Preparing to Face Investors and Predicting the Outcome of Asks with Jackie Roberts of SparkLabs Frontier-ASU

Jackie Roberts is the Executive Director for SparkLabs Frontier-ASU. For over ten years, Jackie has helped organizations expand in the valley during hyper-growth times and in various leadership roles. She joined SparkLabs Group in 2019 to lead the SparkLabs Frontier-ASU accelerator program in partnership with ASU entrepreneurship and innovation. 

Jackie has been responsible for several brand market and office launches within the startup space, with the most notable being Booker Software and DoubleDutch. 

With a passion for supporting local entrepreneurship, Jackie is committed to building more local Phoenix startup success stories.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

• Jackie Roberts plays the speed round with Stephanie Sims
• Jackie’s scariest ask 
• How entrepreneurs are navigating “Big Scary Asks” 
• Predicting the outcome of asks and how to prepare for it
• Jackie talks about things to prioritize before going to investors 
• Why your mission statement is a must for making decisions 
• How to decide on the type of funding you should pursue
• Jackie talks about how VCs are rethinking funding startups 
• How Jackie decides which asks to accept and which to turn down 
• How to sign up for the SparkLabs Frontier-ASU Demo Day

In this episode…

Entrepreneurs trying to raise funds are often unsure when it comes to the best source of capital to prioritize. Should you spend your time pursuing grants, angel investments, venture capital, or all three? Jackie Roberts says that whichever route you choose, you need to have an effective plan that makes the outcome of going to investors predictable. That involves setting your priorities straight and deciding on the funding your business qualifies for, before going after it. 

Find out more about preparing to face investors and predicting the outcome of asks in this episode of the What’s Your Ask Podcast as Stephanie Sims interviews Jackie Roberts, the Executive Director of SparkLabs Frontier-ASU. Listen along as they discuss how entrepreneurs are navigating Big Scary Asks, how to prepare for investors, how to decide the type of funding to go after, and more.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

• SparkLabs Frontier-ASU
• Jackie Roberts on LinkedIn 
• SparkLabs Demo Day
• Finance-Ability
• Stephanie Sims
• Stephanie Sims LinkedIn

Sponsor for this episode...

Finance-Ability is a boutique consulting firm dedicated to helping business owners and startups find their best options for growth funding. Founded by financial strategist and transaction expert Stephanie Sims, Finance-Ability can help any business owner identify the right funding partners and get through fundraising as painlessly as possible.

Visit their website to take their online assessment test to help you find out which kind of funding is the best fit for your business right now. They also have a ton of resources to help you understand business processes and financial decision-making that can help you start and build your own empire so be sure to check them out.

Stephanie has over 20 years of experience having worked with companies like Goldman Sachs and CSFB. If there’s anyone with their heart in the right place when it comes to championing the dreams of small business owners and startup companies, Stephanie is that person. Let Finance-Ability help you get the funding you need and deserve to get your dreams soaring high towards your own brand of success.