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Let me tell you something I see all the time.
At almost every pitch event I attend, there are usually one or two founders who end their pitch with a QR code.It leads to their website, their product page, or even a special offer:“Scan here to try it!”“Join our beta!”
And it makes me upset - b...
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Let’s get one thing straight: investors don’t invest in products.They invest in people.They invest in you.
And yet, I constantly meet founders who struggle to talk about themselves with confidence.They can pitch their market, traction, and vision with fire - but when it’s time to sell the team...
Stop being naïve - your product won’t sell itself.Let’s be honest.It’s not cool.It’s naïve to think your product will “sell itself.”
Every week, I meet founders who still believe that.They genuinely think that if the product is good enough, investors will see it, understand it, and come running....
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Raising capital can be very stressful.And in stressful situations - when we’re eager to get the outcome we want - we have a dangerous tendency to talk and talk and talk…Talktalktalktalktalktalktalktalktalktalktalktalktalktalktalktalktalktalktalktalktalktalktalk
It’s like we believe that the ...
(this is a long one... but so important...)
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I was at an investor event some time ago when one of the panelists said something that really stuck with me: " You don't need to know the industry - but you must know the pain."Â
It resonated because I think we too often expect founders to be heavily...
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Over the past year, I’ve noticed a dangerous trend: founders have become too relaxed in virtual investor meetings.They are treating virtual pitches like they don’t really matter. They show up like it’s some kind of informal chat. Casual, sloppy, half-prepared.
The Comfort Trap
Here’s the patte...
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Over the years, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been asked to pitch on behalf of a founder. My answer has always been the same: NO.
Why? Because fundraising is always the founder’s job. Not an advisor’s. Not a consultant’s. Not a hired gun’s. Yours.
Investors don’t want perfect. They wa...
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The other day I was coaching a deep-tech startup. Brilliant team, years of hard work behind them, finally on the brink of commercialization and raising their last round.You could feel their excitement in the room. Their energy filled the pitch. Their passion shone brighter with every practic...
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Today I’m going to be a bit harsh - but still after 11 years in this industry it still upsets me.
I’m always surprised, no I am actually shocked by how many entrepreneurs don’t spend enough time talking to their potential customers.I just don’t get it - WHY?
The cost of skipping this step is...
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A lot of founders think they’re being smart by saying no to events.They tell themselves they’re “saving time” by staying at the desk, tweaking the deck, or sending cold emails.
In my book? That’s just stupid.Why?
Think about it for a second. Events are the biggest time-saver of them all.Where ...
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You can feel it in the air.Summer’s over, autumn is here - and the startup scene is buzzing again.
Demo days. Breakfast pitches. Competitions. Investor lunches. Everywhere you turn, founders are on stage, energy is high, and fundraising season is in full swing.
But there’s one line I keep hear...
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Vacations are over.
September is just round the corner and Investor meetings are back on the calendar. The runway clock is ticking again.
Every year, I watch founders come back from summer vacation all energized to pick up the speed and motivated to build something extraordinary. But when it...
