All Episodes
Funded | How They Raised Millions — 224 episodes
TBC 156: How AI Is Changing the Rules of Building a Startup
TBC 155: The Two Types of Founders and Why Their Fundraising Paths Are Different
TBC 154: What Your Existing Investors Need to Hear Before Your Next Round
TBC 153: Your Pitch Narrative Will Tell You What's Missing in Your Company
TBC 152: Why Your Pitch Deck Needs a Flow, Not Just a Slide List
TBC 151: VCs Are Rooting for You — Here's How to Use That
TBC 150: Why VCs Say They Love Cold Email (And What They Actually Mean)
TBC 149: How to Actually Use Startup Advice You Find Online
TBC 148: How Simple Is Too Simple for Your Pitch Narrative
TBC 147: Your Numbers Are Part of the Story, Not Separate From It
TBC 146: Why VCs Only Remember the Last Thing They Heard
TBC 145: Stop Blending Your Ask Into Your Personal Emails
TBC 144: Why You Don't Need Money to Start Moving
Mohak Nahta – How Atlys Raised a $36M Series C from Susquehanna After 11x Growth | Ep 62
Jackson Schultz – How an Angel Army of CISOs Unlocked a Lead Investor for ArgusEye | Ep 61
TBC 143: Stop Using Fancy Words in Your Fundraising Pitch
TBC 142: Why Cold Outreach Fails (and the 4 Tactics That Actually Work)
Alex Bazzell – How Bessemer Found Unrivaled & Wrote a $35M Term Sheet Overnight | Ep 60
Emilė Radytė – How a Cold LinkedIn DM Led to $5M from In Venture & Fortify | Ep 59
TBC 141: Why Investors Tune Out Before You Get Started
TBC 140: How to Actually Get to Calendar Density
TBC 139: Hitting the Resonant Frequency With Investors
TBC 138: Do SAFE investors need to be accredited? (Interview with Aaron Ginsburg @ Fenwick)
Ariana Thacker – From “Too Niche” to $8M for Mold Co from Cantos and Collab Fund | Ep 58
TBC 137: Grease the Friction in Fundraising
TBC 136: Time-Saving Fundraising Strategies
Minna Song (EliseAI) — From Crazy Early in Conversational AI to $250M from A16Z | Ep 57
TBC 135: Ask for Help: Fundraising Storytelling
TBC 134: Building a Helpful Network Ethic
TBC133: How to Close an Angel Round
TBC132: The Right Type of Investor
TBC131: The Human Side of Investor Relationships
TBC130: The First Lesson of AI in Fundraising
TBC129: Fundraising in the Age of AI
TBC128: Focus on What Matters
TBC127: Why Talking Too Much Is Killing Your Pitch
TBC126: When VCs Start Dreaming With You
TBC125: What I Learned Coaching HBS Founders on Fundraising
TBC124: The Power of Helping When You Can (HBS Story)
Alex Salazar on Taking Arcade from Zero to a $12M Round (Alex Salazar / Arcade - Ep 56)
TBC123: Can You Pitch a Big Vision?
TBC122: Early Signals That Matter to Investors
TBC121: The Fundraising Equation [T(G) - T(TI)]
TBC120: The LP Problem No One Talks About
TBC119: The State of the Fundraising Market in 2025
How Brian Sheng Closed a $112M Round for Aquaria (Brian Sheng / Aquaria - Ep 55)
TBC118: How to Create Urgency and Set Deadlines in Fundraising
TBC117: What Are the Toughest Questions Asked When Pitching?
TBC116: Finding the Perfect Blend of Data and Narrative
TBC115: Are You on the Right Fundraising Path?
TBC114: Holding Myself Accountable: 2025 Goals Check-In
TBC113: Convincing Investors During Slow Growth Phases
TBC112: Fundraising Advantages... Are They Real?
How Andrés Ornelas Vargas Closed a $2.2M Round for Verve Market (Andrés Ornelas Vargas / Verve Market - Ep 54)
TBC111: The NEW Bar for Raising Pre-Seed Rounds
TBC110: Happy New Year Supercharging Tip!
TBC109: Should You REALLY Be Raising From VCs?
TBC108: The Power of Closing Dates in Fundraising
TBC107: High Valuations vs. Simple Structure
How John Patrick Mullin Closed a $11M Round for MANTRA (John Patrick Mullin / MANTRA - Ep 53)
TBC106: Mastering Final VC Meetings
TBC105: How to Build Momentum During a Fundraise
TBC104: Why Raise From Angels PART TWO
TBC103: Why Founders Should Consider Raising From Angels
How Ron Belldegrun Closed a $95M Series C for ByHeart (Ron Belldegrun / ByHeart - Ep 52)
TBC102: A Tale of Two Investors
TBC101: The Importance of Jumping on Planes
TBC100: Likability vs. Brilliance
How Curtis Northcutt Closed a $25M Series A for Cleanlab (Curtis Northcutt / Cleanlab - Ep 51)
TBC99: How Anxiety Ruins Warm Intros
TBC98: GPs Have Trouble Raising Too
TBC97: How to Build Awareness as a Founder the Right Way
TBC96: How to Handle the Heat of an Investor Pitch
How Teasha Cable Closed a $1M Seed Round for CModel (Teasha Cable / CModel - Ep 50)
TBC95: Types & Motivations of Angel Investors
TBC94: Unpacking Uncapped SAFEs
TBC93: Valuations, SAFEs & Convertible Notes Explained
How Michael Diesu Closed a $2.5M Seed Round for Revenue Roll (Michael Diesu / Revenue Roll - Ep 49)
TBC92: Revisiting Post-Money vs Pre-Money Cap SAFEs
TBC91: Investor Lists & Launching a Fundraise (HOW TO)
How Christal Wang Closed a $2.2M Seed Round for Shimmer (Christal Wang / Shimmer - Ep 48)
TBC90: What Do Pre-Seed & Seed Rounds Look Like in This Market?
TBC89: Why You Need Deadlines for Your Raise
How Orri Bogdan Raised a $2M Seed Round for VAE Labs (Orri Bogdan / VAE Labs - Ep 47)
TBC88: How To Show VCs Traction
TBC87: Answering Founders Questions About The Fundraising Process
How Coco Brown Raised $2.5M in Venture Capital for Athena Alliance (Coco Brown / Athena Alliance - Ep 46)
TBC86: How Do I handle Inbound Interest From VCs?
TBC85: 5 Controversial Fundraising Ideas
How Brian Raymond Raised $65 Million in Funding for Unstructured IO (Brian Raymond / Unstructured IO - Ep 45)
TBC84: Why Smart People Struggle With Fundraising
TBC83: Answering Founders Questions About Pitch Decks
How Analisa Goodin Raised Over $31 Million in Funding for Catch+Release (Analisa Goodin / Catch+Release - Ep 44)
TBC82: Understanding VC Signals
TBC81: Answering Your Questions About Getting Passed On
The Story Behind Incognia's Pivot & How it Led Them to Raise $45.6M
TBC80: Why Monthly Investor Newsletters Might Be a Bad Idea for Founders
TBC: Is Silicon Valley Still the Place to Be for Startups? (TBC79)
The Story Behind Lex's $5.6M Seed Round (Jennifer Lewis / Lex - Ep 42)
TBC: How Much Should I Raise? (TBC78)
TBC: How I Work - For Easily Distracted Founders (TBC77)
The Journey of Ian Swanson Starting 3 Venture-Backed Successes (Ian Swanson / Protect AI)
TBC: Why Every Founder Needs Third-Party Feedback (TBC76)
TBC: Pro Tip for VC's - The Personal Newsletter (TBC75)
How Nancy Xu Raised $10M for Moonhub (Nancy Xu / Moonhub - Ep 40)
TBC: How & Why to Get a Technical Co-founder (TBC74)
TBC: Addressing Competition With Investors (TBC73)
The Story Behind SGNL Raising $22M in 2 Years (Scott Kriz / SGNL - Ep 39)
TBC: Understanding VC Firms to Send the Right Signals (TBC72)
TBC: Dilution 101 For Founders (TBC71)
The Story Behind Purple Metrics Closing Their $1.2M Pre-Seed Round (Guta Tolmasquim / Purple Metrics - Ep 38)
TBC: Why the Pre-Seed Round Was Created... and How It's Changed (TBC70)
TBC: Taking Advice From Charlie Munger (TBC69)
The Story Behind Atlys Raising $16.3M in Venture Capital (Mohak Nahta / Atlys - Ep 37)
TBC: Should You Announce Your Fundraise? Pros vs Cons. (TBC68)
TBC: The 7 Forms of Support You Need to Fundraise (TBC67)
Betting on Yourself: The Journey to Closing a $7.6M Seed Round (Stacy Edgar / Venteur - Ep 36)
TBC: Lead vs. Co-Lead Investors (TBC66)
TBC: Pattern Recognition (TBC65)
Builder Turned Fundraiser: Tractian's $45M Series B (Igor Marinelli / Tractian - Ep 35)
TBC: The Use of Funds Slide (TBC64)
TBC: The Secret Value of the Email Appendix (TBC63)
Trailblazing the VC Industry (Joanna Strober / Midi Health - Ep 34)
TBC: 3 Tips for Choosing Service Providers (TBC62)
TBC: What's the Deal With Thesis-Driven Firms? (TBC61)
Paying the Peter Thiel Price (Dylan Beynon / Mindbloom - Ep 33)
TBC: Bouncing Back After Failure (TBC60)
TBC: Creating a Story That Can Be Shared (TBC59)
A Wyoming Success Story ( Heather Shoemaker / Language I/O - Ep 32)
TBC: Should Founders Try Again With Investors Who've Passed? (TBC58)
TBC: Don't Fall Into The Builder's Trap (TBC57)
Fundraising EQUALS Hard Work (Bobby Pinero / Levels - Ep 31)
TBC: The Similarities Between Real Estate and Fundraising (TBC56)
TBC: The Need For Support in Fundraising (TBC55)
TBC: CEOs Should Always Be the Ones to Pitch (TBC54)
TBC: Explaining "The Money Round" (TBC53)
TBC: Preparing For a Pitch Competition (TBC52)
TBC: Data Rooms - What You Need to Know (TBC51)
TBC: Pitching VCs Through a Screen (TBC50)
TBC: Launch Before You're Ready (TBC49)
TBC: How to Grow Your Network FAST (TBC48)
TBC: Importance of CRM Systems When Fundraising (TBC47)
TBC: Pre-seed vs. Seed - What's the difference? (TBC46)
TBC: How to Handle Investor Rejection (TBC45)
TBC: Preparing to Fundraise in a Down Market (TBC44)
TBC: Build Your Reputation First (TBC43)
Down by 20? Down But Not Out... (Tiffany Kelly / Curastory - Ep 30)
TBC: Insights From My Trip to Brazil (TBC42)
TBC: Work / Life Balance (TBC41)
Becoming the Pepsi to Indeed's Coke (Lucas Martinez / Talent.com - Ep 29)
TBC: The Role of Emotions in Pitching (TBC40)
TBC: What VCs Are Saying About AI Investing (TBC39)
Thriving With or Without Funding (Andrew Gazdecki / Acquire.com - Ep 28)
TBC: Intros & Forwardable Emails (TBC38)
TBC: Side Letter Warning (TBC37)
The Hustlers Journey (Thomas McLeod / Arkive - Ep 27)
TBC: Putting Project Management First (TBC36)
TBC: What Comes First - Calm Confidence or Investor Interest? (TBC35)
Breaking the Status Quo (Lolita Taub / Ganas Ventures - Ep 26)
TBC: Post Money Cap Safes have Anti-Dilution! (TBC34)
TBC: Post Money Caps vs. Pre-money Caps (an explainer) (TBC33)
TBC: Vulnerability in Fundraising (TBC32)
TBC: The Rollercoaster of Fundraising (TBC31)
TBC: Deck-Building: Note Cards (TBC30)
TBC: Chase or Be Chased? (TBC29)
Money Baggage in Fundraising (Shiloh Johnson / ComplYant - Ep25)
TBC: Rest (TBC28)
TBC: How VCs are trained (TBC27)
TBC: The ability to be great is everywhere but resources are not (TBC25)
TBC: Decks as Appetizers (TBC26)
A Bubble valuation that's not so inflated? (Bubble / Emmanuel Straschnov - Ep24)
TBC: The Importance And Fragility Of Credibility (TBC24)
TBC: Explaining "this isn't venture-backable" (TBC23)
Being The Pattern (Stax / Suneera Madhani - Ep23)
TBC: Why in-person meetings are so valuable (TBC22)
TBC: Eisenhower Matrix And Health Insurance (TBC21)
The Times They Are A-Changin (Flow Club / Ricky Yean - Ep 22)
TBC: VC Anxiety - Why am I seeing this deal? (TBC20)
Finding The ‘Right’ Problem (Othership / Robbie Bent - Ep21)
TBC: The dirty secret of thesis-driven firms (TBC19)
TBC: Pitch The Circle (TBC18)
Diverse Female Founders (Special Funded Ep)
TBC: Cold Intros vs. Warm Intros (TBC17)
TBC: The most famous pass ever (TBC16)
TBC: Rounds are going CRAZY fast... (TBC15)
TBC: Narrative strategies and why they're important (TBC14)
TBC: You should share your wins (TBC13)
TBC: FOMO - a helluva drug (TBC12)
TBC: The mistake of over-targeting investors (TBC11)
TBC: Red Flag - solution looking for problems (TBC10)
TBC: Warm up meetings with investors (TBC09)
TBC: The different roles at a VC (TBC08)
TBC: Fundraising like a salesperson (TBC07)
TBC: The benefits of intense fundraise prep (TBC06)
TBC: Should I stage my VC convos in tiers? (TBC05)
TBC: Who should set valuation? (TBC04)
TBC: Why you should learn investor language (TBC03)
TBC: A thought on decks and appendices (TBC02)
TBC: Don't Be A Science Project (TBC01)
TRAILER: What is The Backchannel (TBC)
Announcement: What's New?
Fundraising Holiday Blues (Grapevine / Emily Rasmussen - Ep20)
If at First You Don't Succeed (Humming Homes / Adeel Malick - Ep19)
The Culture of Preemptive Rounds (Neuro-ID / Jack Alton - Ep18)
Catching a Steady Wave 🏄 (SteadyMD / Guy Friedman - Ep17)
The Secret Science of Fundraising (REMIX: Levels / Sam Corcos - Ep16)
The Foreign Language of Fundraising (Cobli / Parker Treacy - Ep15)
Learning the Fundraising Dance (Nude Barre / Erin Carpenter - Ep14)
Investor Psychology 101 (Givingli / Nicole Emrani Green - Ep13)
Stayin' Alive 🎶(Omaze / Matt Pohlson - Ep12)
Networking hard or hardly networking? (HMBradley / Zach Bruhnke - Ep11)
Good fundraising for a “good business” (ChargerHelp! / Kameale Terry - Ep09)
From YC darling to fundraising powerhouse (Vanta / Christina Cacioppo - Ep10)
Funded Season 2 Trailer
Acting like a master fundraiser (Yac / Justin Mitchell - Ep08)
Confidence is KEY...I think? (Sora / Laura Del Beccaro - Ep07)
F&F Round: 2020 Funding Trends with Russ Heddleston of DocSend (FF01)
The Secret Science of Fundraising (Part 2 of 2 - Levels / Sam Corcos - Ep06)
The Secret Science of Fundraising (Part 1 of 2 - Levels / Sam Corcos - Ep05)
From rags to riches (Goodfair / Topper Luciani - Ep04 )
A different type of funding and a different type of "no" (Bite / Lindsay McCormick - Ep03)
Sex sells, but does it raise money? (Coral / Isharna Walsh - Ep02 )
How to tell a story worth $140 million dollars (Zumper / Anthemos Georgiades Ep01)
Coming Soon: Funded