Apr 29, 2020
Kate Beardsley is a venture capitalist, angel investor, and business strategist. She is Managing Partner at Upslope Ventures (Galvanize Ventures), she also serves on the Board Vice-Chair of Rocky Mountain Venture Capital Association and is a board member at the Rockies Venture Club.
Kate is also an active member of the Colorado Technology Community, and prior to joining Upslope, she started funds for Lerer Hippeau and did business strategy for Martha Stewart. Kate serves as a mentor for both TechStars and Galvanize; she has appeared on CNBC and Fox News, and she has been featured on CNN and in the Denver Business Journal.
In this episode…
One big mistake founders often make is not investing time and energy in researching about their investors before making an ask. They don’t take the time to find out what their potential investors want and need and as a result, they often make asks that get turned down by investors because it leaves them feeling lackluster about the opportunity. But Kate Beardsley says that doesn’t have to be the end of the founder-investor relationship.
Kate says that building genuine relationships post-ask is a crucial part of maintaining ties and connections in the business industry. Not only that, it’s an opportunity for continued growth, learning, and can be a great resource for references that can help with future asks.
In this episode of What’s Your Ask, Stephanie Sims talks to Kate Beardsley, Managing Partner at Upslope Ventures, about the importance of relationship building even when you get turned down after a pitch. She also explains the importance of references when filtering out advice and the best ways to get these, the different approaches in getting funding from VCs, and find out why it’s imperative for her to set her priorities before replying to an ask. Stay tuned.