Today my guest is John Biggs, an accomplished writer, technologist and entrepreneur. He and communications strategist Eric Villines are co-authors of Get Funded! The Startup Entrepreneur’s Guide to Seriously Successful Fundraising.” John is a writer, consultant, programmer, and former East Coast Editor for TechCrunch, an online newspaper focusing on high tech and startup companies. He writes mainly about technology, cryptocurrency, security, gadgets, gear, wristwatches, and the Internet. After spending his formative years as a programmer, he switched his profession and became a full-time entrepreneur and writer. His work has appeared in print and online publications including the New York Times, PC Upgrade, Surge, Gizmodo, Men’s Health, InSync, Linux Journal and Popular Science. He also consults with startups to help them make cool things and be successful.

 In this episode we dive into:

·         Why a scrappy entrepreneur may not want to obtain outside funding

·         Why VCs are “implicitly selfish and risk averse”

·         Ways in which a VC can cause harm to your business

·         Crowdfunding, friend and family rounds and other approaches to funding

·         Circumstances where a business plan is useful

·         How to identify VCs and ways to approach them

·         Why you need a “hacker, huckster and hipster” to be successful

·         Various grants that can help your business

·         How microloans and microdonations work

·         The facts about GoFundMe campaigns

·         Why you should practice before pitching to investors

·         Why your pitch should be “compelling, human and promising”

To connect with John Biggs

Website: https://www.BigWideLogic.com

Website: johnbiggsbooks.com

Twitter: @JohnBiggs

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johndbiggs