Hi, Christine here, 

I'm the founder of Startup with Christine (and a serial entrepreneur with two acquisitions under my belt).

Each week I share my advice for how to grow your startup in less time and with less stress.

Sound like something you want? Then click here first!

But I digress...

This week I met with a very bright founder who has just finished patenting a novel medical device that he developed while he was a professor at a top U.S. university.

I met with this founder because a mutual friend had told me that he was struggling with monetization.

On the surface he had everything going for him:

• Clinically...

Hey— it's Christine,

If you subscribe to my newsletter (which you should!) then you'll know that I provide founders with the latest advice on building your company.

It also means that you may have read the start of this article (as part of my once-a-week Startup Secrets newsletter). If this is you, keep scrolling down so you can get to the good stuff!

But otherwise... 

On my mind this week:

This week I had lunch with a friend who is raising a round of equity crowdfunding for his business. 

I hesitate to call his company a "startup" because he is beyond the zero-to-one phase and is well on...

In this short video, I show you how to quickly discover which customer acquisition path is the right path for your business.

Use this technique to inspire confidence in investors and to generate a concrete plan you can follow for yourself as well.

If you'd like a copy of the spreadsheet I use to create these models, you can sign up here.

In this blog post, I’m going to tell you a hack that will help you get your website to the top of Google’s search results WITHOUT hiring an expensive SEO (Search Engine Optimization) firm.

Most blog posts would answer the question “How to Get Your Website to the Top of Google” with an overwhelming list of steps where you need years of training and experience to actually succeed.

But if you subscribe to my Startup Secrets newsletter (which you should!) you’ll know that I am all about growing your business faster with less stress. 

What matters today is that I help you get more...

In this blog post, I’m going to tell you something that ALL other blog posts on venture funding won’t tell you.

Most blog posts would answer the question “How To Get Venture Funding” with a list of things you should do:

1. Find investors
2. Pitch investors
3. Get a term sheet
4. Close the round

etc. etc.

But if you subscribe to my once-a-week Startup Secret newsletter (which you should!) you’ll know that I don’t give you generic, Chat-GPT generated, advice.

I cut through the noise and get to the heart of what really matters. 

And what matters today is that I help you raise money...

If you subscribe to my newsletter (which you should!) you'll know that I am all about getting you to your first one million in funding or revenue, fast.

But the fast part will never happen if you find yourself stuck in procrasti-producing and don't know how to effectively prioritize.

Waaay too many founders fall into the trap of doing tasks that bring them comfort, but that don't actually move the needle for their business.

• If you're a designer, you might spend way too long designing your brand or website.
• If you're a coder, you could be spending way too long perfecting a feature.
• If you're...

 Hi, I’m Christine Outram and in this post I am going to show you how to pick the right presentation design service for YOU and YOUR needs without wasting time and money with sub-par design firms or multiple rounds of edits. 

What we’ll cover:

• Why this is NOT generic advice
• How to tell if a presentation design service is any good
• How to choose the right presentation design service for YOU
• Presentation design recommendations filtered by what you need

Why This Is Not Generic Advice

This is my promise to you: this post is NOT generic advice.

If you’re choosing a presentation design service, the most common...

I’ve been part of the startup ecosystem for over 15 years and I’ve personally raised money up and down the ‘fundraising stack’.

I know what it’s like when you’re just starting out - you need guidance on what type of funding is available (and how to go out there and get it!).

That’s what this blog post is all about. Here’s what we’ll cover:

• The 11 different ways you can raise money for your business
1. Bootstrapping
2. Friends & Family
3. Business Incubators
4. Accelerators
5. Traditional Crowdfunding
6. Equity Crowdfunding
7. Angel Investors
8. Venture Capital
9. Grants
10. Bank Loans and Lines of Credit...

Hi, I’m Christine Outram, the owner of Startup with Christine. I’ve personally helped hundreds of founders raise money for their business - I’ve even raised over $2.1M myself! 

But it wasn’t always easy for me... 

I learned the hard way the difference between angel investors and VCs, family and friends rounds, equity crowdfunding, private equity, grants, and everything in between.

And I made mistakes (lots of them!) that almost certainly cost me some deals.

I don’t want this to happen to you, which is why I write this blog.

I want growth and fundraising to come much more easily to you than it did to...

Hey there founders!  

I'm Christine Outram and I’ve spent the last ten years helping founders (like you!) create pitch decks that will close deals and raise a round of funding, fast. Here’s all my advice wrapped up into a ten-minute post so you can raise more and stress less.

What you’ll learn:

• What Is a Pitch Deck?

• When you should NOT use a pitch deck?

• The slides you must have in a pitch deck if you want to raise money (with visual examples)

• The Ultimate Fundraising Launch Checklist - swipe it for free here!

Ready to dive in? Of course you are!

What is a pitch deck?

First, the basics....

 TLDR;

Pitch Decks are concise, visually stunning, business presentations that are designed to convince potential investors, customers or partners to take action. This can include giving you money for a fundraising round or buying your product or service. The best pitch decks go beyond business facts and tell a story that resonates with and captivates your audience. If you want to know how to do this (and when to use a pitch deck vs. a business plan) you'll find the answers below.

PS: Have a business presentation that needs designing but don’t know where to start? If you want a professional to do it for you, then book a...

What we'll cover:

• VCs are attracted to a founder's conviction
• People Pleasers let their desire to be liked get in the way of unleashing their own beliefs.
• How this plays out for woman and minority founders
• What VCs can do
• What founders can do

Where this came from:

They say that through hardship comes growth. Well this year, I’ve grown. A lot. 

Not just in the usual way—handling all of the startup obstacles that are standard for any founder—but in an internal way: examining behaviors that may have subconsciously sabotaged my goals.

Through this ‘research’ I’ve...