Executive summaries must be limited to 3 pages of text (typed, single-spaced, minimum 12 pitch font, and 1” margins on all sides). The Executive Summary should include information on:
- Company name and introduction
- Product, resource or service description (must be Real Estate related)
- Customer and market analysis (market size, market segmentation, and potential market share)
- Describe the company’s value proposition and competitive differentiation. Why is it an innovative and profitable idea?
- Company’s development stages for its product, service and/or intellectual property (e.g., patents, licenses, )
- Management team including relevant experience
- Financial highlights (such as projected revenue and expenses, margins, point at which company becomes profitable)
- How much investment you are seeking and the use of funds
The executive summary is a summary of your business plan and should include the necessary information that would compel the reader (venture capitalist) to read the remainder of your business plan presentation as they are interested to invest in the company. In your executive summary, we expect you to convey:
1) The problem or need your company solves
2) The size of the accessible market & evidence that customers will buy your product/service
3) Who are your competitors in this market space (i.e. producers and vendors of similar products, capabilities and geographies)
4) How your company differentiates itself from competitors and how you will sustain that
5) The experience of your management team and its relevance
6) Company’s current development stage and timeframes to become profitable
Additional information is allowed as an appendix to the Executive Summary. The size of the appendix can be no more than 10 pages typed, single spaced, minimum 12 pitch font with 1’ margins on all sides.
Business Plan Guideline
General Guidelines: Business plans should be submitted as a presentation slide deck with a maximum of 25 slides in the main body. It should include summary financial data. Backup slides are permitted beyond the 25 slides in the main body. Backup slides should be included at the end of the main body and referred to only to provide more details on points made in slides in the main body. The maximum back up slides allowed is 2 slides per presentation slide. Business Plan financial data details (i.e. spreadsheets, etc.) are to be submitted separately as an appendix and are not counted as “backup slides.”
Detailed spreadsheets for the financial data and appropriate explanations can be added at the end of the presentation slide deck as an appendix.
Contents in the business plan slides should include:
- Company name and introduction
- Product or service description (must be Real Estate related)
- Customer and market analysis (market size, market segmentation, and potential market share)
- Company’s development stages for its product, service and/or intellectual property (e.g., patents, licenses, etc.)
- Sales and Marketing Plan (pricing and branding strategy, sales goals)
- Competitor Analysis
- Management team including relevant experience (include departmental organizational chart)
- Operation plan (office locations and cost, staff training and compensation, customer service)
- Financial highlights (cash flow, income statement, & balance sheet)
- Risk and Mitigation Analysis (risks for your company and mitigation strategies)
- Offering of the company (how much investment you are seeking, uses of funding, possible exits)
Business Plan Financial Data: Financial data should include a cash flow statement, income statement, and balance sheet. This data should be included in a summarized fashion in the main section of the business plan. Include an explanation of the offering to investors indicating how much money is required, how it will be used, and the proposed structure of the deal, (i.e., stock, debentures, etc.) and possible exit strategies for investors (before revenue, after initial revenue, during business operations and shut down). Detailed financial data and tables can be included in the appendix.
