BWW Blog: Clarissa Moon - THEatre ACCELERATOR Day 2: What Do Investors Look For?

The THEatre ACCELERATOR utilizes new technology to develop musicals in a unique way. Participants use video conference software to talk with industry experts from around the country. (For more information about the THEatre ACCELERATOR, see my latest post here.) Last week, artists jumped into their first week of virtual workshops.

On Tuesday, we were joined by guest Jim Scheinman, an investor and founding managing partner of Maven Ventures. He helped the participants answer an important question: What do investors look for in a project? Here's what he said:

• Vision. Investors look for an original, unique vision.
• A good team. Ideally, a team of two. This way, if things get rough, you'll push each other to keep going. Investors look for teams with a shared passion and complementary skills.
• Passion. This is very important. If the investor can see your passion within the first five minutes of your pitch, they'll be more interested in the rest of your presentation and more likely to want to help you.
• Experience. Investors look for previous experience. It doesn't matter whether you succeeded or failed, investors like that you've learned from the experience.
• Coachability. Investors look for people who are willing to listen to advice, and make good decisions based on that advice.
• Fundraising skills. Fundraising shows your passion for the project, as well as your work ethic and business skills.

In my next post, we'll discuss how to pitch a musical. So stay tuned!