Funded | How They Raised Millions

I want to walk through a real example of a founder who is doing the fundraising work the right way. Not theory. Not vibes. Actual behavior that leads to calendar density.

I talk a lot about calendar density as the punchline, and I’ve realized that for a lot of founders the obvious follow-up is, okay, but how do I get there. This episode is my answer to that question.

I break down what I saw this founder do before he ever “started” hi...

I’ve been thinking about a fundraising idea that keeps showing up once you’ve pitched enough rooms. I call it the resonant frequency of investors. It’s that moment in a pitch when someone stops evaluating you and starts dreaming alongside you.

In this episode, I break down what that state actually looks like, how it feels when an investor is nowhere near it, and why the difference matters more than most founders realize. We talk abo...

I finally brought a guest onto The Back Channel, and it’s for a good reason. A founder hit me with a question about SAFEs that made me pause a bit longer than I’d like to admit. The topic: whether a startup can accept money from someone who isn’t accredited in the US, and what that even means when the investor lives abroad.

So I called up Aaron Ginsburg, partner at Fenwick, who spends his days helping startups and early investors av...

On this episode of Funded, Ariana Thacker, founder and CEO of Mold Co., shares how she went from running a successful VC fund to building a company most investors initially dismissed. She talks about pushing through early rejections, why so many people doubted the market, and what finally flipped the fundraising momentum in her favor. It's a real look at what it takes to hold conviction when no one else sees it—and why that bel...

Raising money for AI might seem easy today, but back in 2017, it was anything but. In this episode of Funded, Jason Yeh sits down with Minna Song, co-founder and CEO of EliseAI, who shares her journey from bootstrapping a conversational AI startup before ChatGPT was even on the horizon to closing a $250M Series E led by Andreessen Horowitz. Minna opens up about the doubts investors had early on, the lessons she learned about storyt...

In this episode of The Back Channel, Jason Yeh dives into the power of asking for help, especially when it comes to fundraising and storytelling. Drawing from an insightful conversation with Minna Song, co-founder of Elise AI, Jason explores how technical founders can benefit from expert storytelling assistance to elevate their fundraising efforts. He encourages founders to embrace the art of asking for help, especially when it com...

What is the true meaning of “relationship” in fundraising and business? Jason breaks it down in this episode and challenges the common misconception that relationships are just shortcuts or favors. He instead highlights how genuine trust and shared experiences build the foundation for meaningful connections. Jason also introduces his new project, Capital Interests, which helps founders connect with investors through shared passions...

In this episode of The Backchannel, Jason reflects on a recent conversation with a robotics founder that reminded him how powerful it is to focus on what actually matters. From skipping the company name to delaying fundraising, the founder made unconventional decisions that signal discipline, clarity, and real momentum. Jason breaks down why avoiding “playing startup” and doing the unsexy work is often what sets great founders apa...

In this episode, we share a powerful lesson from a recent pitch practice session with a founder whose natural charisma backfired. While being articulate and engaging can be a superpower, it can also lead to rambling when clarity matters most. We talk about why “less is more” applies just as much to live pitches as it does to pitch decks—and how embracing silence can actually project more confidence. If you’ve ever talked yourself i...