Funded - How They Raised Millions

In this episode of The Backchannel, the host launches a new series called "How I Work," exploring strategies for productivity. 

Jason delves into the challenges faced by founders, such as digital distractions, and shares his personal approach to combatting them. 

By disconnecting from the internet during certain periods and utilizing a digital notepad like the remarkable device, he emphasizes the importance of carving out distraction...

What makes someone a successful founder? 

Is it how much revenue they're able to generate? How well they lead their company and their employees? How many investors they're able to land? 

Those all play a role ... but the real answer is probably more nuanced and certainly harder to pinpoint. 

When we look at any successful founder throughout history, it's natural to wonder how they got there. To wonder what made them different from the...

In this episode of The Backchannel, the host emphasizes the critical role of third-party feedback in the fundraising process for entrepreneurs.

Reflecting on a recent interaction with a founder, the host describes how an initially chaotic business pitch was clarified and refined through his outsider's perspective. 

This episode underscores the unique advantage of third-party insights, which strip away emotional biases and unnecessary...

In this episode, the host shares the power of personal newsletters for VC's, shedding light on investor psychology and fundraising strategies. 

Drawing from anecdotes from his personal life and interactions with VC's, he highlights the importance of staying top of mind in the competitive landscape of deal flow.

By sharing stories of missed opportunities and the dynamics of VC interactions, he underscores the significance of personal ...

Join us on a journey through the winding roads of entrepreneurship with our guest, Nancy Xu, the Founder & CEO of Moonhub.

From her early days training for the U.S. math and physics team to her academic journey at Stanford and her stint as a software engineer at Facebook, Nancy seemed destined for academia. 

However, her passion for impactful ideas steered her towards entrepreneurship, leading her to start Moonhub, the pioneering AI-...

In this episode, our host covers the importance of having a technical co-founder for non-technical founders and how to go about finding one. 

Venture capitalists seek teams with diverse skill sets, understanding that successful companies require both technical and non-technical expertise. 

For non-technical founders, making progress and creating value without a technical product is key to attracting top talent. 

By understanding the "...

In this episode of the Back Channel, we explore the importance of addressing competition during investor meetings. 

Drawing on an analogy from the hosts undergrad economics class, he emphasizes the significance of positioning oneself confidently alongside competitors and calmly articulating one's unique value proposition. 

Rather than avoiding the conversation, address the competition with calm confidence, focusing on your strengths ...

There's a quote from Abraham Lincoln that always really speaks to me: "Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening my axe." 

It's become a mantra of sorts for me, especially when it comes to fundraising. I share it with all of the founders I work with because it encapsulates a fundamental truth: the preparation before the task is key.

In my experience, the ease of a fundraising journey is directly prop...

In this episode of The Backchannel, host Jason Yeh delves into the world of junior VCs and their path to becoming venture capitalists. 

Drawing from his own experience at Greycroft and the hiring processes, he emphasizes the significance of technical backgrounds, industry connections, and experience in fields like consulting or banking. 

Venture capital firms prioritize hiring from networks with access to potential deals and founders...

Dilution is one of those things that a lot of founders seem to 'lightly' understand.

That's why in today's episode, Jason breaks down a step-by-step example of how dilution actually works.

Discover the significance of understanding dilution and its impact on ownership over your company.

See you next week on The Backchannel!

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If you're looking for more fundraising content, grab our weekly newsletter packed full of strategi...

Bootstrapping and raising venture capital are two different beasts. Bootstrapping gives you control, but growth is slower. Venture capital speeds things up, but you have to give up some control. 

There is, however, one thing they both have in common: each requires a leap of faith.

Today's guest is pretty unique. She's someone who's gotten to experience building both types of companies - one bootstrapped, one venture backed.

That guest...

A lot of people tend to forget that the pre-seed round in venture capital is still relatively new.

In today's episode, we talk about how the pre-seed round came about, and how it's changed since moving farther away from the bull markets back in 2020 and 2021. 

One of those changes being the need for investors to see traction earlier and earlier before investing.

Make sure to watch the full episode to hear all the insights around pre...

Have you ever heard of the quote "The safest way to get what you want is to deserve what you want"?

It was said by the legendary investor Charlie Munger, and in todays episode we're going to talk about how you can apply that same understanding to fundraising as a startup founder.

Get ready to listen along and ask yourself to answer hard truths about yourself and your company. 

See you next week on The Backchannel!

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If you'r...

Most of us have heard the saying "good things don't come easy", and I'd be willing to argue that the majority of people agree with that statement on some level. 

But sometimes, good things do come easy and THEN they get harder. And it's in those pivotal moments where you really get to see what you're capable of. 

That was the case for today's guest Mohak Nahta - founder and CEO of Atlys - a company he started as a side project to sol...

Hello & welcome back to The Backchannel! 

Today, we're diving into a topic that's often overshadowed in the frenzy of fundraising: whether or not to announce your round.

Drawing from the hosts own experiences and observations, he'll guide you through some of the complexities involved in making this decision. 

Join us as we dissect the strategic implications and weigh the pros and cons, offering practical insights for founders charting...

The truth is - most first-time fundraisers underestimate all that goes into fundraising and the support you need to make it through.

In this episode, Jason touches on 7 different emotional and tactical forms of support every founder should be aware of before jumping into a fundraise.

Make sure to watch the full episode so you don't miss any!

See you next week on The Backchannel.

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If you're looking for more fundraising conte...

There is one thing that almost every single entrepreneur has in common - the drive to change the world in some way, shape, or form.

For today's guest, she spent years of her career working for organizations like Doctors Without Borders and the United Nations, living overseas and funding entrepreneurs who were trying to make a difference in their communities.

Stacy Edgar is the co-founder and CEO of Ventuer, a company revolutionizing ...

In this episode of The Backchannel, the host delves into the intricacies of lead investors versus co-leads, breaking down the key distinctions and red flags to watch out for. 

Learn why securing a dedicated lead investor holds paramount importance in navigating the complexities of fundraising, and gain valuable insights into the potential pitfalls of co-lead arrangements. 

Tune in for an informative exploration of investment dynamics...

Join us in this episode for an insightful discussion on pattern recognition in venture capital and its impact on underrepresented founders. 

The host dives into the power dynamics of pattern matching, exploring how VCs use this tool to make investment decisions while shedding light on its potential biases. 

From the imprecision of pattern recognition to strategies for overcoming its limitations, this episode offers practical insights...