Shows
Raiser's EdgeRaiser's Edge Episode 7: Evolution Over Ego with Omar TawakolIn this episode, host Ben Elowitz sits down with serial entrepreneur Omar Tawakol, whose journey spans building and leading companies like BlueKai, Voicea, and Rembrandt, as well as strategic acquisitions by industry giants like Cisco and Oracle.So what does it really take to fundraise, lead, and build game-changing startups—again and again? Omar shares lessons learned through market crashes, tough boardroom conversations, and high-stakes pivots. He reveals the importance of leveraging feedback as a tool for growth, not just validation, and the unique power of learning from every pitch—success or setback.If you want...
2026-02-2340 minRaiser's EdgeRaiser's Edge Episode 6: Fundraising at Full Throttle with Greg MarkOn this episode of Raiser’s Edge, Ben Elowitz sits down with Greg Mark, CEO and founder of Markforged and Backflip. Drawing on his experience raising over $550M in capital, Greg Mark breaks down what it really takes to capture investor interest and thrive under intense fundraising pressure.Greg Mark opens up about the rollercoaster world of startups—from the thrill of being the “Ferrari” in a hot round, to the grit required to fundraise when the market turns cold. You'll hear lessons learned from both easy and brutally challenging fundraising cycles, and a masterclass in pitching that tur...
2026-02-0647 minRaiser's EdgeRaiser's Edge Episode 5: Do What you Say and Say What You Do with Evan KaplanHost Ben Elowitz sits down with seasoned entrepreneur and fundraising expert Evan Kaplan, CEO and founder of InfluxData, and industry veteran with over $400M raised and three decades of experience across public and private companies. Evan shares how credibility and authenticity are the keys to successfully raising capital for your startup. He builds relationships with his investors step by step—for him, gaining trust isn’t just words, it’s about maintaining consistency in your process. You’ll also hear about some near-death startup moments, the importance of seeing the raise from the VC’s point of vie...
2026-01-2234 minRaiser's EdgeRaiser's Edge Episode 4: What to Chase, What to Craft, and What You Can’t Control with David ShimIn this episode of Raiser's Edge, host Ben Elowitz dives deep into the realities of startup fundraising with guest David Shim, CEO and co-founder of Placed and Read.ai,The episode unpacks the critical importance of designing a business to be fundable—not just following trends—and why storytelling and narrative matter, but great metrics matter more. With stories of pre-emptive term sheets and the struggle of pitching to 100+ investors, this episode offers advice on using your control wisely: build for real customers, craft a compelling story, and understand when timing is everything (and what to do when...
2026-01-0641 minRaiser's EdgeRaiser's Edge Episode 3: How Honesty and Humility are the Real Hacks with Russ FradinHow do top founders actually raise venture capital—and what do investors really look for?In this episode of Raiser’s Edge, host Ben Elowitz sits down with serial entrepreneur Russ Fradin (Larridin, Adify, Dynamic Signal) for a candid, unfiltered conversation about the realities of startup fundraising and building a venture-backed company that lasts.With decades of experience, over $1B raised, and board seats across multiple high-growth startups, Russ shares the fundraising lessons founders can’t afford to learn the hard way.They break...
2025-12-0831 minRaiser's EdgeRaiser's Edge Episode 2: Letting Data Drive your Raise with Dan ShapiroIn this episode, host Ben Elowitz sits down with master fundraiser Dan Shapiro, currently the co-founder of CEO of Glowforge, and the author of Hot Seat: The Startup CEO Guidebook. From his early days building laser light shows to raising over $200M (and counting) over his startups, Dan reveals how he’s raised capital at every stage by putting data—and his audience—at the center of his strategy. Dan shares his playbook for testing, iterating, and fine-tuning every pitch, using feedback loops, A/B testing, and relentless curiosity to turn rejections into actionable insights. You'll also get ta...
2025-11-2448 minRaiser's EdgeRaiser's Edge Episode 1: Turning High Stakes Into Supercharged Raises with Yifan ZhangOn our pilot episode of Raiser’s Edge, host Ben Elowitz sits down with Yifan Zhang—a powerhouse entrepreneur, managing director at the AI2 incubator, and expert fundraiser. Yifan shares her unique journey from launching viral fitness app Gympact straight out of Harvard to building Loftium, a proptech startup that weathered unbelievable storms—including losing 90% of its revenue in just four days when COVID hit. Against the odds, she pivoted the business, raised more capital, and ultimately led Loftium to a successful acquisition.Throughout the conversation, Yifan gets candid about her love-hate relationship with fundraising (even though she’s...
2025-11-1144 minRaiser's EdgeWelcome to Raiser's Edge, hosted by Ben ElowitzAre you ready to gain a capital advantage?Welcome to Raiser's Edge — the podcast dedicated to unlocking the secrets of successful fundraising, direct from the experts. On Raiser's Edge, Ben Elowitz, your host and a multi-time founder, coach, investor, and advisor, will be interviewing some of the top fundraisers in the start-up world. Hear their stories about the thrill (and agony) of pitching VCs, learn what truly matters to investors, and discover why humility and grit aren’t enough—you need a winning strategy too. Fundraising isn’t just a skill; it’s the ultimate CEO superpo...
2025-11-0102 min
Founder@50Ben Elowitz: the VC WhispererIn this episode, Jeremy chats with Ben Elowitz, who transitioned from early coding days at Microsoft to leading successful ventures such as Blue Nile and Fatbrain.com. Ben shares insights from their time at Bain & Company, where he learned to navigate the complexities of tech and telecom industries, including work with giants like Kaiser Permanente. We discuss pivotal moments, such as joining a startup at the dawn of the e-commerce wave, which later led to acquisitions by companies like Barnes & Noble.Listeners will gain valuable lessons on:* Discover the thrill of launching Blue Nile, the...
2025-09-1947 min
The Future Is BorderlessBen Elowitz – Bluenile.com, Co-founder & Startup RabbiBen Elowitz is the Co-founder and Strategic Director at Zeitworks, an enterprise software company that helps businesses reduce costs, boost capacity, and improve efficiency with AI-powered business process intelligence. He is an investor, entrepreneur, and senior adviser to CEOs and executive teams, helping them with strategic challenges, leadership, organizational design, fundraising, and M&A. As an expert in solving growth challenges, Ben's friends refer to him as the startup rabbi. Previously, Ben founded multiple VC-backed startups, including Wetpaint, which was acquired by Viggle, Inc., and Blue Nile, which he took public. In this episode… As th...
2022-08-1040 min