How Do You Define Risk?

When you look at a start up, the way you define risk is by looking at the proof points. What has the company already proven? Sill there's a whole bunch of things that a company has to prove. And if all you've proven is that you haven't a good idea, your company might only be worth a small amount of money. I want investors to consider my company as valuable as possible, so they are willing to pay a lot for a small number of shares.