The Non-Obvious Founder’s Guide to Raising Capital💡💰
Insider strategies to decode the investor mindset, skip the hidden pitfalls, and close your round faster 📈
👋 Hey, Linas here! Welcome to a special issue of my daily newsletter. Each day I focus on 3 stories that are making a difference in the financial technology space. Coupled with things worth watching & most important money movements, it’s the only newsletter you need for all things when Finance meets Tech. If you’re reading this for the first time, it’s a brilliant opportunity to join a community of 310k+ FinTech leaders:
Did you know that for every VC meeting you land, there’s only a 1%–10% chance of getting funded?
If raising capital were that simple, everyone would do it.
That’s exactly why today I’m excited to share a powerful fundraising guide from the Founding Partner of NFX, the pre-seed and seed-stage venture firm behind major successes like Poshmark, DoorDash DASH 0.00%↑, and Lyft LYFT 0.00%↑.
This guide goes way beyond the usual advice. It’s packed with highly actionable steps, real-world insights, and investor-minded strategies that will change the way you approach fundraising.
Here’s a quick preview:
Crafting a Compelling Pitch
Quantify your story. Instead of saying “We have a large user base,” be specific: “Our user base grew 30% last quarter.”
Engage with energy. Stand, gesture, and involve your audience to make your message stick.
Use visuals. Diagrams and charts get complex ideas across faster than words alone.
Strategic Meeting Approach
Share your brief upfront. Answer potential concerns before you even meet.
Speak in numbers. Investors crave specifics - make data your secret weapon.
Aim for real dialogue. Spend two-thirds of every meeting on questions and discussions to build trust and clarity.
These are just a handful of the insights inside the full guide - there’s more data, more tactics, and more ways to dramatically improve your fundraising odds. Let’s dive in:
And that’s not even it.
Leverage these resources I recently put together, and 10x your chances of getting funded in 2025:
What’s inside: 1,500+ pages of knowledge, data, and advice to launch & scale your next unicorn startup in 2025 🚀
What’s inside: These companies raised $28B already. Find who is backing them, unlock their exclusive pitch decks, and learn from the best 🚀
What’s inside: a global database of 6,200+ investors spanning angel groups, VCs, accelerators, Private Equity, and family offices - across North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa 🌍
What’s inside: your direct access to over 50 pitch decks from leading FinTech startups that collectively secured over $2 billion in funding over the last few years year 💸
What’s inside: 380+ free places to post your project or startup to maximize exposure & accelerate growth 🔥
And that’s a wrap.
In 2023, I started sharing resources to help you become a more successful entrepreneur, investor, or business leader. I hope you will find this new resource valuable too.
Keep building and innovating.
If you found this useful, share it with others and spread the word:
Couldn't wish a better gift just before Xmas Eve - thank you Linas!