Thirty years as an investor, distilled into under five minutes?! Well not quite, but here is an investor-lens segment I made for for VC26: what I wanted their early-stage founders to know before they pitched. I recorded it for that particular cohort, but it holds for anyone raising pre-seed or seed.
No theory, no jargon. Just the few things that decide whether an investor leans in or filters you out. I spent thirty years in venture capital, backing sixty-plus companies, and now I get founders raise-ready.
In this video:
– Investment readiness vs raise readiness, and why founders confuse the two – Why ten well-chosen investors beat three hundred, now that AI screens most approaches out
– Why trying to prove you have no risk backfires, and what investors actually back
– How to frame your ask as a milestone story, not a runway number
Everything I mention is free on the Fundraising 101 resources page: cap tables, term sheets, data rooms, valuation, using AI as a co-pilot, more places to pitch.
Founder guides: https://fundraising101.academy/resources/
Free Mini Pitch Deck Check: https://tally.so/r/81YE0z
Recorded for VC26, the venture competition from Datumra. Thanks to Christopher Ross and the team for having me!
