To help your startup succeed, you'll probably need outside funds. Use this checklist to make your concept fund-able. : Click the Follow button on any author page to keep up with the latest content from your favorite authors. Venture capitalists apparently have no shortage of capital to put to work this year, but that doesn’t mean they're willing to make bets on your self-described "beautifully designed blockchain artificial intelligence" pitch deck. If you want to net some of that VC capital this year, you’ll have to earn it.