- Fred Coulson
- Website:
fiveelms.com - Position:
Managing Partner
Five Elms Capital - Contact:
Topic - The Perfect Pitch: Hitting It Out of the Ballpark When Pitching to Investors
Moderator: Herb Sih
Panelists: Jeff Teeven, Scott Ford, Fred Coulson
Every entrepreneur, startup company or growing venture requires capital to survive. The "game" of raising money from banks, angel investors, private equity funds or venture capitalists can be highly intimidating, often complex and have mixed results depending on your skills, understand of the game and your efforts.
In this session, participants will learn:
- What every entrepreneur or company that wants to raise money must know before they even approach a potential investor
- What funders look for in a good idea – and a good opportunity
- The red flags that every entrepreneur must avoid when raising money
- What to expect when raising money, and how to be prepared for opportunity when it strikes
Bio
Fred Coulson is the Founder and Managing Partner of Five Elms Capital, a private investment firm focused on providing capital to scale proven, high-growth businesses. The firm invests $1 million – 10 million, typically in service-based businesses that use technology to improve their value proposition, lower their infrastructure costs, and grow faster than their peers. Five Elms loves working with Midwestern entrepreneurs, but also invests nationwide.
Prior to founding Five Elms, Fred was a senior investment professional with TH Lee Putnam Ventures, a $1.1 billion growth equity firm sponsored by Thomas H. Lee Partners and Putnam Investments. At TH Lee Putnam, he invested in and actively managed a variety of businesses in the financial services and business services sectors.
Prior to TH Lee Putnam, Fred was an investment banker with Morgan Stanley, working in mergers & acquisitions, corporate finance, and firm management in Morgan Stanley's New York offices. Fred began his career in asset management with Citibank in London. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Kansas, where he currently serves on the Finance Board of Advisors for the School of Business.
