"Trust, but verify." - Ronald Reagan

Vinod Khosla once said it takes seven years and $30 million to train a venture capitalist. Well, if that's true the folks at Sell and Thrive can certainly reduce that time-table and cost. Seriously, we realize that being a VC or private equity firm is a tough business, that requires meaningful commitments of resources, in the face of extreme uncertainty and dynamic markets.

Most startups involve some combination of unproven technologies, inexperienced teams, undeveloped markets, and untested business models. Information tends to be incomplete and unreliable. The most promising markets tend to change rapidly and domain expertise becomes obsolete just as quickly.

To make matters worse, venture is a terrible learning environment. The average venture capitalist only makes a few decisions a year, and it takes years to see if these decisions result in good or bad outcomes. Few data points and long feedback loops make for slow learning, while the extreme uncertainty makes it difficult to learn the right lessons. In this business, it is too easy to confuse luck with skill.

This is where Sell and Thrive can help.

Reduce your risk by evaluating your potential investment from the inside out, not just by reading a balance sheet, reviewing market research reports, and speaking with management.

At the end of the day, your investment will depend heavily on where the rubber meets the road; the sales team and the processes they follow, not just management and a business plan. We are reps. We know where the bodies are buried.

Use us to augment your due diligence team. Use us to be your tip of the sales sword to ensure you are getting complete visibility into the gears of the sales engine. Let us help you, to "trust, but verify."