13,882 Members | 22,656 Reviews
5,691 Ratings - 6,576 Comments
10,389 Partners - 18,565 Feedback
We submitted our proposal to them with only a distant referral. 2-3 weeks later their associate called, left a message, I called him back and left a message, and he subsequently called me back. They made a good effort to get back to me, in spite of the fact they were passing. Their partners had already reviewed our material. They gave me 2-3 reasons, which I understood. In short, a very courteous, professional response from them.
Private: 721 Chars
I pitched to the D'Arch Angels group in 2008 and 2009 during our fundraising process(es). After the first pitch in 2008 we made some progress both with development and raising government funds so we went back to them in mid-2009 to pitch again. We were ultimately turned down but the experience was extremely valuable. The investors didn't seem very interested, but asked really good questions, which helped us refine our pitch.
The experience in 2008 was really frustrating. Everything had to go through the Sr. Associate, Sam, who was really unresponsive but strung us along enough for us to think they were interested in further meetings.
The experience in 2009 was much better. By that time a new Sr. Associate, Dan, had taken over Sam's position and was genuinely interested in our presentation. He reviewed our materials in advance of the pitch session so that he could give us advice prior to the meeting to ensure we were very prepared. Prior to the pitch meeting we asked him where he thought our weaknesses were, and he was very candid about needing to address some holes in our management team. He also indicated that our schedule slips from 2008 to 2009 were concerning. By providing the feedback we were prepared to address these issues during our formal presentation. Following the pitch at NVG I pitched to a number of other investors in the area (it was 2009 and no one was investing anyway) but no one gave us the kind of feedback Dan did. Although they didn't invest, he was very clear about telling us why and did not string us along as everyone else in town did. Because of Dan's straight-forwardness, I'd definitely considering working with them in the future if I have a new company to fundraise for.
In 2007, we solicited proposals from multiple venture debt firms. WTI was responsive, straightforward to deal with and negotiated terms in a two week period of time. Diligence was also straightforward. They had higher warrant coverage than some, but most importantly, they had no cash covenant. When we needed to suspend principle repayment for a period of time in 2008, WTI was again responsive. They stood by us. The restructure was complete in about two weeks. We have repaid the debt fully and early. Relationships never got tense -- they were straight, fair, tough. Excellent partners.
Maurice Werdegar in particular is terrific. He understands his business thoroughly AND understands the cycles of venture backed companies. I’d definitely go back to WTI again. Highest recommendation.
Private: 569 Chars
I've been working with Liam for a while and have found him to be a true partner. He's incredibly nice, always generous with his time, and consistently supportive. He seems to have a knack for pattern matching with previous experiences and is impressively perceptive in dealing with subtle aspects of tough problems. Adds a ton of value. Knows the energy, healthcare, and education spaces well.
Private: 457 Chars