Startups

How raising startup funding is like being a no-name rapper

Founder LeVaughn Nesbitt explains why the tech game reminds him of the rap game.

LeVaughn Nesbitt, cofounder of Demand Live Entertainment. (Courtesy photo)

LeVaughn Nesbitt just started pitching his events startup to investors.
The whole experience makes him think of Drake. He writes:

Well, think about it, before Drake was Drake!, he was wheelchair Jimmy. I’m quite sure he told many labels (investors) how bright his future in rap would be [Because trust and believe he’s not surprised by his success], but not many believed, and it wasn’t until he “de-risked” his situation (i.e. became successful on his own; ironically with a song titled — ‘Successful’), that he got his first believer in, J Prince Jr. In this way, the rap-game and the tech-game are very much the same. Every serious investor has an anti-portfolio, that they wish they could turn the clock on.

Nesbitt, 31, a North Philly native who now lives in the suburbs with his wife and two kids, offers more advice in a blog post on LinkedIn, including not banking on any investment until the check has cleared the bank (that one might sound obvious, but we’ve heard stories from a couple local startups who feel that they were fooled by this one).
Read the full post
Nesbitt currently works at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Team members for his startup, Demand Live Entertainment, include Code for Philly co-organizer Lloyd Emelle, Temple grad Brandon Davis and UX/UI designer Brian Artis.

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