Business Plans, Executive Summaries, and Presentations   Print this page

Suggestions from a Leading Israeli VC
Courtesy of Gemini Israel Venture Funds

Below you'll find the preferred composition of Business Plans, Executive Summaries, and Presentations, as outlined by Gemini, one of Israel's leading VCs.
According to Gemini, a Business Plan should include the following elements:

• Executive Summary
• Background of Founders and Team
• General Product Definition
• Stage of Development
• Market
• Competition Analysis
• Target Customers
• Business and Revenue Model
• Funding Requirements
• Company and Technological Road Map

A successful Executive Summary, according to Gemini, should achieve one important target - it should induce in the reader a desire to know more; that means reading the rest of the plan and fixing a meeting. It should be no more than three pages and include highlights of other sections in the Business Plan. It should clearly answer the questions that a VC will ask:

• Who is the team?
• What is your company's business?
• Why should the VC invest in your company?
• How do you intend to achieve the targets in your business model?
• How much money do you require?

A Presentation should be short and to the point - no more than 15 minutes - and should include all the integral elements of the Business Plan. PowerPoint slides are useful but not essential. Have supporting evidence ready, but don't show it unless it is asked for. If they want further details, they'll ask for them.