Fundraising: Demystified! True Stories Direct From Founders
In this podcast, we uncover the untold stories of founders who have weathered the highs and lows of raising capital. We go beyond the headlines and Techcrunch funding news articles to explore the uncharted territories of the fundraising landscape. In each episode, we'll sit down with founders from various industries who have raised venture capital to bring their visions to life. They'll open up about their personal journeys, fundraising tactics & more. If you're a founder, this podcast offers a ton of value & insights you can apply to your fundraising journey. Don't forget to hit subscribe!
Episodes
Startup Advisors can make or break your growth. In this episode, Barry Stamos of Supernova shares how to build a world-class startup advisory board, manage relationships, and scale successfully.
With real-world lessons from the Tuft & Needle journey and his advisory platform Supernova, Barry dives deep into sourcing the right advisors, setting success metrics, avoiding red flags, and aligning compensation with performance.
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This week, I host IPO market expert Peter Goldstein, who talks about the best time to IPO, how to position for strong IPO performance, what true IPO readiness looks like, and how companies are being valued in 2025.
If you're a founder eyeing the public markets, this is your roadmap. We dive into shifting investor sentiment, the surge in the secondary market, and strategic insights on when to go public, build public company c...
JC Glancy, co-founder of ZenBusiness, shares his remarkable unicorn startup journey, from nearly drowning in credit card debt to building a billion-dollar startup. In a bold and rare move, he gave up the CEO title early on but still led the company to raise a $200M Series C and dominate the legal tech space.
This episode dives deep into startup realities: raising venture capital, overcoming failure, building an unbeatable team, outm...
In this episode, Gil Eyal of Stardust Ventures shares expert insights on celebrity marketing and influencer deals for startups. Learn how to pitch your startup to influencers, find the best platforms to connect, and structure celebrity deals, all without breaking the bank. Plus, discover the biggest mistakes startups make with influencer marketing and how to avoid them.
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Raising cap...
In this episode, I sit down with Adam Spector, CEO of Chore, to break down founder mindset, startup operations, and how to make a startup successful. Adam shares what separates successful startup founders from those who fail, covering topics like founder time management, startup productivity, outsourcing, and the best outsourcing tools for startups. We also dive into the reality of starting a business, common founder mistakes, and ...
How do you identify and capitalize on the biggest upcoming trends?
Katelyn Donnelly, GP of Avalanche Ventures, unveils her unique investment strategy focusing on "avalanches" – inevitable market trends driven by societal and technological shifts. In this episode, Katelyn shares her insights on what VCs look for in early-stage startups, emphasizing the importance of founders building their life's work and understanding the nuances of...
Wondering what VCs look for in early-stage startups? In this episode, Dave Lambert, Managing Partner at Right Side Capital Management, shares insights on how to get funding for a tech startup, the importance of technical co-founders, and how to raise pre-seed capital while keeping control of your business.
With over 2,000 investments, Dave reveals the fundraising strategies that work in 2025, common mistakes founders make, and w...
Jeremy Parker, co-founder of Swag.com discusses his incredible journey of building a successful swag business from scratch and ultimately selling it to Custom Ink. Jeremy shares valuable insights on raising capital, identifying market opportunities, and navigating the acquisition process.
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Raising capital?
Get a list of vetted VCs for FREE here:
https://web.thunder.vc/list-of-in...
AI for Business Efficiency is reshaping how companies operate, and in this episode, Jon Tucker, founder of HelpFlow, shares how AI is transforming customer service, workflow automation, and decision-making. We dive into Evaluating AI Performance, optimizing operations, and leveraging AI to scale businesses while staying competitive.
Jon reveals how AI reduces workforce needs, enhances productivity, and even impacts venture capit...
Not all startups should chase VC money. Some should bootstrap, others should take on debt, and a few are primed for private equity. So how do you know which path is right for you?
In this episode,Jason Kirby breaks down theFundraising Quadrants—a framework that helps founders identify where they stand in their startup journey and what type of capital makes the most sense for them. Whether you’re running an AI startup, a SaaS com...
Would you rather grind for years bootstrapping, take VC money with strings attached, or sell and move on? That’s the exact crossroads Laurits Just faced as the co-founder of BitsForDigits.
In this episode, Laurits breaks down how he built and sold his startup, a marketplace for partial business acquisitions, and why he ultimately chose to exit instead of raising venture capital. He shares the highs and lows of bootstrapping,...
Penelope Hope, founder of Rebel Energy, shares her journey of building a renewable energy company from scratch with just £1.5 million raised, scaling it to £100 million in revenue in record time. Rebel Energy's mission to alleviate fuel poverty while delivering renewable energy has set it apart as an innovative force in the UK energy sector.
In this episode, Penelope details her early challenges, fundraising strategies, an...
After achieving financial success as a founder, David Goldberg shifted his focus to making a global impact. As the founder of Founders Pledge, David has pioneered a transformative approach to philanthropy, enabling entrepreneurs to commit a portion of their exit proceeds to charity. Over the past 10 years, Founders Pledge has deployed $1.3 billion toward impactful causes, making it one of the most innovative nonprofit organizations...
From founding one of the earliest social media agencies to crafting an intentional path to a major eight-figure exit, Carrie Kerpen has redefined what it means to be a female entrepreneur in the digital age. In this episode, Carrie shares the transformative strategies she used to scale Likeable Media into a profitable and sellable business.
Carrie reveals her RED (Recurring, Expected, Diversified) revenue framework, discusses the...
From dog genetics to bootstrapping to an eight-figure exit , Conor Tomkies has done it all. As the founder of Support Ninja, Conor scaled a bootstrapped business into a middle eight-figure success story, managing thousands of employees worldwide. After selling to private equity, Conor is now building Operator Equity and Entrepreneur Cooperative, empowering founders to scale and exit with purpose.
Conor Tomkies shares how he levera...
Raising capital? Get a list of vetted VCs for FREE here: https://web.thunder.vc/list-of-investors-vcs-for-founders
Get the latest fundraising insights, news, and tips: https://blog.thunder.vc/funding-101
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What does it take to build, scale, and sell a business—and then do it all over again? David Hauser, the mastermind behind Grasshopper and Vanilla, has done just that. Starting...
Raising capital? Get a list of vetted VCs for FREE here: https://web.thunder.vc/list-of-investors-vcs-for-founders
Get the latest fundraising insights, news, and tips: https://blog.thunder.vc/funding-101
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What do a career coaching platform, a French-American football team, and a fraud prevention startup have in common? Meet Patrick Butler, the mind behind all three. Talk about ...
Raising capital? Get a list of vetted VCs for FREE here: https://web.thunder.vc/list-of-investors-vcs-for-founders
Get the latest fundraising insights, news, and tips: https://blog.thunder.vc/funding-101
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Think debt is a trap? Think again. Learn how the right kind of debt can fuel your growth without sacrificing control of your startup. In this insightful episode, Jason Kirby welcom...
Raising capital? Get a list of vetted VCsfor free here:https://web.thunder.vc/list-of-investors-vcs-for-founders
Get the latest fundraising insights, news, and tips: https://blog.thunder.vc/funding-101
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Starting off December with a recap from the podcast's biggest fundraisers of 2024... Ever wondered how the most successful founders raise millions? 💡
Discover the strategies and ...
Raising capital? Get a list of vetted VCs for FREE here: https://web.thunder.vc/list-of-investors-vcs-for-founders
Get the latest fundraising insights, news, and tips: https://blog.thunder.vc/funding-101
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Alexandria Procter takes center stage on this episode of Fundraising Demystified to share how she transformed a local student housing problem into DigsConnect, now Africa's lea...
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