Nikesh Parekh

Unfortunately, VC requires warm intros. Make sure you network into the right investor (person) at the right fund who would be most likely to understand the opportunity and most likely to argue internally for an investment.

Finding the right fund who is interested in Canada or international investing will be the right challenge. Obviously there is a market in Canada, but there is likely a large market of international investors. Research is important, but I would talk to other start-ups and investors to identify a short-list and get referrals.

I think a CEO or CFO at a late stage start-up would likely understand the market. I think the bigger challenge will by the geography. Unfortunately, investors tend to like to invest locally so you will need to find the right investor who has a global outlook.

This is a useful model and framework, but I guarantee your strategy will change as you work with customers and learn more about the market and your own strategy. Change is the only inevitable. At the end of the day, VC investors look at market, strategy and people with people being the most important. You and your team need to be agile and willing to adapt and change as you learn. No spreadsheet or scenario planning can prepare you for the journey. Don't get me wrong: you should plan and analyse your strategy. At the end of day, it is all about customers, sales, and product market fit. You can't analyze this on a spreadsheet.

Failure is worthless if you do not learn from it. The most important part of failure is learning and evangelizing the lessons internally to make you stronger and the organization stronger from your experience.

Leaders recognize that it is easier and faster to learn from failure than it is to model success. Unfortunately we live in world where success is idolized, but failure is proactively hidden. No project or career is built on 100% success. Leaders must create a safe space for experimentation and failure. Leaders should proactively talk about their failures, how they have learned, how they have pivoted and how failure has contributed to building them into a better leader/manager/person.