So a bunch of VCs and I are having to pay to pitch.

When entrepreneurs are force paid to pitch, it makes negative headlines.. When VCs pay, somehow no one feels bad for us.

It’s getting a load of positive press. At the partners meeting, we discussed countermeasures to our getting our asses kicked.

I’ve had my ass kicked before. It always propels me forward.

The Reverse VC concept is demeaning to some, but I have been selling and pitching myself since way before that one-hit wonder founded his reverse VC pitch concept.

Here’s how I reverse pitch entrepreneurs:

1. I just show up.

There’s a funny joke…. How do you know if a hot girl is hitting on you?! She shows up.

Well, that’s what I do to sell myself, I just show up. If three or more entrepreneurs are gathered, I’m there in spirit. I think I just stole that from Mark Batterson, my youth group pastor, but I try to make it true either literally or figuratively.

2. I politely sit through pitches.

Sometimes I get a referral to meet with an entrepreneur. Often, I know it’s with a company that has zero hope of traditional funding.

I take that meeting anyway and sit through their pitch. Afterward, I helpfully make a couple intros and ask them to check back in the hopes I don’t get a one-star rating on Adeo Rossi’s The Funded.

By the way, I hacked a high rating on The Funded, but that’s a blog post I’m selling for a Sundance Film festival producer’s pass.

3. My 19 exits.

Rich entrepreneurs sell me better than anything I can say to pitch myself.

My goal is to have 80+ IPOs squeeze out my education in my bio.

4. Mentorship.

In the same way that baseball teams have a farm system, I think great VCs have a pool of entrepreneurial talent. I develop talent by mentoring the pre-entrepreneur.

5. I buy them yogurt.

I wrote about this HERE.

6. I host entrepreneur summits.

It’s a fun, day-long party, where I help people pretend they learn something by having them rub elbows with genius.

7. I link to their articles.

When I write, I don’t get paid. I pay.

When I syndicate, I don’t get paid. I pay more.

It makes my stuff get into more places. It makes my outbound links have a postive effect. I sell myself by linking to entrepreneurs.

Larry Chiang, I read the VentureBeat article, "7 Ways To Get a VC You Don’t Know to Mentor You."

The GigaOm post on "How to Charm a VC" was actually good.

You’re welcome for the links.
You’re welcome for the article title.
Thanks for the kick in the ass

I fully expect to pitch for free at the next reverse VC event.

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Don’t miss these other entries by our very own Remmington Oxley V:
Christmas Confessions from a VC
Let Entrepreneurs Squat
Buy Entrepreneurs Yogurt
Be a Beta Male
How To Source Deals from Silicon Valley’s Gay Mafia
How to Outmanuever Another VC