Fundraising

still not raising! Why? You have a very short window of time to complete each fundraising round. The longer it drags out, the less momentum you have, and the more investors will question why you haven’t raised. So wait until you know without a doubt that you will succeed before you start raising. As soon as you start telling investors you’re raisin

levels. When an investor asks what the price is: ● If it’s your first conversation, reply, “Let’s do a deeper dive together and then if we’re both still excited after that, we can certainly discuss economics.” In general, avoid getting transactional too early. ● If it’s after a deep dive, name a specific price, e.g., “We’re raising at a $XM cap.” ●

I would try to convince them that I was worthy. Even when these conversations went well, I’d never get a check. Always remember: you are worthy. Money is plentiful these

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

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:

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

Of course, if you find a unicorn investor with an excellent brand and an excellent connection, go for it! But in all cases, prioritize the connection, vibe, and energy. Your partnership with them is more powerful and important than their fame. You should

are completely misaligned! You may have heard success stories, but that’s a sampling bias — you’ll rarely hear about the companies

Our product is exceptionally hard to build, but we