Resources
“A good Executive Summary gives me a sense of why this is an interesting venture. I look for a very clear statement of their long-term mission, an overview of the people, the technology, and the fit to market. Anwer these questions: “What is it? Who’s going to build it? Why will anyone buy it?” To paraphrase the movie Field of Dreams, we want to know, “If we fund it, will they (buyers) come?”
(Ann Winblad, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Hummer Winblad Venture Partners)
A good Executive Summary has become such a crucial part that some venture capitalists now prefer to receive just a Summary and Financials before reviewing an entire business plan. The Executive Summary gives the reader an opportunity to understand your business idea and grab the highlights of your business, then decide whether they want to go further exploring your Business Plan.
We look for clear, concise and compelling Executive Summaries. For that reason, they should be around 1-2 pages and a busy investor would spend less than 5 minutes to read through.
A couple of good resources for your reference:
Templates. These outlines based on “The Successful Business Plan- Secret and Strategies” by Rhonda Abrams. ESC- Executive Summary templates
Book: “Tell It to the CEO: How to Write Compelling Executive Summaries and Briefings” by Angela J. Maniak
Blogs:
http://learntowriteproposals.blogspot.com/2009/02/how-to-write-executive-summary-in-your_13.html
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/04/the_art_of_the_.html
http://articles.bplans.com/writing-a-business-plan/writing-an-executive-summary
Advice from potential investors
http://www.derbymanagement.com/knowledge/pages/knowing/executive.html
Writing a winning Executive Summary, by Samuel M. Shafner, Partner of Burns & Levinson LLP
http://hawaiiangels.org/10pointsExecSummary.pdf
Ten Questions to Answer for a Winning Executive Summary, by Bill Spencer, President of Hawaii Venture Capital Association
Princeton Entrepreneurship Club
http://www.princetoneclub.org/resources/executive_summary
A good resource on how to write Executive Summaries
http://www.princetoneclub.org/node/24
How to write an Executive Summary presented by Sabrina Parsons, CEO Palo Alto Software
Business Week
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/special_reports/20080107theabcsof.htm
A series of articles on how to write compelling Business Plans, from which you can derive some ideas of a good Executive Summary.
Elevator Pitch Wisdom Redux
Your executive summary is really just an extended version of your pitch. Check out our resources from the Elevator Pitch Contest
http://www.mit100k.org/elevator-pitch-contest/50-days-of-elevator-pitch-wisdom/
TWITCH Winner Receives $19K Donation
