This is the Mattermark series a pitch deck.
Danielle Morrill from Mattermark did a decent job on their VC pitch deck. Here are two versions of their Series-A deck so you can see how it changed. It is well worth reading the Medium article below about the story behind their raise.
About Mattermark
Mattermark is a data-driven platform that offers comprehensive insights and analytics to help investors, sales teams, and market researchers make informed decisions. It harnesses machine learning and big data to compile and analyze millions of data points from various sources such as websites, news articles, SEC filings, and social media.
Mattermark’s core objective is to track the growth and performance of private companies globally, making it a valuable tool for venture capitalists and corporate sales teams.
Key Features and Offerings:
- Company Profiles: Mattermark provides detailed profiles of companies, including funding history, growth rates, industry classification, key employees, and competitors.
- Advanced Search and Filtering: Users can search for companies based on specific criteria such as location, industry, funding, growth scores, and more.
- Growth Signals: The platform identifies growth signals and trends, helping investors and sales teams to spot high-potential companies early on.
- Market Research: Mattermark offers market analysis and sector-specific reports, giving users a broader view of industry trends and opportunities.
- Integration Capabilities: It integrates with other tools like CRMs to streamline workflow and enhance data accessibility.
Applications and Use Cases:
- Venture Capitalists: They use Mattermark to discover promising startups, track the progress of potential and existing investments, and understand market trends.
- Sales Teams: By identifying fast-growing companies, sales professionals can target potential clients more effectively.
- Market Researchers: The platform is a resource for in-depth market analysis and competitive research.
Mattermark gained popularity for its comprehensive dataset and user-friendly interface, making complex data more accessible and actionable for a wide range of business applications.
The Rise and Fall of Mattermark
Mattermark didn’t work out, so here is a quick history of them (their newsletter used to be amazing!).
Rise: Founding and Early Success
- Concept and Launch: Mattermark was founded by Danielle Morrill, Kevin Morrill, and Andy Sparks, initially as Referly, a social referral platform, before pivoting to Mattermark, focusing on organizing business information.
- Data-Driven Approach: The company distinguished itself by using machine learning to aggregate and analyze data on private companies, attracting attention in the venture capital and sales industries.
- Funding and Growth: Mattermark raised significant funding, including a $6.5 million Series A round in 2014, showcasing investor confidence in its model and potential.
- Product Development: The platform quickly became popular for its comprehensive data on startups, growth tracking, and market intelligence, becoming a go-to resource for investors and sales teams.
Challenges and Setbacks
Market Challenges
- Competition: As the market for business intelligence grew, Mattermark faced increased competition from other data analytics companies and platforms offering similar services.
- Market Fit and Monetization: The challenge of finding the perfect market fit and an effective monetization strategy was a constant struggle. The balance between providing valuable insights and maintaining an accessible pricing model was difficult.
Operational Struggles
- Resource Management: Managing resources effectively while trying to scale was a significant challenge, including balancing the demands of product development, customer acquisition, and financial sustainability.
- Leadership and Strategic Decisions: Strategic decisions, including those related to product development and market positioning, may not have always aligned with the rapidly changing landscape of the industry.
The Fall
Decline and Acquisition
- Financial Difficulties: Despite its early promise and growth, Mattermark faced financial challenges, partly due to its high burn rate and the difficulty in securing additional funding.
- Acquisition by FullContact: In 2017, Mattermark was acquired by FullContact, a company specializing in contact management and identity resolution. This acquisition marked the end of Mattermark as an independent entity.
- Aftermath and Industry Impact: The acquisition by FullContact was seen as a soft landing, allowing the technology and data of Mattermark to live on in a different form. However, it marked a disappointing end for a company that had once shown great potential.
Reading on Mattermark’s Series-A
Here are some blogs worth reading related to their pitch deck and fundraising:
- Mattermark – An Example of How We Decide to Invest – Brad Feld shares on his blog
- Mattermark Has Raised $2M in Our Second Seed Round
- Welcoming Brad Feld to the Mattermark Team – Announcing our $6.5M Series A
- Timeline: Starting Referly Took Me Three Years
Mattermark Series-A Pitch Deck
Making a pitch deck for your startup is a massive pain in the but! you are going to go through multiple iterations, and even once you start pitching investors, you’ll still need to improve it.
This was the same for the founders of Mattermark. I’ve provided two examples of their deck so you can learn from how they changed.
First Version
Revised Mattermark Series-A pitch deck
Deck Collection
See the rest of the collection here:
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