An essential checklist for executing on public funding announcements

• How much funding was raised? Note: reporters’ expectations have elevated and some of the top tier business press (e.g. Bloomberg) won’t take a briefing on news that is strictly funding if the amount is less than $250M.
• Is any of the funding debt?
  • NOTE: This is not necessarily a bad thing, but reporters often note if the funding was from VC firms, private equity or debt.
• Who are the key investors?
• Is a PE firm included in the round, or are they purchasing the company?
• Why are those involved investing? How does your organization play into their portfolio or strategy?
• Are any of the investor partners/representatives being added to the board?
• Are any of the new investors or board members public figures? What are their backgrounds/histories in the entrepreneurial space? What previous successful portfolio companies have they worked with that are analogous to yours?
• With this funding round, how does your organization’s financial status compare to your key competitors (e.g. are you positioned to compete with larger companies or do you now have a clear advantage with deeper pockets?)
• Will any of your new investors/board members speak to media about the investment?

• What will the investment be used for?
• Will your organization expand into new geographies?
• Expand its product innovation/development team?
• Change or expand go-to-market capabilities?
• Add new technology?
• Add headcount? If so, how many and at what locations?
• Why raise funds now? What is the opportunity that you see? (especially during COVID-19, reporters are asking if you took a beating on the valuation).
• Will you reveal valuation of the company as part of this round of funding?
  • NOTE: typically, the answer is “no”, but media always seek this information. If you are valued in excess of $1B, it may be valuable to at least reveal a range so that media understand you can be classified as a “unicorn”
• How does this funding align with your business execution (e.g. revenue growth, customer expansion, new customer verticals, industry analyst recognition, awards, etc.)
• What executive momentum can be leveraged with this announcement (e.g. any new hires we should refer to that align with this?)

• What customer momentum has the company achieved to date?
• What customers can be quoted (or asked to participate) in the funding announcement? Can any of these customers talk about an ROI with your solution?
• What industry analysts can be quoted (or asked to participate) in the funding announcement? Do they evaluate your industry, and how do you align with the leadership quadrant in their reports?

• Who knows about the funding, and what are the agreements?
• Will anyone else talk about this funding in a newsletter, on LinkedIn or other social media, in a press release, in interactions with the media?
• Will you, or have you, file(d) a Form D?
• This is a public filing that enters your company’s funding amount and investors into a public database. It is best to delay this filing until AFTER the press release goes live.
• What is the agreement on keeping this quiet among the investors?
• Has a date for the announcement been agreed to?
• With the VCs be promoting this with their own PR teams?

Once you’ve collected this information and have firm agreements in place about disclosing the funding details, it’s time to develop a strategy for the announcement. Congratulations on your round – make the most of it!

Hungry for more information and resources? Visit the 10Fold blog for more tips or check out a few of our case studies for strategies that 10Fold uses to ensure your company stands out!