Shows
How I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 302 How I Raised It with Laura Epstein of Pulse Charter ConnectProduced by Foundersuite (for startups: www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (for VCs: www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with with Laura Epstein, CEO of Pulse Charter Connect, an organ transport logistics startup that helps move hearts and livers and kidneys and other critical organs around the country via air.
To fund her business, Laura went through multiple accelerator programs including Tampa Bay WAVE, Techstars, Mass Challenge, 1871, TeamRise, Cedar Sinai and others, so we talk about how to make the most of accelerators, demo...
2025-07-0335 min
How I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 292 How I Raised It with Matthew Burris of Venture Studio AssociatesProduced by Foundersuite (for startups: www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (for VCs: www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with with Matthew Burris of Venture Studio Associates, a firm that helps other firms design and launch venture studios. See https://venturestudioassociates.com/ for more info.
In this episode we go DEEP into Venture Studios and Startup Studios. We talk about the two main types of studios and how they differ, how to evaluate a studio as a founder, what venture studios look for in...
2024-11-1251 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 291 How I Raised It with Kirin Kalia of Grow Through StoryProduced by Foundersuite (for startups: www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (for VCs: www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with with Kirin Kalia, founder of Grow Through Story, (https://www.linkedin.com/company/grow-through-story/) a consultancy that works with startups, VCs and accelerators to improve their pitches.
In this episode we talk about how to leverage large tech events to generate business, how and why it’s important to “be memorable”, specific tips for improving your live pitch, and much more.
How I Raised It is...
2024-10-3042 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 290 How I Raised It with Caroline Winnett of UC Berkeley SkyDeck AcceleratorProduced by Foundersuite (for startups: www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (for VCs: www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with Caroline Winnett of UC Berkeley SkyDeck (https://skydeck.berkeley.edu/) a leading West Coast accelerator that works with 250 startups per year.
In this episode we talk about the pros and cons of raising capital from a university fund, how Caroline launched the SkyDeck program and what the program does, whether or not faculty make good entrepreneurs, and more.
How I Raised It is produced...
2024-10-2431 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 289 How I Raised It with Courtney McCrea of Recast Capital, a Fund-of-FundsProduced by Foundersuite (for startups: www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (for VCs: www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with Courtney McCrea of Recast Capital, a fund-of-funds that invests in emerging VC managers. Recast also runs the Accelerate program to boost women-led VC firms. Learn more at https://recastcapital.com/
In this episode we talk about fund-of-funds, and we go deep into tips and advice for emerging fund managers including how to raise capital from foundations, family offices, institutional LPs and more.
How I...
2024-10-0331 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 288 How I Raised It with Lloyd Danzig of Sharp Alpha VCProduced by Foundersuite (for startups: www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (for VCs: www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with Lloyd Danzig of Sharp Alpha Advisors, a venture capital firm specializing in sports, gaming, and entertainment -- basically, any business where winning is a key component. Learn more at https://sharpalphaadvisors.com.
In this episode, we discuss his 6-step process for raising a VC fund, the difference between raising Fund I and Fund II, why he believes incentives govern all, how to set up...
2024-09-2451 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 287 How I Raised It with Liza Rodewald of InstantTeams.comProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with Liza Rodewald of Instant Teams (www.instantteams.com) a talent marketplace that connects companies to military and veteran spouses.
In this episode, we discuss the challenges and advantages of being a veteran / ex-military entrepreneur, how she got over 80 warm intros to investors, what it was like pitching Tiger Global, tips for sending monthly investor updates, her advice for military founders and much more.
The Company most recently raised a $13 million Series A funding...
2024-08-2938 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 286 How I Raised It with Amir Farha of COTU VenturesProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with Amir Farha of COTU Ventures, a VC fund that invests in early-stage startups in the Middle East / MENA region.
In this episode, we talk about what he looks for in startup founders, how to find your "champion" LPs and secure an anchor investor, tips for getting to a first close, tips for pitching sovereign wealth funds, the startup scene in the UAE vs. Saudi Arabia vs. Egypt and...
2024-08-0849 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 285 How I Raised It with Shomik Dutta of Overture VCProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with Shomik Dutta of Overture VC (https://www.overture.vc/). Overture is a climate tech venture fund that invests in startups working to transition our economy to a sustainable, decarbonized future.
In this episode, we discuss the massive opportunities for climate tech startups, industry themes he thinks are attractive to invest in, how his firm helps founders win government support and navigate regulatory complexity, the two paths an emerging...
2024-08-0231 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 284 How I Raised It with Celine Halioua of LoyalProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with Celine Halioua of Loyal (https://loyal.com/) a San Francisco startup developing drugs to extend the lifespan of dogs.
In this episode, we discuss how to plot (and raise against) key company milestones, how to engineer scarcity with VCs, what terms are important and how to negotiate them, how to read an investor's body language for signals, the extensive pet collections we each had as kids and much more.
Loyal most recently completed...
2024-07-1943 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 283 How I Raised It with Dayton Miller of BFG PartnersProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with Dayton Miller of BFG Partners (https://www.bfgpartners.com/) a VC fund that invests in "better for you" consumer products and the surrounding ecosystem of startups.
In this episode, we discuss tips for emerging VC managers on raising their first fund (as well as how things change for funds #2 and #3), managing capital calls, how to be thoughtful and differentiated with your fund's thesis, tips for reporting and sending updates, what you need in...
2024-07-1836 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 282 How I Raised It with Martin Tobias of Incisive.vcProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with Martin Tobias of Incisive.vc an early stage $10M venture fund that invests in technology companies that reduce friction at scale. Sectors of interest include B2B and B2C Software (SaaS, Fintech, Marketplaces, HealthTech, eCommerce, EdTech, AI/ML).
In this episode, we discuss how poker is a good metaphor for startup investing, how technology has made it possible to be a solo GP, the transition from angel investor to a runner of...
2024-07-1253 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 281 How I Raised It with Rene Hansen of X ShoreProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with Rene Hansen, CEO of X Shore (https://xshore.com) a Swedish startup making 100% electric boats.
In this episode, we discuss the chicken and egg problem when launching a new category like e-boats, the technology that makes it all possible, how the business raised capital from both banks and over 500 individual investors (many of them also boat buyers), and more.
X Shore was originally founded by Swedish entrepreneur Konrad Bergström. X Shore most r...
2024-06-1738 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 280 How I Raised It with Jack Kuveke of Jabroni CapitalProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with Jack Kuveke of VC satire newsletter Jabroni Capital (subscribe at https://jabronicapital.com/subscribe). Jack also has a fundraising consulting business, Raiseyourseed.com.
Jack is really amusing and he’s had an interesting background, including doing an ICO (do you remember those?) and then raising for Huddle. We talk about the 3 stages of fundraising, including prep, momentum, and closing with tips for each stage.
How I Raised It is...
2024-05-2245 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 279 How I Raised It with Winter Mead of Coolwater CapitalProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with Winter Mead of Coolwater Capital. Coolwater is an accelerator for emerging VC funds (https://www.coolwatercap.com/). Coolwater has helped launch 200 VC funds and to date, $1.5B has been successfully raised across all Coolwater cohort funds.
Winter has also published two books, including "How To Raise A Venture Capital Fund: The Essential Guide on Fundraising and Understanding Limited Partners" (available on Amazon) as well as "How To Setup...
2024-05-1556 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 278 How I Raised It with David Zhou of AlchemistProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with David Zhou, Head of Investor Relations at Alchemist Accelerator, a leading enterprise-focused startup accelerator and investor (https://www.alchemistaccelerator.com/).
Alchemist has accelerated over 650 startups that have collectively raised over $3.9 billion in capital. David has a blog called Cup of Zhou which you can find at https://cupofzhou.com/.
In this wide-ranging episode, we discuss the current market for raising a venture fund, tips for finding LPs and...
2024-04-301h 02
How I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 277 How I Raised It with Brad Porter of Collaborative RoboticsProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with Brad Porter of Collaborative Robotics (https://www.co.bot/), a startup using the power of robotics to move the world.
In this episode, we discuss Brad’s amazing 30 year journey in Silicon Valley and how he got to where he is today, the process and steps he uses to engage with investors, the column schema he set up in Foundersuite to keep track of every investor in his pipeline, why market timing matters, ho...
2024-04-1851 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 276 How I Raised It with Michael Heyink of YellowProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with Michael Heyink of Yellow.Africa, a startup bringing connectivity and power to rural African communities through an innovative distribution and financing model.
In this episode, we talk about the opportunities and challenges of building a startup in Africa, his transition from working in private equity to becoming a startup founder, raising capital from impact investors and development finance institutions, and more.
Yellow most recently raised a Series B funding round of $14 million, bringing...
2024-04-1530 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 275 How I Raised It with Tato Bigio of UBQ MaterialsProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with Tato Bigio of UBQ Materials (https://www.ubqmaterials.com/), a company making plastic substitutes out of mixed household waste: chicken bones, cardboard, dirty diapers, etc.
In this episode, we talk about the technology behind turning trash into usable materials, raising capital from strategic investors as well as family offices, VC and private equity, building an ecosystem around your business, and more.
UBQ most recently raised $70 million in a funding round led by Eden...
2024-03-2933 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 274 How I Raised It with May Habib of WriterProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with May Habib of Writer.com, a startup building a full-stack generative AI platform for enterprises.
In this episode, we talk about enterprise AI and the trends happening in the space, selling solutions vs. selling technology, what it's like to raise capital in a white-hot market, the importance of being contrarian + right, how to choose investors and more.
Writer most recently raised a $100 million Series B round led by ICONIQ Growth, with participation from...
2024-03-2147 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 273 How I Raised It with Jen Zeszut of GoodlesProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Jen Zeszut of Goodles.com, makers of "stealthily healthy" mac n' cheese products.
In this episode, we talk about how to raise capital for a CPG startup, why she raised a $10M seed round to "launch big," how she recruited over 100 A-list celebrities to invest, tips for picking the RIGHT investor when you have many options, and much more.
Goodles most recently raised a $13M Series A led by L Catterton. Other investors...
2024-03-1243 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 272 How I Raised It with Hillary Bush of PollenProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Hillary Bush of Pollen (https://www.runpollen.com/) a professional community for freelancers, consultants, and other independent operators.
In this episode, we talk about the future of work, how the entrepreneurial journey is "concurrent not linear," tips for scaling a consulting business, why it's important to find investors who don't shy away from the "tough parts" of building a startup, how to get to a no faster, tips for reducing friction in the...
2024-02-0936 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 271 How I Raised It with Samir Kaji of AllocateProduced by Foundersuite (for startups: www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (for VCs: www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with Samir Kaji of Allocate (https://www.allocate.co/) a startup that enables wealth advisers and family offices to invest in venture funds.
In this episode, we go deep into what it takes for an emerging VC manager to raise funds from LPs. Samir shares an awesome 8-step playbook for emerging managers – definitely worth a listen.
How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of...
2024-01-2442 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 270 How I Raised It with Howie Diamond of Pure VenturesProduced by Foundersuite (for startups: www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (for VCs: www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with Howie Diamond of Pure Ventures (https://pureventuresvc.com/) a VC fund that invests in early stage companies and the personal development of their founders. Pure typically invests roughly 50% in consumer startups and 50% in frontier technology startups.
Notably, Pure launched the Pilea platform to help founders improve their mental and physical wellness and improve their leadership skills. Learn more at https://joinpilea.com/individuals
In...
2023-12-2037 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 269 How I Raised It with Brian Gannon of LoopProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Brian Gannon of Loop, a private family network and home display that helps families stay connected (https://www.joinloop.com/).
Brian is a master networker so we cover tips for outreach, finding "believers" and building proof points, signaling momentum, how to effectively use deadlines, other tactics for creating FOMO, and much more.
Loop has raised $8m over 3 rounds from a variety of sources- angels, VC, high profile tech CEOs, and crowdfunding.
How I...
2023-12-1846 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 268 How I Raised It with Anshu Sharma of SkyflowProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Anshu Sharma of Skyflow, a startup that makes a data privacy vault delivered as an API.
Anshu has raised over $70m for SkyFlow, but he’s also angel invested in over 70 startups so we talk about targeting the right investors, testing your thesis, asking for advice and more.
Skyflow's most recent round was a $45M Series B financing round. led by New York-based global private equity and venture capital firm Insight Partners. Other in...
2023-11-0830 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 267 How I Raised It with Billy Thalheimer of RegentProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Billy Thalheimer of Regent, a startup making the Seaglider, a cross between a boat and a plane that uses "wing in ground effect" physics to enable efficient, all-electric coastal travel. Learn more at https://www.regentcraft.com/
In this episode we talk about the technology and physics behind the product, raising strategic capital, pitching Mark Cuban and Founders Fund and much more.
Regent has raised $90 million in total. The Company's most recent round...
2023-10-2430 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 266 How I Raised It with Quaid Walker of BezelProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Quaid Walker of Bezel (www.getbezel.com) a marketplace for high-end watches such as Rolex, Omega, etc.
Bezel raised an $8m seed round from both VCs and several high profile folks such as John Legend, Kevin Hart and Michael Ovitz so in this episode, we get into the details of how to get connections and pitch to celebrities and other influencers.
Bezel's investors include VC firms BoxGroup, Courtside VC, Shrug Capital, Abstract Ventures...
2023-09-2631 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 265 How I Raised It with Ben Lamm of Colossal BiosciencesProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Ben Lamm of Colossal Biosciences, a startup using genetics to bring back extinct animals such as the wooly mammoth, Tasmanian tiger, and the Dodo bird.
Learn more at https://colossal.com/
In this episode we talk about the technology and the "why" behind de-extinction science, raising capital for a moonshot, how to identify investors with a long event horizon and much more.
Colossal Biosciences has raised over $225 million in total. The Company's most...
2023-09-0825 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 264 How I Raised It with Zach Coelius of Coelius CapitalProduced by Foundersuite (for startups: www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (for VCs: www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with Zach Coelius of Coelius Capital (https://coelius.vc/) an early-stage VC fund that invests in B2B or B2B2C companies, with an average check size of $200k-1m.
In this episode we talk about how he got started angel investing(and how he leveraged that experience to launch his fund), how to get access to good startups, how to be useful, and...
2023-08-1746 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 263 How I Raised It with Laura Sicola of Vocal Impact ProductionsProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders, investors and consultants.
This episode is with Dr. Laura Sicola, Founder of Vocal Impact Productions (https://vocalimpactproductions.com/) a leadership training and communications firm. She is also host of the "Speaking To Influence" podcast (https://speakingtoinfluence.com/) and author of a book by the same name.
In this episode we delve deep into how entrepreneurs can improve their communications skills. We discuss how to connect with your audience and command the room, how the combination of appealing to the "head" + the "heart" = the...
2023-08-0454 min
How I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 262 How I Raised It with Robbie Crabtree of Founder FundraisingProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with Robbie Crabtree of Founder Fundraising (https://www.founderfundraising.com/) a business that helps startup founders become a "Chief Storytelling Officer."
In this episode we go deep into why creating a memorable "Founder Story" is the key to successful fundraising, how to paint a compelling vision, how to create a memorable opening hook, tips for drafting the pitch deck, how to build relationships with investors, tips for 1st, 2nd, 3rd meetings, and more.
How...
2023-05-241h 05How I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 261 How I Raised It with Sterling Pratz of CarIQProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Sterling Pratz of CarIQ, a payment platform for fleet vehicles (https://www.gocariq.com/).
In this episode we talk about raising capital from strategic investors such as Visa, State Farm, Circle K and others. Sterling shares tips for dealing with strategics and how the pitching process is different from pitching VCs. He also shares some great tips for going into a VC meeting with a short slide deck that is like a "movie...
2023-05-1240 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 260 How I Raised It with Ethan Agarwal of The CoterieProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Ethan Agarwal of The Coterie (https://www.thecoterie.co/), a fintech company that builds financial products for high income people in tech and finance.
In this episode we talk about the unique wealth management needs of founders and tech workers, what he's doing differently when it comes to raising capital as a repeat entrepreneur, tips for maintaining physical, mental, and financial health, and much more.
The Coterie has raised nearly $50 million in capital...
2023-05-0528 min
How I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 259 How I Raised It with Sarah Dusek of Enygma VenturesProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Sarah Dusek of Enygma Ventures, an investment fund for female entrepreneurs and women founders, focused on Southern Africa. See more at https://www.enygmaventures.com/
In this episode we talk about her previous "glamping" startup called Under Canvas, the startup scene in Africa and what cities generate the most founders, how she's fostering an entrepreneurial culture for women, what types of deals she's looking for and how her team screens applicants, and much...
2023-04-2938 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 258 How I Raised It with Max Aniort of Le CollectionistProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Max Aniort of Le Collectionist (www.LeCollectionist.com), a website for renting exceptional vacation homes with concierge services.
In this episode we talk about how he acquired 6 companies and how he built a playbook for making acquisitions, the French startup and VC scene, tailoring your pitch to suit each meeting, and more.
Le Collectionist has raised over $80 million in capital. The most recent round was a $60 million raise led by Highland Europe along...
2023-04-2137 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 257 How I Raised It with Joe Vrankin of PuttshackProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Joe Vrankin of Puttshack.com, a technology enabled miniature golf and dining franchise.
In this episode we talk about Joe's previous experience as CEO of Topgolf and how that led to founding Puttshack, why he raised a $40 million "seed round" to build the proof of concept, raising a growth round in the middle of the pandemic, what investors expect to see when you raise a senior debt round of financing, advantages of Family...
2023-03-2843 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 256 How I Raised It with Kareem Dabbagh of Volo Earth (Climate Tech Venture Fund)Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Kareem Dabbagh of Volo Earth Ventures, a climate-focused venture capital fund (https://www.voloearth.com/).
In this episode we talk about opportunities in climate tech, where his team finds good deal flow, how to transition your LP hunt from high net worth individuals to institutions, tips for raising capital from foundations and fund-of-funds and more.
Volo Earth raised $90 million for its first fund from a variety of LPs including HNW, foundations, family offices...
2023-03-2140 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 255 How I Raised It with Mir Hwang of GigFinesseProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Mir Hwang of GigFinesse, a startup that connects live music venues with thousands of artists from across the country, allowing them to curate shows (www.gigfinesse.com).
In this episode we talk about being scrappy and how to tap non-dilutive funding sources, raising capital in a down market, getting to "no" as fast as possible, what to do when a Junior Analyst at a venture firm calls you, his "33% Rule" for living, and...
2023-03-1340 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 254 How I Raised It with Sebastian Baier of BuynomicsProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Sebastian Baier of Buynomics, a revenue optimization platform that helps companies with pricing, promotion, and other commercial decisions.
In this episode we talk about blue ocean strategy - how to define a new market category that investors may not have heard of before. We also talk about the German startup scene, raising capital in Europe, optimizing valuation over a 10 year horizon, preparing for due diligence and more.
Buynomics most recently raised €13M in Se...
2023-03-0140 min
How I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 253 How I Raised It with Hubert Palan of ProductboardProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Hubert Palan of Productboard.com, a software platform that helps product managers collect customer desires and plan and prioritize product roadmaps.
In this episode we go deep into both product management and fundraising. On the product side, Hubert gives advice for new Product Managers, striking a balance between the needs of sales and customer support, and how to prioritize a product roadmap.
On the funding side, he shares his approach for how and...
2023-02-0346 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 252 How I Raised It with Jennifer Smith of ScribeProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Jennifer Smith of Scribe (https://scribehow.com/), a platform that helps you turn any process into a step-by-step guide.
In this episode, we discuss her time in management consulting (and whether consultants make good founders), how she ran a really tight, 2-week process, raising capital while pregnant, how fundraising is like dating, and much more.
Scribe has raised a total of $30 million in funding including a $22M Series A and an $8M seed...
2023-01-2544 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 251 How I Raised It with Dan Shapiro of GlowforgeProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Dan Shapiro of Glowforge (www.glowforge.com), makers of a desktop 3-D laser printer.
In this episode, we discuss his experience as a multi-startup founder, why it's a mistake to ask for intros, when to play the "CEO card" with your employees, tips for building investor relationships at events, and much more.
Glowforge has raised a total of $70 million since its 2015 founding, including the most recent round, a $43 million Series E led by...
2023-01-2140 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 250 How I Raised It with Abhishek Nayak of AppsmithProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Abhishek Nayak of Appsmith, an open source workbench for building internal software tools (https://www.appsmith.com/).
In this episode, we discuss his time as EIR at the VC firm Accel India, the Indian startup scene and how it's different from the USA scene, tips for raising capital, and more. We also go deep into how to engineer growth for a startup without paying for marketing (highly valuable tips!).
Appsmith has raised $52 million...
2022-12-0839 min
How I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 249 How I Raised It with Celeste Ford of Stellar VenturesProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Celeste Ford of Stellar Ventures. a woman-led venture capital firm investing in early-stage, mission driven technology companies and entrepreneurs focused on space.
In this episode we talk about the investment opportunities in space tech, what types of deals she's looking for, what it was like to be a woman in the space industry, how she raised her fund from individuals and family offices, how to overcome the challenges of raising a first-time fund...
2022-11-3035 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 248 How I Raised It with Mariusz Adamski of ffVC Blue and Yellow FundProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Mariusz Adamski of the ffVC.com "Blue and Yellow Heritage Fund," a venture capital fund that invests in startups led by Ukrainian founders, startups relocated from Ukraine and startups that employ Ukrainian refugees. See https://ffvc.com/ukraine/
In this episode we talk about the Ukrainian and Polish startup ecosystems, why Ukraine's startup scene is developing rapidly, what stage and type of startups that ffVC is seeking, and more.
The ff Blue & Yellow...
2022-11-1425 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 247 How I Raised It with Raj Nathan of Startup HypemanProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Raj Nathan of Startup Hypeman (https://www.startuphypeman.com/) a pitch deck and presentation coach and consultant.
In this episode we go deep into pitch decks, including what makes a bad deck, Raj's process for creating a deck, examples of a killer elevator pitch, why you should teach an audience how to measure your success, how to make your pitch be entertaining and memorable, tips for pitching on Zoom, and more.
How I...
2022-10-1351 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 246 How I Raised It with Eva Dobrzanska of True AltitudeProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Eva Dobrzanska of True Altitude (https://www.truealtitude.com/) a consulting firm that helps startups raise capital and scale up.
In this episode we talk about how to figure out how much to raise, determining valuation, tips for maintaining a dialogue with investors, tips for pitching, what metrics to show, and more.
How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have...
2022-09-3037 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 245 How I Raised It with Paige Finn Doherty of Behind Genius VenturesProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Paige Finn Doherty of Behind Genius Ventures, a pre-seed / seed VC Fund investing in the future of work and the future of play. See https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/
In this episode we talk about her clever and scrappy path to becoming a VC, her investment thesis and what Behind Genius is looking to invest in, why the concept of “execution velocity” is so important, and much more.
She also shares tips for how to g...
2022-09-1439 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 244 How I Raised It with Biju Ashokan of Radius AgentProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Biju Ashokan of Radius Agent (https://www.radiusagent.com/), a platform and tools for real estate agents.
In this episode, Biju talks about the evolution of his business, how to position yourself as an industry expert (and why it will improve your odds of raising capital), how to use feedback to initiate relationships with investors, how many meetings it takes for pre-seed, seed and Series A, tips for recruiting a strong team, and...
2022-09-1331 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 243 How I Raised It with Richard White of Fathom.videoProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Richard White, CEO of Fathom (www.fathom.video), an app that plugs into Zoom and helps you recall and share important moments from your meetings.
In this episode, we talk about his previous company Uservoice, the pros and cons of strategic investors (in his case, Zoom invested in Fathom), why he raised funds from 90 investors over multiple smaller rounds with no lead investors, why he decided to go through Y Combinator even though...
2022-08-2533 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 242 How I Raised It with Demetrius Gray of CaptainProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Demetrius Gray of Captain (https://captainhq.com/) a platform that helps contractors get paid faster so homeowners can rebuild sooner after a disaster.
In this episode, Demetrius talks about why he shut down his previous startup instead of pivoting it (and how he explained that to investors), how he used "Tier 3" investors to train up his pitch, how he used "super founders" and VC scouts to get introduced to investors, how to do "...
2022-08-1843 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 241 How I Raised It with Mike Bell of Miso RoboticsProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Miso Robotics (https://misorobotics.com) makers of robotic arms for the food service industry - for example, to run the french fry or chicken wing fryer.
In this episode, Mike talks why the company raised its Series A and Series B rounds from traditional VCs, then changed gears and switched to Crowdfunding for its C, D, and E rounds. We talk about the advantages and challenges of raising large amounts via crowdfunding, how...
2022-08-0532 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 240 How I Raised It with Michael Bamberger of Tetra InsightsProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Michael Bamberger of Tetra Insights (www.tetrainsights.com), a platform that helps companies turn user research into actionable insights.
In this episode, Michael talks about running a fundraising process and creating urgency, the Boulder Colorado startup scene. advantages of raising from a smaller VC fund, and more. We also talk about how cold email can work really well when you've done the proper investor research and targeting, and we go through the exact...
2022-08-0244 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 239 How I Raised It with Carolyn Childers and Lindsay Kaplan of ChiefProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Carolyn Childers and Lindsay Kaplan of Chief (www.chief.com), a private membership network focused on women executive leaders.
In this episode, Carolyn and Lindsay talk us through each round of financings, from Seed to Series A to Series B and they share exactly how they did it and what level of traction they had at each stage. They also provide tips for raising capital, managing a rapidly growing startup, and more.
Chief...
2022-07-2836 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 238 How I Raised It with Eitan Reisel of vgames.vcProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Eitan Reisel of vgames.vc, an Israeli based VC firm that invests in gaming startups.
In this episode, Eitan talks about what gaming sectors are attractive, what he invests in and what key metrics startups should have, how he finds deals, and more.
He also shares an 8-step process (and tips) for raising a first time VC fund.
How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and...
2022-07-2240 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 237 How I Raised It with Scott Kitun of SongfinchProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Scott Kitun of Songfinch.com, a platform where anyone can purchase a custom made song.
In this episode, Scott talks about selling his last business (Technori) to Kingscrowd, how he used his podcast to meet investors, how they raised capital for Songfinch from celebrities like The Weekend, Quincy Jones, Harry Gottlieb and Doja Cat, and much more.
How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage...
2022-07-1452 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 236 How I Raised It with Samir Arora of Kyro DigitalProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Samir Arora of Kyro.co, one of the first Web3 multi-chain services platforms.
In this episode, Samir describes the evolution of the Web and where it's going next, how he raised capital directly from blockchain partners, advice for keeping terms simple, and more.
How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $3 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at...
2022-07-1226 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 235 How I Raised It with Astrid Atkinson of Camus EnergyProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Astrid Atkinson of Camus Energy (https://www.camus.energy), a startup helping to solve the climate crisis by making an energy grid management platform.
In this episode, Astrid talks about her 15 years at Google and what she learned there, how to enlist investors in the market research & discovery process, the challenges of raising capital for a cleantech startup that sells to utilities, the difference between "spiritually true" and "specifically true" investor feedback, the...
2022-06-2146 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 234 How I Raised It with Jessica Mathews of Fortune Magazine / Term SheetProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital.
This episode is with Jessica Mathews (https://fortune.com/author/jessica-mathews/), a Senior Writer at Fortune Magazine. Jessica also writes the popular "Term Sheet" daily newsletter covering startups and venture capital. Sign up at https://mynewsletters.fortune.com/term-sheet
In this episode, Jessica talks about a "day in the life" of a VC reporter, how she performs research on the private capital markets, industries she finds interesting, tips for pitching a journalist, and more.
How I Raised...
2022-05-2635 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 233 How I Raised It with Justine Palefsky and Tas Amina of KindredProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Justine Palefsky and Tas Amina of Kindred (www.livekindred.com), a members-only home exchange platform.
In this episode, Justine and Tas talk about how they spent time doing "founder dating" before committing to starting Kindred, how they raised capital from various strategic angels such as Elad Gil, Rohan Seth, Eric Wu, Payal Kadakia and Adena Hefets, how the venture market is changing and getting more challenging, and much more.
Kindred has raised $7.75 million...
2022-05-2549 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 232 How I Raised It with Jonathan Hollis of Mountside VenturesProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital.
This episode is with Jonathan Hollis of Mountside Ventures, a UK based advisory firm that helps European startups raise capital (www.mountsideventures.com).
In this episode, Jonathan talks about what it means to be "investor ready," what to include in a startup financial model, how to identify the right investors, how many VCs you should talk to, typical terms on a VC term sheet, advice for EU founders and much muck more.
Mountside recently released their inaugural Term Sheet...
2022-04-2343 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 231 How I Raised It With Andrew Romans Of 7 BC Venture CapitalProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Andrew Romans of 7BC Venture Capital (https://www.7bc.vc/) an early-stage venture fund focused on powering the digital economy through AI, FinTech, and software technologies.
In this episode, Andrew shares what he's looking for in a startup, tactics he used for raising his first venture fund, tips for winning over LPs, the pros and cons of using SPVs to do deals, tips for founders looking to build and leverage their personal networks...
2022-04-1136 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 230 How I Raised It With Daniel Liebeskind Of TopiaProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Daniel Liebeskind of Topia.io, a place for people to come together in the metaverse and create interactive social experiences.
In this episode, Daniel talks about the dangers of raising too much money, what you need at each round (FnF, Seed, Series A), and why he believes you should build in public. He also goes deep into what to do NOW to prepare for a future fundraise.
Topia has raised $5.8 million from investors...
2022-04-0736 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 229 How I Raised It With Nick Cuomo Of AllstarProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Nick Cuomo of Allstar, which is building a "TikTok for gamers" (learn more at www.allstar.gg).
In this episode, Nick shares his story raising capital from Mark Cuban, tips for pitching NY Angels, how to use Foundersuite to run a tight fundraising process, how to build timelines into the process, and much more.
Allstar has raised $4.2 million including a pre-seed round in 2019 from Mark Cuban and angels using a SAFE note, and...
2022-03-2336 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 228 How I Raised It With John Zeratsky Of Venture Fund CharacterProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with John Zeratsky of Character, a Milwaukee based venture fund with an investment strategy focused on Product Design (www.character.vc).
In this episode, John shares his 5-day design sprint process, what he's looking to invest in, tips for qualifying and pitching LPs, and more.
Character has raised $30 million for its inaugural fund. Previously, John and his co-founder Jake Knapp worked at Google Ventures, where they used their product design skills to help companies...
2022-03-1828 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 227 How I Raised It With Ahmed Omar Of OdiggoProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Ahmed Omar of Odiggo, which makes an NFT marketplace for books.
In this episode, Omar shares tips for getting into Y Combinator, finding founder / market fit, doing a major business and market pivot, tips for MENA founders, and much more.
The Company has raised over $4 million in two rounds from investors that include Y Combinator, 500 Startups and PlugAndPlay.
How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor...
2022-03-1144 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 226 How I Raised It With Burnt Banksy Of Burnt FinanceProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with "Burnt Banksy" a pseudonym for an anonymous founders behind Burnt Finance (www.burnt.com) a marketplace for trading non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Burnt originally garnered fame for burning an original Banksy artwork and then selling higher as an NFT
In this episode, he talks about how he used profits from his Gamestop winnings to purchase the Banksy artwork, how he found and pitched crypto investors on Telegram, why he used a SAFT, why he's remaining an...
2022-03-0240 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 225 How I Raised It With Jason Yeh Of Adamant VenturesProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Jason Yeh of Adamant Ventures (https://www.adamantventures.com/) a firm that provides content and training to entrepreneurs who are raising capital.
In this episode, Jason discusses why he believes the best fundraising approach is to demonstrate you have a great business (and then help investors discover you), tips for fundraising preparation and the process, why it's important to achieve "calendar density" with investors and much more.
Prior to launching Adamant, Jason founded multiple venture...
2022-01-2936 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 224 How I Raised It With Iddo Tal Of Raise The RoundProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Iddo Tal of Raise The Round (https://www.raisetheround.com/) a startup fundraising bootcamp.
In this episode, Iddo shares his amazing 7-step process for managing VC meetings, tips for following up after an investor pitch, how to demonstrate traction (even before you have launched your startup), and much muck more.
Iddo is a Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur. His last startup, invi Messenger, was acquired by Google and merged with Google Messages taking the app to 600M...
2022-01-2052 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 223 How I Raised It With Suman Siva Of Marco ExperiencesProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Suman Siva of Marco Experiences (https://www.marcoexperiences.com/), a platform that sells bespoke retreat packages to help foster company culture.
In this episode, Suman talks about what it was like when he worked at Softbank Vision Fund, advice for pitching Slow Ventures, tips for building out a network of fellow founders, and more.
The Company recently raised a seed round of just under $3M, led by Slow Ventures and Flybridge Partners. Other investors included...
2022-01-0734 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 222 How I Raised It With Bunim Laskin Of SwimplyProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Bunim Laskin of www.Swimply.com, a marketplace for backyard swimming pool rentals.
In this episode, Bunim talks about his Ultra-Orthodox Jewish upbringing and how becoming an entrepreneur was "rebellious," how he proved the concept and generated interest before writing any code, how he tapped the "camaraderie of founders" to get intros to high profile angel investors, tips for going on SharkTank, and much more.
The Company recently raised $40 million in a round led by...
2021-12-1638 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 221 How I Raised It With Ofek Ron Of PlantishProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Ofek Ron of Plantish (www.plantish.com) an Israeli company making plant-based seafood.
In this episode, Ofek talks about how he started with a bold mission, used that to recruit a team, and then used the team to attract investors. He also shares great tips for making a funding round go fast including how to generate "FOMO" among investors, and much more.
The Company recently raised $2 million from Sustainable Ocean Alliance, Gil Hirsh, Beni Nofech...
2021-12-1035 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 220 How I Raised It With Phil Libin Of MmhmmProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Phil Libin of Mmhmm (https://www.mmhmm.app/), a communications company that is creating a better way to communicate via video — both in real-time and asynchronously.
Phil previously founded note-taking app Evernote. He was also a VC at General Catalyst and co-founder of product studio All Turtles.
In this episode, Phil talks about why he moved to Bentonville Arkansas from San Francisco, how he came up with the idea for Mmhmm, ways to be impressive to...
2021-12-0248 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 219 How I Raised It With Nhon Ma Of NumeradeProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Nhon Ma of Numerade.com, an AI powered digital tutoring platform with over 1 million video lessons.
In this episode, Nhon talks about the epiphany moment of doing asynchronous tutoring, how he used a "traction story" with investors to pitch the business pre-revenue, why he believes founders must earn the right to pitch investors, how game theory applies to fundraising, and much more.
The Company recently raised $26 million from IDG Capital, General Catalyst, Mucker Capital, Kapor...
2021-11-2438 min
How I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 217 How I Raised It With Jesse Draper Of Halogen VenturesProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Jesse Draper of Halogen Ventures, a VC fund that invests in startups led by women.
In this episode, Jesse talks about how she leveraged her Valley Girl Show and blog to build her network, how she pitched 500 investors to close 50, tips for first time VC fund managers, advice for courting fund-of-funds and RIAs, what types of startups she is looking to invest in, and much more.
Halogen Ventures has raised over $50 million across...
2021-11-1636 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 216 How I Raised It With Paxton Maeder York Of Alife HealthProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Paxton Maeder-York, CEO of Alife Health (www.alifehealth.com) a startup building tools to combat infertility and improve IVF through artificial intelligence.
In this episode, Paxton talks about raising capital for a startup before a product is launched, pitching vision and a plan, tips for storytelling, and more.
The Company raised $9.5 million in one round led by Lux Capital (Deena Shakir) along with angels including Anne Wojcicki, Fred Moll, Dan Nova, Arthur Patterson and others.
...
2021-11-0527 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 215 How I Raised It With Ben Narasin Of Tenacity Venture CapitalProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Ben Narasin of Tenacity Venture Capital, a new seed stage fund that invests in FinTech, mobile, marketplaces, gaming, and other categories.
In this episode, Ben talks about how he raised 2/3rds of the $50 million target in only 25 days, what multiples on investment he expects at the seed stage, how he plans to use SPVs, how to set a target amount for a new fund, what types of startups he's looking to invest in, and much...
2021-11-0351 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 214 How I Raised It With Thibaud Hug De Larauze Of Back MarketProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Thibaud Hug De Larauze Of Back Market (www.backmarket.com) a marketplace of refurbished electronics such as iPhones, Macbooks etc. -- part of the emerging "circular economy" class of startups.
In this episode, Thibaud shares how he came up with the idea for a market for "renewed" electronics, how he got the company off the ground in France, insights into the French startup ecosystem, details on the Series C fundraising process, what it was like...
2021-10-2940 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 213 How I Raised It With Garin Toren Of pingProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Garin Toren of ping (www.pingloud.com), makers of technology that reads aloud your text messages, emails and instant messages from all major platforms while driving.
In this episode, Garin shares his detailed (and very clever) strategy for cracking into multiple angel groups at once, why he decided to use a continuous fundraising / "rolling round" approach, how he sources investor contacts on Lunchclub, how to write excellent Investor Updates, and much more.
The Company has...
2021-10-1331 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 212 How I Raised It With Slava Rubin Founder Of Indiegogo, Vincent And humbitionProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Slava Rubin of Vincent (https://www.withvincent.com/), a search engine for alternative investment opportunities such as crypto, NFTs, real estate, art, collectibles, etc. Previously, Slava was a co-founder of Indiegogo, one of the pioneers of crowdfunding. He's also an active startup investor.
In this episode, Slava talks about his process for raising capital from a group of "influencers," how he targeted a very specific list of investor prospects, why the alt investment market is...
2021-09-0736 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 211 How I Raised It With Startup Advisor Brett FoxProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Brett Fox, a startup advisor who has also worked in venture capital. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/foxbrett/ and https://www.brettjfox.com)
In this episode, Brett talks about what to do if you lose a co-founder while raising capital, how many people to bring to VC pitch meetings, top mistakes startup CEOs make, how establish an emotional connection with investors, how to get investor to compete for your deal, and much more.
Brett has...
2021-08-2041 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 210 How I Raised It With Frances Tang Of Awkward EssentialsProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Frances Tang of Awkward Essentials (https://awkwardessentials.com/) a a medical-grade sponge made to absorb excess fluid after sex.
In this episode, Frances talks about the scrappy ways she got her product-focused business off the ground, the challenges of raising capital for a sex-related business, her process for finding investors that would be a good fit, and much more.
The Company recently raised a $2.3m seed funding round led by Unorthodox Ventures. The Company also...
2021-08-1031 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 209 How I Raised It With Michael Kim of Cendana CapitalProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors. This episode is with Michael Kim of Cendana Capital (https://www.cendanacapital.com/), a "fund of funds" that invests in very early stage venture capital funds.
In this episode, Michael talks about why he started Cendana Capital and how he raised his fund, the types of emerging VCs he prefers to invest in (and what he's looking for when meeting a new VC), the evolution of seed investing, tips for raising an inaugural fund, the process for raising capital from a...
2021-08-0434 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 208 How I Raised It With Naomi Shah Of Meet CuteProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Naomi Shah of https://www.meetcute.com/, a media company that produces original, scripted romcoms in podcast form. Before starting Meet Cute, she was a member of the investment team at NYC-based Union Square Ventures.
In this episode, Naomi talks about her journey from the trading floor at Goldman Sachs to the venture world (USV) and then on to becoming a startup founder, tips to founders from her time as a VC, tips for raising...
2021-07-2939 min
How I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 207 How I Raised It With Thomas Fairey Of StakesterProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Thomas Fairey of Stakester.com, a platform that users to play online games and compete for money and prizes.
In this episode, Thomas talks about how pitching is a performance, how fundraising can be done as a formulaic sales process, how he automated a lot of his outreach and follow up, how the intent of the first contact is not to invest but to have a conversation, and much more. He also shares his exact...
2021-07-1636 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 206 How I Raised It With Travis Holoway Of SoLoFunds.comProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Travis Holoway of SoLo Funds, a community and app that enables peer to peer loans.
In this episode, Travis talks about his mission to create an "Airbnb for loans", how he plans to unlock capital from "guys like his Dad," how he raised his initial capital from Black angel investors, advice for fundraising and much more.
The Company recently raised a $10 million Series A round led by ACME Capital with participation from Impact America Fund, Tech...
2021-07-0633 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 205 How I Raised It With Donnel Baird Of BlocPowerProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Donnel Baird of Blocpower.io, a Brooklyn-based climate technology startup that is making American cities greener, smarter, and healthier by retrofitting older buildings with more efficient energy systems.
In this episode, Donnel talks about how he got started by "greening" some barber shops in Harlem and then landed a government contract, getting past 200 "no's" when raising early capital, pitching Ben Horowitz and Mitch Kapor for his pre-seed round, understanding the "Silicon Valley Archetype" of what...
2021-06-0939 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 204 How I Raised It With Dima Syrotkin Of Panda TrainingProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Dima Syrotkin of Panda-Training.com, an online coaching and employee development platform.
In this episode, Dima talks about how he funded his startup using a combination of loans, government grants, R&D credits, and other incentives. He also talks about his experience at SLUSH Conference and the startup scene in Finland.
How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $3 Billion...
2021-06-0625 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 203 How I Raised It With Marie Tors Of Graffiti / ReevealProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Marie Tors of Reeveal.ai, an augmented reality shopping assistant that helps you select the right products.
In this episode, Marie discusses raising capital for a startup based in France, how often she sends an investor update, advice for other French founders, the challenge of seeking money vs. seeking the "right" investors, and more.
The Company raised $100k from friends and family ("love money" as it's called in France:) plus another $450k as a SAFE...
2021-06-0527 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 202 How I Raised It With David Rabie Of Tovala.comProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with David Rabie of Tovala.com, an AI powered oven and meal kit subscription business.
In this episode, David talks about raising capital for a hardware startup, going through Y Combinator, doing an Angellist Syndicate, what has changed between the Series A and Series C rounds, the Chicago startup scene, and much more.
The Company most recently raised a $30M Series C funding round led by Left Lane Capital, with participation from previous investors Finistere Ventures...
2021-06-0337 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 201 How I Raised It With Joel Holland Of Harvest HostsProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Joel Holland of HarvestHosts.com, a service that lets RV owners camp at wineries, breweries, golf courses and more.
In this episode, Joel talks about how to align your interests + skillsets to create the optimal outcome, how he acquired -- not founded -- the business, including how he contacted the original owners and came up with an acquisition price, what private equity investors are looking for, tips for raising capital from a PE firm, and...
2021-06-0237 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 200 How I Raised It With Lindsay Tjepkema Of Casted.usProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Lindsay Tjepkema of Casted.us, an audio and video podcast product aimed at B2B marketers.
In this episode, Lindsay shares tips for leveraging podcast content, tips for distributing and measuring content, spinning Casted out of a venture studio, cultivating relationships in between rounds, successful elements of her investor pitch, next-gen content marketing and more.
The Company raised $7 million in Series A funding led by Revolution Ventures. Previous investors High Alpha Capital, Elevate Ventures and...
2021-05-2630 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 199 How I Raised It With Sparsh Khandelwal Of Stylework.inProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Sparsh Khandelwal of StyleWork.in, a membership club to get access to coworking spaces across India and SE Asia.
In this episode, Sparsh talks about raising capital for a startup based in India, how he used LinkedIn automation to message a list of investor targets, tips for getting deals done quickly, how he used Foundersuite during the process, and specific tips for Indian founders.
The Company raised $545k from 500 investors and investor groups including Inflection...
2021-05-1346 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 198 How I Raised It With Dejan Pralica Of SoleSavyProduced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Dejan Pralica of SoleSavy.com, an online community for sneaker aficionados.
In this episode, Dejan shares how he came up with the idea, the evolution of the sneakerhead community, his experience going through Jason Calacanis' LAUNCH Accelerator, raising capital from VCs like Ben Narasin and musical acts like Diplo, and more
The Company recently raised a $2 million party round from Panache Ventures, Jason Calacanis’ LAUNCH, Turner Novak, Ben Narasin, Morning Brew’s Alex Lieberman and Aust...
2021-05-0727 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 197 How I Raised It With John Fazio And Wayne Kimmel Of Nerd Street GamersProduced by Foundersuite (https://foundersuite.com/), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with John Fazio of Nerd Street Gamers (https://nerdstgamers.com/), a startup creating a national network of eSports facilities, events and content. Joining John is Wayne Kimmel of 76 Capital, an early financial backer of the Company.
In this episode, John and Wayne talk about the dramatic growth of eSports, his previous attempts at building a digital video network and how that evolved into NSG, how a business with multiple physical locations pivoted to a digital platform...
2021-04-1647 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 196 How I Raised It With Eva Goicochea Of MaudeProduced by Foundersuite (foundersuite.com/), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Eva Goicochea of Maude (https://getmaude.com/) makers of modern sexual wellness products.
In this episode, Eva talks about nurturing relationships, finding people who are seeking exactly what you do, running a well-organized fundraise, tips for doing investor updates using Foundersuite :) and much more.
The Company has raised $4.3M in total. Investors include CASSIUS, True, Vice Ventures (backed by Marc Andreessen and Bradley Tusk), Patina Brands, RRE and Tune House Capital (Steyn family). Angels include: Dakota...
2021-04-0933 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 195 How I Raised It With Domm Holland Of Fast.coProduced by Foundersuite (https://foundersuite.com/), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Domm Holland of Fast.co, a startup that provides a one-click checkout experience for the entire internet.
In this episode, Domm talks about how to build a network in Silicon Valley as an outsider, how he met his co-founder Allison Barr Allen (an exec at Uber), how to think holistically about investor relations, tips for doing strategic deals, running a process when fundraising, and more.
The Company recently raised a $102 million Series B led by...
2021-04-0641 minHow I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 194 How I Raised It With Pree Walia Of PreemadonnaProduced by Foundersuite (https://foundersuite.com/), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Pree Walia of Preemadonna, makers of the Nailbot.com, an at-home robotic manicure machine.
In this episode, Pree talks about the challenges of raising capital for a hardware startup, her experience with the HAX Accelerator and TechCrunch Battlefield, running a Kickstarter campaign, getting on the TV show "Meet The Drapers" and more.
The Company has raised $5.6M in an overall seed financing to date led by Halogen Ventures with participation from Version One Ventures and...
2021-03-3141 min
How I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.Ep. 126 How I Raised It with Henrique Dubugras of BrexProduced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Henrique Dubugras of Brex.com which provides a corporate credit card for startups.
In this episode, Henrique talks about the genesis of Brex and "why the world needed another credit card," why he believes raising capital at a high valuation is key to extending runway, why getting as many investors on your cap table as possible is a good strategy, why he always insists on basic ("plain vanilla") terms in a term sheet, and much more.
The...
2019-11-1834 min