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...do you have a have a startup idea that you need to validate & build? ...or an existing business that you need to fine tune with research & development, to be Go To Market Ready? Hello I'm Elissa & thank you for visiting my profile! I am a 5★ UpWork Expert Vetted All-In-One startup and business consultant from Arizona, United States, and in the past 15+ years, I've have partnered with over 250+ founders around the world to achieve startup success in various stages of development: DISCOVER, PLAN, LAUNCH & GROW STAGES. No matter where you are in your startup journey, I provide all resources from A-Z. ***Let's set up a free (15-min) call to discuss your needs, and set up a game plan*** MY EXPERTISE AT A GLANCE: ★ Market Research & Feasibility Analysis: Actionable insights to validate and refine your business ideas. ★ Startup MVP Development: From concepting to wireframing, ensuring your product meets market needs. ★ Strategic Business Planning: End-to-end business plans, financial modeling, and investor-ready pitch deck presentations. ★ Branding & Positioning: Unique strategies that make your brand stand out in competitive markets. ★ Go-to-Market Strategy: Execution plans tailored to target demographics, including customer journey optimization. HIGHLIGHTS OF SUCCESS: ★ $10M+ investor funding unlocked for various clients with market-ready business plans. ★ Led 250+ startups to success, including SaaS, tech, healthcare, and consumer brands. ★ Empowered WIN Energy Drink to refine its buyer personas, optimize feasibility studies, and craft an investor-winning pitch deck. ★ Partnered with LocalFarmOK to build a robust urban farm event business plan, attracting new markets and investors. CLIENT FEEDBACK SPEAKS VOLUMES: “Her business plan and market insights transformed our pitch deck into a winning tool. Within months, we secured our first round of funding!” – Local Farm OK, Founder “Elissa's guidance on scaling our MVP saved us six months of trial and error. A game-changer for our operations.” – WIN Energy Drink, CEO WHY CHOOSE ME? ★ Over 15 years of startup experience and entrepreneurial excellence ★ Expert Vetted by UpWork, having coached over 250+ startups worldwide ★ "Quality and professional" work is the core standard for all deliverables ★ Proven ability to drive long-term growth while mitigating risks ★ Transparent, collaborative, and committed to your success HOW CAN WE START? Book a free (15-min) consultation call today to discuss your business goals. Together, let’s: ★ Solve your most pressing challenges. ★ Align your vision with a data-backed strategy. ★ Create results that make your startup thrive. Ready to elevate your business? Let’s start now.

I advise early-stage, seed, and pre-seed startups with market research, product development, and investment materials. I also work directly with investors and VCs, providing them with due diligence, market research, data analysts services. I know what investors look for in startups. More importantly, I know what will disqualify a candidate from being considered. I will help you validate your market fit by targeting the right people, understanding your competition, refining your business model and strategy, and positioning your business so that it is attractive to both customers and investors. I specialize in: • Market Research & Data Analysis • Market Sizing & Segmentation • Customer Discovery & User Research • Startup Evaluation & Business Models • Competitive Analysis & Technology Review • Unique Value Proposition & Competitive Advantage • Product Validation & Product-Market-Fit • Rapid Prototyping & Minimum Viable Product (MVP) • User Acquisition, Conversion, & Retention • Pitching and Pitch Decks, & Approaching Investors I work with startups, established businesses, and investors who wish to know more about a particular industry, market, product, niche, or customer group. My market research has helped clients to secure funding, target new markets, launch products, anticipate trends, develop features, mitigate financial risks, create marketing campaigns, increase customer lifetime value (CLTV), decrease customer acquisition costs (CAC), improve margins, form strategic partnerships, make smart hiring decisions, streamline operations, and execute on their long-term vision. CLIENT SERVICES & DELIVERABLES INCLUDE: Market Research Studies and Reports • Market Research Studies: Longitudinal Studies, Controlled Studies, Study Design • User Research Studies: Interviews, Focus Groups, Surveys, Polls, Customer Feedback • Reports: Complete Market Research/Industry Reports, Whitepapers, Literature Reviews Business Research, Reports, and Presentation Materials • Competitive Analyses: SWOT, PESTLE, Levels of Competition, Features Matrix, Pricing Strategy • Business Memos: Executive Summaries, Product Briefs, Case Studies, Financial Performance • Investment Memos: UVP, Technology Review, Organizational Charts, Forecasts, Valuations • Data Analysis: Spreadsheets, Sales Calculators and Forecasting, Sales and Market Performance • Data Visualizations: Interactive Dashboards, Custom Infographics, Graphs, Charts, Tables, Maps • Presentations: Pitch Decks, Investor Presentations, Product Demos/Brochures, One-Pagers New Product Development and Product Management: • Product Design: Mockups, Wireframes, Prototypes, Design Criteria, Decision Matrices • UX/UI: UX Audits, A/B Testing, Customer Personas, User Stories • Product Development: Bill of Materials, Financial Projections, Supplier CRM, Procurement • Product Management: Product Roadmaps, Gantt Charts, Stakeholder Mapping, Product Proposals Business Programs for Incubators, Accelerators, and Universities • Program Evaluations: Performance Review, Problem Areas, Recommended Interventions • Business Course Creation: Course Curriculum, Schedule, Course Materials and Assignments • Course Management: Recruitment, Instruction, Ongoing Communications, Feedback, Evaluations

PROFILE: I am a strategically focused, tech-savvy entrepreneurial executive. My roles have included Venture Capitalist (VC-General Partner), Board of Directors, Strategic Advsior, Operating Executive (Chief Financial Officer (CFO)/Chief Operating Officer (COO)), Investment Banking Equity Analyst and entrepreneurial management. I spent my formative years in the technology field (electrical engineer by early education and training: software, hardware, semiconductors, wireless (RF) communications, systems engineering). I have broad and deep financial expertise coupled with experience in company strategy, business models, product strategy, financial modeling, pitch decks, capital raising, due-diligence, deal structuring, negotiations and business disputes. Career engagements include Fortune 500 companies (2x), entrepreneurial ventures - bootstrapped (2x) and venture-backed (1x), a venture capital fund (1x), and investment banks (2x). How can I bring demonstrable, outsized value to you and your endeavors? ------- Key deliverables and areas of focus: Founders' economics, startup/start up, seed capital, Series A, Series B, financial model/models/modeling, revenue model, dynamic cost model, staffing model, cap table/capitalization table, charts, dashboards, KPIs, OKRs, business model, pricing model, pricing strategy, go to market strategy, pitch deck, pitchdeck, waterfall analysis, equity, debt, value proposition, unique selling proposition (USP), venture capital/capitalist (VC), private equity (PE), investment funds, term sheets, negotiate/negotiation, deal structure, preferred stock, convertible notes, SAFE notes, commercial bank credit agreements, covenants. financial planning & analysis (FP&A), forecasting, operating budgets (OPEX), cap table, capital expenditure budgets (CAPEX), acquisition analysis, liquidity event, pro forma statements, scenario analysis, sales compensation / incentive compensation, and MBO structures. Corporate development, investment bankers/advisors, equity investments, M&A, acquisitions, exit events, partial liquidity events.

IMPORTANT: I help founders prepare for the full investor lifecycle once doors open. If you're preparing to raise capital (Seed, Series A/B, growth capital), a strong deck opens the door, but investors will pressure-test the business behind it. From financials to valuation, demonstrating traction, use of proceeds and much more. This is where I separate myself from pitch deck creators. My work goes beyond the deck itself. My approach is direct and founder-facing and I have the credentials to back it up. I don’t approach investor decks as a slide design project but instead as part of the essential capital raise package you will need to support the full investor lifecycle once investors are engaged. Then the pressure is on - your diligence posture, fundraising strategy, and investor engagement plan must layer in behind the deck. I understand capital markets and company operations. I bring 25+ years of capital markets and executive operating experience, including successful financings exceeding $430M. I’m also a founder, with 3 successful exits, and a C-level operator with advisory experience across technology, SaaS, eCommerce, marketplaces, cybersecurity, financial services, and AI-enabled business models. Investors don’t fund ideas just because they saw a great deck or heard an interesting story. They allocate capital based on risk-adjusted return potential, execution capability, market timing, capital efficiency, and confidence in the founder’s ability to build the business. I understand how to diligence the investors you may want to target and that's truly where the rubber meets the road, as the old saying goes. If you’re comparing pitch deck designers who may not understand the full capital raise picture, let me help you cut through the noise. If your deck is the front end of a capital raise campaign, let’s schedule a brief 30-minute call. I’ll ask you for a few key details before the call so we can frame the conversation around where you are today, what you’re trying to raise, and what I believe needs to happen next. To your success! Mike

Founders often know their idea, but lenders, investors, and the market evaluate businesses — not ideas. Turning an idea into a business requires more than a pitch deck or written summary. It requires a clear business model, realistic assumptions, sound financial projections, defined funding requirements, and a practical path from concept to launch. I work with founders on early-stage business planning. I help clients think through the entire business opportunity: the market, business model, startup costs, funding requirements, go-to-market strategy, financial assumptions, and practical next steps. When you work with me, you work directly with me from start to finish. I do not pass your project to a team or junior associate. I can help you refine your idea and vision, then work collaboratively with you to prepare and document: • Business plans and executive summaries • Startup financial models, budgets, and projections • Cash flow forecasts and funding requirements • Profitability, break-even, and pricing analysis • Market research and opportunity evaluation • Go-to-market strategy and customer/channel planning • Business model development and assumption testing • SBA, commercial lending, and investor funding preparation • Review of legal structure options for discussion with your attorney or CPA I have more than 35 years of experience as a CFO, senior finance executive, business consultant, and advisor, along with more than 10 years as an adjunct professor of business and finance. As a published author on business and finance topics, I have also spent considerable time explaining practical business concepts in a way entrepreneurs can understand and apply. I can help you communicate with lenders and potential investors by presenting the information they want, expect, and need to evaluate your business. If you believe this type of guidance could help you move your business idea forward, I would welcome the opportunity to have a conversation and learn more about what you are building. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My hourly rate is $100 an hour, but fixed rate projects are available when scope and deliverables are clearly defined. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have a history of high success in both the corporate and startup worlds: - Founded Hiperwall, grew it into a global multi-million-dollar business without investors - Managed Zetera global sales, marketing and manufacturing, helped raise over $20M - Part of the 4 person team that launched the Westinghouse line of LCD televisions - Oversaw a corporate turn-around at Premier mounts, restoring profitability and growth - Grew Canon computer sales by over 20% while increasing gross margin by 13% - Increased Compaq notebook sales by 50% to $500M annually in less than 1 year - Received a Silver Anvil from the Public Relations Society of America, their highest award I began my career as a software engineer, working for large enterprises like McDonnell Douglass and Xerox, as well as startup Dayflo, named software company of the year by PC Magazine. Over time, I transitioned to a technical marketing role, then through product management, brand management, strategic planning and eventually into general management. In 2000 I shifted my focus to the world of hi-tech startups. Since that time, I have worked exclusively for emerging companies as a consultant, employee, advisor, board member or founder. I am an adjunct college professor, teaching start-up skills to would-be entrepreneurs. I hold multiple granted patents, with additional patents pending, and am a published author whose work has appeared in preeminent publications such as PC Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, PC Computing and Digital Signage Magazine.