你是一名创业者，你有一个创业方案，想从VC或者天使投资人那里拿到一笔钱。可是，很多创业者会在头一次见面时犯一些基本错误、栽了跟头，这里总结了五点：
You are an entrepreneur who wants to find and win over a venture capitalist (VC) or an angel to give your idea a financial boost. Yet many entrepreneurs make basic mistakes in that first meeting. Here are five mistakes to avoid:
给VC盲目发邮件而不是去找VC信任的人推荐。在VC当中有这么一个共识，“假如一个创业者不能通过我的一个熟人来推荐他自己，假如他连这点资源和头脑都没有，那么他很难成为一名优秀的CEO。”所以不要盲目给VC发邮件，我自己就从来没给这样的一家公司投过钱。 Cold call instead of trusted introduction – A common belief among VCs is that “if a CEO isn’t resourceful enough to find someone I know to recommend him to me, then he isn’t going to make a very good CEO.” Don’t blind email – I have never funded a company based on blind mail.
见VC前缺乏准备。在初次见面之前，你应该要对一名投资人仔细研究。他的背景是什么，之前投过哪些公司，这些公司身上有哪些共同的特征，是你在见面的时候需要展示出来以留下一个好印象的？ Went to VC without preparation – You should study the VC meticulously before the first meeting. What's his background? What other companies has he funded? What are the common elements that you might try to demonstrate and leave a positive impression?
沟通不够简洁清晰。你必须能够简洁沟通。一开始，你就应该能用一句话把你的公司介绍清楚。然后，你还要能简单地说清楚：整个市场有多大，竞争对手有哪些，公司的差异点在哪，团队有什么特殊之处。 Poor communication – You need to communicate succinctly. Start with the one sentence that describes your company. Be prepared to succinctly talk about: How large is the market? Who are the competitors? How are you differentiated? What makes your team special?
花太多时间谈市场而不是产品和团队。你没必要花很多时间谈市场的总体情况和潜在机会，因为投资人可能比你知道得更清楚；即便不是这样，他也能在你简短的叙述之后做出自己的判断。所以，把你的时间用在介绍产品和团队上面，因为这些才是他不知道的信息。 Too much time on market and not enough time on product and team -- Don’t spend too much time on market overview or opportunity. The VC probably knows that better than you, and even if he doesn't, he would probably make up his mind after just a short description. Save your time for your product and your team, which he doesn't know.
第一次会面时与VC争辩。在第一次会面时，别试图说服一名投资人她在某一点上是错的。当然，你也没必要向投资人的观点一边倒。另外，假如你在某一点上卡住了，那就移到另一点上。要专注于你的公司的优点。 Argue in the first meeting – You are not going to convince a VC that she was wrong about something in a first meeting. Of course, also avoid being a push-over and agree with everything the VC says. If you get stuck on a point, move on to another point. Focus on the positives of your company.
