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October 2, 2025 24 mins

Tired of cold-pitching investors who don’t get what you’re building?

What if capital started chasing you?

In this episode, I sat down with a panel of seasoned investors during our Venture Vitality Roundtable to unpack what truly makes a startup irresistible to aligned capital.

We’re talking beyond pitch decks—this is about market readiness, community-first traction, and the kind of 2-minute pitch that gets shared in closed-door investor chats.

This is the mindset shift every Seed to Series B founder needs to hear.



🔑 What You’ll Learn:

  • Why product-market fit is overrated (and what to chase instead)
  • How to become fundraising fluent so you stop wasting time
  • What investors actually want to hear in your pitch
  • The secret to getting great capital to chase you
  • Why problem validation is the real unlock for early traction
  • How to build a pre-launch community that sells for you later


💬 Let’s Discuss:

  1. What’s the last market validation conversation you had—before building anything?
  2. Can you pitch your company in 2 minutes with no slides?


Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Why some startups attract capital instead of chasing it 

00:02:11 - The hidden struggles of raising money (Marie’s perspective) 

00:03:57 - Training founders to be fundraising fluent (Kurt’s insights) 

00:06:01 - Alternative capital sources + accelerator/venture studio models 

00:07:23 - Market readiness beats product-market fit 

00:09:58 - The 100 Customer Challenge: Validating the problem first 

00:11:52 - Why a 2-minute video pitch beats any deck 

00:13:07 - Build community before building your product 

00:17:05 - Healthcare pilots and clinical trials as proof of traction 

00:21:32 - Five core lessons to make your startup truly investable


🎧 Related Episodes You’ll Love

  • Ep 174 – Who Are the Founders That Win Investor Trust Fast?
  • Ep 169 – How AgeTech Startups Win Hospital Trust With Wound-Care Pilots
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