For any new biotech venture, attracting investors and securing early operating funds is critical. With the proper fundraising materials you can help your development team hit the ground running.

In the biotech industry there is no shortage of breakthrough ideas and as competition for venture capital and grant dollars continues to grow, the more your organization must stand out. Formulating the right communication strategy for your development team is the first step. Here are a few elements that could make the difference in how well you connect and continue to cultivate investors.

Elevator Pitch
“Why should I invest?” If you had only 15 seconds could you answer this question? This simple and compelling entry point is your value proposition and the foundation of a strong development strategy. A concise value proposition defines exactly how your business venture is distinct, and sparks an investor to say, “Tell me more.” Your development team should be able to convey this statement easily and consistently. It will also live on every other touch point you have with investors in the form of a tagline, intro sentence or short paragraph so be sure your strategy starts here.

Case Statement
This printed brochure serves to make a case for why your research matters. A case statement might be given to investors following a formal presentation, meeting or event launch and serves as a thoughtful and compelling reminder of why your venture deserves their investment. It should introduce and illustrate the importance of your initiative and include everything they would need to further the discussion. In addition to simple items like development team business cards, interchangeable support materials such as investigator bios and research updates can be added and updated as the campaign progresses, keeping your package fresh and relevant for your audience.

Presentation Template
A fully-integrated campaign should include a Power Point or Keynote presentation that is consistent with your other development materials. This doesn’t mean you need to rely on your in-house creative group or agency to create the entire slide deck every time you present, but a simple title and subpage slide template can go a long way towards helping you introduce and reinforce the power of your idea.

iPad App
For more intimate presentations an iPad app can be a persuasive tool for your development team to have on hand. Animation and movement can tell a bigger and more dramatic story that enables your research to come alive and investors to begin to understand complex scientific data and research more efficiently.

Email Newsletter Template
Whether it’s a follow-up to a formal presentation or a quarterly update, staying in touch with potential and current investors is an important part of the cultivation process. Email campaigns can help keep investors informed and interested, and they also offer investors the ability to share your information easily. Regular contact leads to greater investor engagement by leading readers to online research updates and other relevant and timely progress.

Website
Last but certainly not least, your Investor Website tells your continuing story. It introduces your venture and enables potential and current investors to learn about your continued research, at their convenience. It also enables your group to continue to grow your investor database as new visitors sign up for email updates. Beyond investors, your website can serve to inform the scientific community in general, stimulating discussion in your area of research and encouraging new recruits your way.

Have a investor success story you want to share? We’d love to hear it.