Chanakya’s Post

Pro Tip for Founders: Don't send your pitch deck right away! Give investors a sneak peek to spark their curiosity and ensure you're only talking to those genuinely interested. Think of it as a movie trailer for your business! Thanks Gautam Kapur and Puneet Malik, for the wisdom!

Ready to crush your fundraise in 2024? I’ve spent the last decade helping founders access capital and have built a methodology for growing and cultivating a strong investor pipeline. Join me on Thursday, January 11th in conversation with The WIE Suite to hear my top tips for entrepreneurs to stay organized and focused on the fundraising trail 🔥 🔥 🔥 #fundraising #venturecapital #femalefounders #everywherevc

Most pitch decks we receive usually have that one slide representing market opportunity - popularly titled as TAM/SAM/SOM. While this is a good reference point during initial discussions with investors - yet we at Chanakya hold a contrarian view on understanding and explaining market opportunity with TAM/SAM/SOM. A large TAM is not necessarily a blessing and neither is a smaller TAM a concern. The founders ability to execute is what works for us. Team Chanakya (Puneet Malik | Gautam Kapur) #venturecapital #earlystage #fundraise

Advice for founders, who are raising money from angels: 1. Make sure that your investors meet SEC requirements for accredited investors. 2. Carefully consider what percentage of the company will go to angels after the priced round, so as not to give away too much equity in the early rounds. 3. If possible, raise money using the same SAFE for all investors, so that none of them feel disadvantaged. 4. Never give a board seat to investors in early, pre-equity rounds. 5. Try not to give pro-rata rights. 6. Discuss the SAFE terms with YOUR attorney if you need to. #fundraising #safe #angelinvestors #siliconvalley #startupfounders

First-time founders maynot know when to raise funding: ⏱️ Earliest time: Problem/Solution Fit Investors today don’t fund product development but traction (aka paying customers). Problem/Solution fit is when you validate demand for your product and go from hoping people will buy to knowing they will. What they buy: Promising pipeline with tangible customer commitments 🚀 Optimal time: Product/Market Fit Before product/market fit, your goals and your investors' goals are misaligned. You need to learn, and they want growth. After product/market fit, you both need and want growth. What they buy: Repeatable and scalable business model with 10x growth potential. 👊 Ideal time: Almost never :) Bootstrap all the way and build a profitable and scalable business powered by happy customers. Rarer, but possible, if you prioritize building Camels over Unicorns. P.S. Camels can/do still raise money, but for strategic growth, not survival. Credits to Ash Mauria, Guillermo Flor #fundraising #fundwise #fundraisingtips #firsttimefoundertips

‘Be ready to raise money all the time.’ Awesome advice overheard from Peak’s CEO and co-founder Richard Potter at the most recent FLIP MCR event. It’s a good habit to get into. Practise your sell. Keep your pitch deck fresh and updated. And have a clear understanding of your numbers. While it’s unlikely a VC or angel is going to hand you a cheque in a lift, being in a raise ready mindset is powerful and will, ultimately, put you in the best possible position when you do raise. PS - businesses exist to sell products and services, not to fundraise. Don’t fall into the trap of just becoming a fundraising machine. Focus on what you’re building, not just attracting investors.

My best fundraising advice to founders: Weaponize your cap table. Here's what I mean: Raise from strategic angels who can open doors and become an extension of your sales team. They'll help you break into key networks and audiences. At Haven, we raised our pre-seed round from 40+ elite investors including: -Anthony Pompliano (Pomp Investments) -Charlie Feng (Clearco) -Lauryn Motamedi (Isford) (Notion)  -Eric Bahn (Hustle Fund) Why? We wanted people in our corner who could help us reach every founder and entrepreneur. To build a massive company, you need advocates to help you bang down doors. Fundraising isn't just about the money. It's about assembling a dream team of supporters who believe in your vision. When you have the right people on your cap table, you can tap into their expertise, networks, and resources to fuel your growth.

Are you ready to answer common questions at your next pitch? We quizzed investors to find out what they want to find out at an early-stage pitch. Download the free guide 👉 https://lnkd.in/eVdGDEg3 You’ll find lots more tips from Yana Abramova and six other active angels and VCs 👀 #investor #tips #fundraising

There are thousands of founders out there looking to raise funding at MVP stage, pre-revenue stage. This strategy is generally not good if you want to raise round at your valuation and terms (which can happen only when you attract interest from multiple investors) In this post, I break down, how you need to be prepared for your fundraise at early stages if you want to raise the round without diluting too much equity. Follow Vitrag Vasa for Authentic Fundraising Tips!

💸 We can all agree fundraising is the hardest its been for years, but there are ways to improve your chances and make the process easier for yourself. 🌏 To kick off our VentureVerse: VC realtalk blog series, we've compiled some insider advice for founders looking to raise in 2024. 👉 Read it here: https://lnkd.in/gEHfDqru #VCFounders #VentureCapital #Fundraising #Investment