9 ms·

How I Pitched Dave McClure In The Wrong Place At The Wrong Time

77 points by mtreder 14y ago

verelo 14y ago
Pitch by not pitching, seriously some of the best advice anyone could give a startup. I too get very sick of pitches when really all i want to do is meet smart people, if they turn out to be interesting, then lets hear the pitch.....but dont start with it!
- guptaneil 14y ago
  I learned this lesson the hard way. It's amazing how much more interest you can garner just by treating the other person like a human being rather than a means to an end. Unfortunately, it is easy for a startup founder to fall into this trap.
curiousDog 14y ago
Next time: "Hi!, I'm xyz, you may remember me from such startups as ..."
- mtreder 14y ago
  He actually knew who I am (at least a little bit), but you're right, that's a necessary start.
  - JonnieCache 14y ago
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC7TVRU5nho http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC7TVRU5nho
kosei 14y ago
"Pitching me directly for 30 seconds is a completely fucking ineffectual way to get my attention... and usually destined to fail miserably." Hilarious quote, but also incredibly honest. Great stuff.
- mtreder 14y ago
  Thanks! Glad you like it. I think there's a lesson for entrepreneurs all over the world in it.
ajross 14y ago
On the "reading the bubble tea leaves" front: what does it say about the startup world when even full time investors are sick of being pitched? I'm watching this all from the outside, in a stable salaried job outside the bay area. But it just feels like the end of a road -- the community is eating itself. Making stuff people want is a distant memory at this point.
- GuiA 14y ago
  That's a superficial view of the state of affairs. Of course that the offer (pitches) will always be greater by several orders of magnitude than the demand (investor money). A natural consequence of that is that investors are sick of being pitched everywhere they go. But for investors, is it better to have too many pitches, or not enough? Don't worry, there are still plenty of people shipping shit that people want :)
- yesimahuman 14y ago
  Making stuff people want is different than making what you think investors or well-known tech people want.
- pshin45 14y ago
  The reason Dave McClure is sick of being pitched is not because he's jaded or tired of doing what he does. It's because it's not humanly possible for a single investor, be it Dave McClure or a YC partner, to process the sheer volume of pitches that come their way. There needs to be some sort of filtering mechanism, and endorsements/recommendations are one way of doing that. As Dave mentioned in the video embedded in the article, he WILL give his full attention to a founder IF they have already met with 500 Startups portfolio companies (i.e. people he trusts and respects) and proven to them that they are legit. People like Dave McClure (and pg) have thousands of people vying for his extremely limited time, and so giving his full attention to every pitch that comes his way would be a huge disservice to the other startups that actually deserve it i.e. have actually done their homework, put time in to prove themselves, and committed to forming long-term relationships with people in his community vs. those looking for a quick and easy shortcut to funding and networking.
aaroncray 14y ago
Here's how I pitched Dave McClure: Me:"hey aren't you the famous incubator investor?" Dave:"oh gosh I don't know about famous.." Me:"yeah you're Paul Graham right?" It was hilarious. You should have been there cause you would have laughed too. Oh and I didn't pitch him cause I was too busy laughing.
cmbaus 14y ago
Reading this makes me question why people are begging to work with Dave McClure.
- mtreder 14y ago
  He's a wise guy and he's a lot of fun. Honestly - I'm not surprised that people want to work with him.
  - cmbaus 14y ago
    wise guy [1] noun Informal. a cocksure, conceited, and often insolent person Sounds about right. [1]http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wiseguy http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wiseguy
    - mtreder 14y ago
      Crap. That wasn't my intention. Didn't know about this collocation in english :D
- ryguytilidie 14y ago
  Because they have a higher probability of making money if he likes their idea? Its not because hes a super nice, cool guy.
brm 14y ago
I'll say it. We hold up some incredibly deficient people as idols in the tech world.
- ghayes 14y ago
  That's ad hominem and unnecessary and downright offensive. You should judge Dave McClure on his acts as an investor or advisor. HackerNews is meant to be a constructive forum, and this comment was anything but.
  - mtreder 14y ago
    Words of wisdom. Besides, I'm the one to blame. If I would try to built an honest relationship with Dave and his network during past 12 months I wouldn't need to stalk him at the Launch Festival. My point is that cold-pitching people is risky and almost disrespectful to both parties (!). Just as investors should be respected as human beings and they deserve to be treated as humans (not wallets), entrepreneurs shouldn't knee before investors and almost beg for money with their pitch- we're the one building amazing companies after all.
  - brm 14y ago
    It would be an ad hominem if I were in an argument with Dave and instead of listening to his points attacked him personally. In this case I'm talking about needing to see the forest for the trees. I'll gladly judge him on his acts a person in the position of being a gatekeeper to a world people build lives hopes and dreams on. You don't have to be a dick to be a good investor and advisor.
    - ghayes 14y ago
      My concern is that you're calling someone a "dick" on a public forum. I believe that's unfounded and unnecessary. Dave is actually a very nice and caring person when you meet and talk to him, his public persona be as it may.
      - brm 14y ago
pshin45 14y ago
When I first learned who Dave McClure was and saw his flippant attitude and penchant for profanity, I was not a fan. I thought he seemed extremely unprofessional and was making other startup founders look bad. But over time as I learned more about him, I've definitely softened on him and now greatly respect him, for the following reasons: First off, he's incredibly open about the fact that he could never fit in at a normal corporation due to his "eccentric ways", and by doing so empowers others who are going through the same thing. He doesn't necessarily encourage others to be like him, but he does (implicitly) encourage people to "Be Yourself" and to not be afraid to acknowledge that you may be different from the people around you and if so find a way of life that suits you better. And most importantly, he has only the best of intentions - He truly wants young, up-and-coming founders to succeed and not have to go through the bullshit that he had to go through, and that seems to be his driving force in life. Dave McClure naturally creates a certain type of culture in everything he does by way of his unique personality. If you don't like it that's cool, but in the big picture I think it's a good thing and makes Silicon Valley a more diverse and interesting community.
ChuckMcM 14y ago
Random observation, the embedded youtube video is sized in such a way to clip off the controls that let you full screen it or watch it on youtube or change resolution. I don't know if that is intentional or not but its annoying on a smaller screen device that its not easily zoomable to full screen.
jonathanjaeger 14y ago
I think Mark Suster has a similar mindset (with similar bluntless albeit not as hard-hitting perhaps) -- there's no way he can hear everyone pitch or have a coffee with every startuper, but if you take the time to get an intro through a well-trusted contact that will move you further down the "conversion funnel" to getting a meeting. Sure Dave McClure or Mark Suster or any other investor might be right in front of you, but you also don't want to reek of desperation when you make your move.
revth 14y ago
Kindly shut the fuck up.
- hefi 14y ago
  I admire your consequence in replying :)
- drivebyacct2 14y ago
  And I'll again suggest that throwaway accounts should be read-only for a week before being allowed to comment.
btilly 14y ago
Let me get this straight. The would-be pitcher said, "May I pitch you?" "Sure, in 15 min." Then during that 15 min in an interview that the would-be pitcher had no way to follow, Dave McClure said not to pitch him. Then he came back to listen to the pitch and it went horribly because Dave didn't want to be pitched. If so then the fault here is all Dave's. If you don't want to be pitched, say so up front. If you said that you're willing to be pitched, show up for it mentally.
- aneth4 14y ago
  No, it went horribly because Dave listened and they were invited for a follow-up. Sounds like it went pretty well. The starstruck tone of the article is a little embarrassing, but hey, Dave's pretty awesome. It's not so much that Dave can't be pitched. He is trying to intelligently route pitching traffic through his expertise network, and you are probably wasting his time and not being diligent and respectful if you don't follow that advice.
- yannk 14y ago
  Oh, according to the tweet, I thought the 15 min were the time when he took a dump.
rdl 14y ago
Speaking of wrong place/wrong time, was funny how a well known investor recently asked in a bathroom during an intermission for evaluations of companies :). That violates bathroom rules I think!
jeffehobbs 14y ago
I can tell you for sure, this story didn't take place in the public library! Because Dave McClure can barely read and write!

77 points by mtreder 14y ago

Pitch by not pitching, seriously some of the best advice anyone could give a startup. I too get very sick of pitches when really all i want to do is meet smart people, if they turn out to be interesting, then lets hear the pitch.....but dont start with it!

guptaneil 14y ago
I learned this lesson the hard way. It's amazing how much more interest you can garner just by treating the other person like a human being rather than a means to an end. Unfortunately, it is easy for a startup founder to fall into this trap.

curiousDog 14y ago

Next time: "Hi!, I'm xyz, you may remember me from such startups as ..."

mtreder 14y ago
He actually knew who I am (at least a little bit), but you're right, that's a necessary start.
- JonnieCache 14y ago
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC7TVRU5nho http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC7TVRU5nho

kosei 14y ago

"Pitching me directly for 30 seconds is a completely fucking ineffectual way to get my attention... and usually destined to fail miserably." Hilarious quote, but also incredibly honest. Great stuff.

mtreder 14y ago
Thanks! Glad you like it. I think there's a lesson for entrepreneurs all over the world in it.

ajross 14y ago

On the "reading the bubble tea leaves" front: what does it say about the startup world when even full time investors are sick of being pitched? I'm watching this all from the outside, in a stable salaried job outside the bay area. But it just feels like the end of a road -- the community is eating itself. Making stuff people want is a distant memory at this point.

GuiA 14y ago
That's a superficial view of the state of affairs. Of course that the offer (pitches) will always be greater by several orders of magnitude than the demand (investor money). A natural consequence of that is that investors are sick of being pitched everywhere they go. But for investors, is it better to have too many pitches, or not enough? Don't worry, there are still plenty of people shipping shit that people want :)
yesimahuman 14y ago
Making stuff people want is different than making what you think investors or well-known tech people want.
pshin45 14y ago
The reason Dave McClure is sick of being pitched is not because he's jaded or tired of doing what he does. It's because it's not humanly possible for a single investor, be it Dave McClure or a YC partner, to process the sheer volume of pitches that come their way. There needs to be some sort of filtering mechanism, and endorsements/recommendations are one way of doing that. As Dave mentioned in the video embedded in the article, he WILL give his full attention to a founder IF they have already met with 500 Startups portfolio companies (i.e. people he trusts and respects) and proven to them that they are legit. People like Dave McClure (and pg) have thousands of people vying for his extremely limited time, and so giving his full attention to every pitch that comes his way would be a huge disservice to the other startups that actually deserve it i.e. have actually done their homework, put time in to prove themselves, and committed to forming long-term relationships with people in his community vs. those looking for a quick and easy shortcut to funding and networking.

aaroncray 14y ago

Here's how I pitched Dave McClure: Me:"hey aren't you the famous incubator investor?" Dave:"oh gosh I don't know about famous.." Me:"yeah you're Paul Graham right?" It was hilarious. You should have been there cause you would have laughed too. Oh and I didn't pitch him cause I was too busy laughing.

cmbaus 14y ago

Reading this makes me question why people are begging to work with Dave McClure.

mtreder 14y ago
He's a wise guy and he's a lot of fun. Honestly - I'm not surprised that people want to work with him.
- cmbaus 14y ago
  wise guy [1] noun Informal. a cocksure, conceited, and often insolent person Sounds about right. [1]http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wiseguy http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wiseguy
  - mtreder 14y ago
    Crap. That wasn't my intention. Didn't know about this collocation in english :D
ryguytilidie 14y ago
Because they have a higher probability of making money if he likes their idea? Its not because hes a super nice, cool guy.

brm 14y ago

I'll say it. We hold up some incredibly deficient people as idols in the tech world.

ghayes 14y ago
That's ad hominem and unnecessary and downright offensive. You should judge Dave McClure on his acts as an investor or advisor. HackerNews is meant to be a constructive forum, and this comment was anything but.
- mtreder 14y ago
  Words of wisdom. Besides, I'm the one to blame. If I would try to built an honest relationship with Dave and his network during past 12 months I wouldn't need to stalk him at the Launch Festival. My point is that cold-pitching people is risky and almost disrespectful to both parties (!). Just as investors should be respected as human beings and they deserve to be treated as humans (not wallets), entrepreneurs shouldn't knee before investors and almost beg for money with their pitch- we're the one building amazing companies after all.
- brm 14y ago
  It would be an ad hominem if I were in an argument with Dave and instead of listening to his points attacked him personally. In this case I'm talking about needing to see the forest for the trees. I'll gladly judge him on his acts a person in the position of being a gatekeeper to a world people build lives hopes and dreams on. You don't have to be a dick to be a good investor and advisor.
  - ghayes 14y ago
    My concern is that you're calling someone a "dick" on a public forum. I believe that's unfounded and unnecessary. Dave is actually a very nice and caring person when you meet and talk to him, his public persona be as it may.
    - brm 14y ago

pshin45 14y ago

When I first learned who Dave McClure was and saw his flippant attitude and penchant for profanity, I was not a fan. I thought he seemed extremely unprofessional and was making other startup founders look bad. But over time as I learned more about him, I've definitely softened on him and now greatly respect him, for the following reasons: First off, he's incredibly open about the fact that he could never fit in at a normal corporation due to his "eccentric ways", and by doing so empowers others who are going through the same thing. He doesn't necessarily encourage others to be like him, but he does (implicitly) encourage people to "Be Yourself" and to not be afraid to acknowledge that you may be different from the people around you and if so find a way of life that suits you better. And most importantly, he has only the best of intentions - He truly wants young, up-and-coming founders to succeed and not have to go through the bullshit that he had to go through, and that seems to be his driving force in life. Dave McClure naturally creates a certain type of culture in everything he does by way of his unique personality. If you don't like it that's cool, but in the big picture I think it's a good thing and makes Silicon Valley a more diverse and interesting community.

ChuckMcM 14y ago

Random observation, the embedded youtube video is sized in such a way to clip off the controls that let you full screen it or watch it on youtube or change resolution. I don't know if that is intentional or not but its annoying on a smaller screen device that its not easily zoomable to full screen.

jonathanjaeger 14y ago

I think Mark Suster has a similar mindset (with similar bluntless albeit not as hard-hitting perhaps) -- there's no way he can hear everyone pitch or have a coffee with every startuper, but if you take the time to get an intro through a well-trusted contact that will move you further down the "conversion funnel" to getting a meeting. Sure Dave McClure or Mark Suster or any other investor might be right in front of you, but you also don't want to reek of desperation when you make your move.

revth 14y ago

Kindly shut the fuck up.

hefi 14y ago
I admire your consequence in replying :)
drivebyacct2 14y ago
And I'll again suggest that throwaway accounts should be read-only for a week before being allowed to comment.

btilly 14y ago

Let me get this straight. The would-be pitcher said, "May I pitch you?" "Sure, in 15 min." Then during that 15 min in an interview that the would-be pitcher had no way to follow, Dave McClure said not to pitch him. Then he came back to listen to the pitch and it went horribly because Dave didn't want to be pitched. If so then the fault here is all Dave's. If you don't want to be pitched, say so up front. If you said that you're willing to be pitched, show up for it mentally.

aneth4 14y ago
No, it went horribly because Dave listened and they were invited for a follow-up. Sounds like it went pretty well. The starstruck tone of the article is a little embarrassing, but hey, Dave's pretty awesome. It's not so much that Dave can't be pitched. He is trying to intelligently route pitching traffic through his expertise network, and you are probably wasting his time and not being diligent and respectful if you don't follow that advice.
yannk 14y ago
Oh, according to the tweet, I thought the 15 min were the time when he took a dump.

rdl 14y ago

Speaking of wrong place/wrong time, was funny how a well known investor recently asked in a bathroom during an intermission for evaluations of companies :). That violates bathroom rules I think!

jeffehobbs 14y ago

I can tell you for sure, this story didn't take place in the public library! Because Dave McClure can barely read and write!