As a founder, you are the Chief Storyteller. In the very beginning, you have a story that only you believe. Soon, a couple more people believe that story (your

existed thus far, and why I would be able to pull it off. The most important pitch isn’t a polished one, it’s a casual one. Remember, you’re ideally not going through a deck. You’re setting up casual meet-and-greets with investors. At some point in the conversation, they’ll ask you what you do (that’s their job!). Here, you have to absolutely knock

and introducers need to insist on them meeting YOU and not look like they’re trying to facilitate an investment. Remember, always come back to a relationship-centric process. You would like to get to know X or Y person. That’s all. Not focusing enough on the raise Fundraising should be a full-time job for one founder. Plan for

investors have less control over your company, so you can be a bit more lax on thoroughly vetting them. However, for priced rounds, they have much more control, especially if they are getting a Board Seat. I recommend giving Board Observer seats instead of Board Seats. Alternatively, if an investor in a later round wants to be on the board, you can

A lot of the same things we discussed earlier in this playbook apply here as well. And even if these investors are not a fit for this round, each earlier stage is an opportunity to build relationships for later stages. Your goal in this relationship-building process is twofold:

benefits, but you can build on the relationship without letting them on your cap table! Revealing too early that you’re fundraising This is another all-too-common

Following these steps will reliably create the best outcomes. Skipping steps introduces risk. Let’s take a closer look at each step: Step 1:

useless. Step 1 is about building a network of champions to generate those warm introductions. Here, you make friends,

they meet your cofounder or someone on your team. This builds another touchpoint and deepens your relationship with the investor. It increases their commitment and excitement. It shows that there’s more than just you