thorough treatment of how to reduce a credible plan of action into a compelling pitch I've come across in 10+ years. While it provides the traditional pitch deck architecture you'd expect, it also contains valuable sections addressing: (1) the pitch deck slides you should have at the ready for the discussion you'll ave with potential investors, board recruits, and so on; (2) approaches to creating a narrative arc (origin stories, dramatic tension, etc.), and (3) typography, slide layout, and color theory that build design skills. Highly recommend this book. Note, too, that while Chapter 2 is a free download, it's abridged and omits the "extra slides" an entrepreneur will want handy.

This book is part educational, part inspirational. The design and materials of the physical book are meant to inspire. Not only is that aspect is completely lost in the Kindle version, the layout is actually unsuitable for reading on Kindle device or iPad.

I bought this book five years ago and it sat on my shelf until recently, when I found myself raising capital for a new venture. This book is thoughtful and reflects deep thinking on how entrepreneurship is a social good that contributes to human flourishing. The authors winsomely remind us that relationships, built on trust, are the most important building blocks of creating a great business. At the same time, this book is incredibly practical with real world examples of pitch books, follow-up emails, and specific encouragement for interacting with others in a way that values relationships over investment dollars and gives the best chance for your venture to be successful. I'm grateful to Evan and Evan - thank you!

A great, great guide on how to get not just a startup funded, but also ANY project or venture that needs funding. The key is how to build strong relationships with investors, of course, but also family, friends, vendors, and employees...which is crucial for leading a happy and fulfilling life, as well as for building a successful business. And....the book is full of wonderful success stories, which make it fun to read. Highly recommended for everybody, not just entrepreneurs!

Evan does a great job of presenting practical, insightful and common sense advice on a daunting topic: Convincing the world to invest in your idea.What to do, what not to do and how to do it. The book covers the deck, the pitch, the relationship generation and the eventual closing of the commitments.Of particular value is the insight gained from the presentation of a number of recent pitch decks to investors, how they were received and the behind the scenes commentary from the creators themselves.

As an entrepreneur, I've been preparing my own pitch decks for years, following all the popular, clinical, wooden advice. I never really communicated the full vision, passion or potential of my business as a result-until I read this book.Investors aren't moved by just facts. They need vision. They need stories. They need pictures.This book will show you how.

This book is indispensable for those seeking funding, it gets straight to the point and has real world examples which has been useful when preparing my own pitch deck. I have used a number of templates before and these ones are the best I have seen. As a result of using the templates I was recently successful in my seed round. I opted to buy the printed version, over the kindle version as I wanted to see and appreciate the design of this book in full colour. I would highly recommend this book as it will enable you to hit the ground running with seeking funding.

Excellent resource. Very insightful. Well designed and presented.

Was really looking forward to going through this but disappointed when it arrived. Saw them present on HBR and really liked their clear insight but the book provided only high level overview on glossy pages.

Must read if you are building a pitchdeck and would like a comprehensive perspective on variety of aspects which can be covered on the deck (and how to cover them). Of course, one can't take this as the final word and follow it to the T. You'll need to take this book as one of the sources of inspiration and building something your own.