SEEDTANK SEASON 1

Important Information for Prospective Participants

Preamble: The following information is meant to equip prospective participants to better understand how SEEDTank works, so that they can hone their business plans and better prepare to pitch. These steps are absolutely critical so as to improve their odds of winning an investment in ST2. Like the popular US venture capital business show:- Shark Tank, ST2 is all about taking winning the elusive investment and going- o market.

Not A Beauty Contest. Not withstanding the tremendous value to participants in terms of deal-exposure and network, ST2 is not a 'beauty contest'. It is NOT designed with a few winners winning prizes emerging at its tail-end. As a matter of fact, it is the organiser's desire to fund as many promising companies as possible, as long as they make the cut.

Format

SEEDTank Season 2(ST2) is a 4-day event held in Singapore from 5th to 8th Dec 2019. The itinerary is as follows:
- Day 0: Thur, 5th Dec - welcome reception for participants
- Day 1: Fri, 6th Dec - bootcamp
- Day 2: Sat, 7th Dec - ST2 Part 1
- Day 3: Sun, 8th Dec - ST2 Part 2 and end-of-frame event
Participating teams are each given 10 minutes to brief their business plan and articulate an investment opportunity. These are followed by a 15-minute Q&A session in which they are given the opportunity to answer questions from panelists (comprising business angels, venture capitalists and fund managers).
- Pitch - 10 minutes
- Q-&-A - 15 minutes
During that time, the audience will interact with a polling-cum-survey application, 'Slido', to cast their votes and/or e-voice their concerns. They may post questions, clarify replies and challenge assumptions made by the pitching teams.
The entire event will be captured and may even be streamed 'live' on social media platforms. Participants are expected to commit to a media release form prior to the pitch.

How To Do Well On The Tank

When deciding if your company should partake in ST2. Refer to the checklist below:
- 'Yes' to most of the questions - highly recommended to attend; good chance to win an investment
- 'Yes' to half of the questions - recommended to attend
- 'Yes' to few of the questions - useful to attend for the purpose of exposure, learning and networking
Preparing for ST2:
- Attend the local info-sessions/training(s) that are scheduled up to 2 weeks before ST2. Please check with your local agent for details
During ST2:
- In general.
  - Network. Make friends with EVERYONE, especially administrators and the audience
  - The '15-5 Marriott' rule.
    - Acknowledge every familiar face within a 15-metre radius; introduce yourself to every prospective investor within a 5-metre radius whenever possible
    - Research what happened on SEEDTank Season 1
    - Avoid making arguments like these: Funding Myths
    - Have fun!
- During The Pitch.
  - Be Pointed.
    - Short answers first. Expand only if prompted
    - Spend 50% of the time to articulate the investment opportunity
  - Demonstrate the product/mobile app wherever possible.
After ST2: Continue to Network. Make friends with EVERYONE, especially administrators and the audience

Investment Checklis

Investment Checklist

Notwithstanding special circumstances,

Motivation. Are you solving a great problem (as opposed to creating a great want)?
Traction. Apart from having a great idea, have you already taken at least some steps (built a minimum viable product, incorporated a company, gotten a "beach-head market" etc) to actualise the business?
More Traction. Do you have traction such as Distribution, Investors, Sales and/or cash?
VC terminology. Do you have at least basic familiarity with the terminology and mechanics of "venture capital funding"?
Co-investment. VCs usually require companies to co-invest. For instance, the former may be willing to invest $100,000, with a contingency that the latter is to raise $20,000 separately from other sources. Are you prepared to raise a part of the investment?
Equity. To be motivated, investors usually require more than 5% of equity in exchange for an investment. Are you willing to give up 5% or more of your business?
Stress Level. Many investors seek a return-on-investment within 2-7 years. To that end, they may require investees to work in a high-paced manner that is embedded with performance targets such as distribution and sales. Can you take the heat?
Professional Structure. Usage of SEED Venture's preferred corporate secretarial/accounting/audit/legal firms is a strict criteria (SV has regional offices in Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Manila, Kuala Lumpur to help oversee its investments). Are you agreeable to this term?
While operations may be off-source, investees' company headquarters and corporate bank accounts are usually domiciled in Singapore for the purpose of securing future rounds of funding from international investors. Are you agreeable to this term?
Are you aware that 'due diligence' is required before funding is disbursed?
Are you aware that accountability to shareholders is paramount and accordingly, investors may require ample standard operating procedures and compliance standards to be implemented into the business?

For more information, click here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ST2 and who is it for?
- ST2 is an exclusive pitching event for companies seeking for investments to start, grow or save their companies.
- In particular, it will be tremendously useful for companies with the intention to expand beyond their shores into the South East Asia region.
- Helmed by SEED Ventures(Singapore), ST2 will involve the following regions: Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh City, Manila and Bangkok.
Where and when is it held?
- ST2 will be held in Singapore (Orchard area) from 5th-8th of Dec, 2019.
- Local trainings will be conducted. Please check with your agent for details.
Who are the panelists?
- High net worth business angels, company CEOs, fund managers and venture capitalists from Singapore and the region.
How much in investments are involved?
- The panelists are existing practitioners who have invested upwards of millions of dollars (SGD) into companies. Depending on the quality of investment opportunities on ST2, any amount upwards of 5-digits is possible.
Can I pitch in a language other than English?
- Please do only pitch in English.
How is ST2 different from other pitching contests such as RISE, Echelon, SWITCH or even US' famous pitching event "Shark Tank"?
- ST2 is NOT a pitching contest with prizes given out at its tail-end. It is an actual investment-seeking exercise where if warranted, all teams can get funded. The panelists mostly comprise of investors motivated to invest in exchange for a sensible financial return in time to come.
How do I take part in it?
- You are probably directed to this site by an appointed partner of SEED Ventures. Please contact this person for details. Alternatively, please fill up the contact box below and we will get back to you within 2 working days.
I am keen to partake in ST2 but may need to level up in terms of VC technicalities and operating procedures. How?
- Attend the crash course held in your region organised by your local agent. Please contact his/her directly or contact us via the contact box below.