A key part of valuation is explaining your revenue model and potential financial growth, to bring in investors and partners to walk the journey with you. Part of this also includes your annual revenue at that point (even if you are not yet profitable). Now, what happens if you do not have revenue yet? How do you do a proper valuation of your business and present it in your pitch in the best way possible?
For pre-revenue startups, here are some things you can consider and maybe leverage when reaching a valuation for your business.
Leverage your management team
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Even if you don’t have a product in the market yet, if you can get sufficient data on market trends that show your solution could be highly needed, then you have something. This is an indicator as to the market potential of your product or solution and can do a lot for you especially when you don’t have all the revenue numbers to crunch. Remember that investors do not only invest based on the milestones achieved but on the potential of what your product could become.
For instance, if you have sufficient data showing that there is a huge gap or challenge in a specific sector, that is costing them lots of money; and you also show how your product can solve that problem at a fee that they would be willing to pay, it will suffice in place of established revenue streams. This is more so for early-stage startups.
Realistic Financial projections
That you do not have revenue already should not be a reason to walk into any pitch without solid financial projections, preferably done by experts. If you have a solid solution and business, then experts should be able to come up with financial projections that can be both real and impressive. There is no need to exaggerate facts to impress investors. Keep in mind that those that are aligned with your business goals will not be afraid to put their money into it.
The point is that you can leverage on other things you have to make up for what you don’t. A proper combination of your management team, systems, realistic financial projections based on market trends, and so on, will do the trick for you. If you need to bend a little to accommodate that investor you want, without necessarily compromising your structure or overdiluting ownership, do it.