What investors pay attention to before investing in a startup

What the talk is about

Mykola Shapovalov, a partner at a venture fund, explains what investors look at when choosing a startup and why Ukrainian teams can build strong businesses at home. The fund is young, looks for talented teams inside Ukraine and helps with first rounds, giving money for marketing and hiring. Criteria include innovation in customer acquisition and the profit model, fast hypothesis testing, using the surrounding network and partners, scalability and a focus on Western markets, above all the US. At early stages the team and the sense that it will see the work through matter most; later the financial model and return on investment take over. In the Q&A he describes how games are assessed: mechanics, niche, response from target markets and sales forecasts. Useful for founders of game startups and studios preparing to raise investment.