SnapTrade’s Post

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.

You've got 12 months cash left Enough to breathe. Not enough to relax. You raised seed round. You now have 12 months to live. Or rather, 6 months, 3 months and 3 months 6️⃣ H1 -------> 🔵 split by a DECISION POINT 3️⃣ Q2 3️⃣ Q3 🔵 What is a Decision Point? → A lifejacket → Signed off by the Board → No approvals needed if triggered → A clear, understood, calculated, set of actions A simple 'if' formula (for those who like Excel) E.g. If by July, we do not have: → £x of revenue → £x of cash → x paying customers Then we will: → make £x of cuts → change our strategy to Y → initiate a fundraising process for £x. Remember, most start-ups don't starve, they drown. Wear your lifejacket. ***** If you enjoyed this, repost it for others ♻ follow me Asif Ahmed for more in the future

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

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." ― Steve Jobs Go now signup and reach out to founders who just raised millions. https://vcfunded.co #vcfunded #vcfunding

You have 20 minutes with a founder who raised €100m. What would you ask him/her? I will be frequently interviewing top-tier founders. And I’m curious what do you want to learn from them. Drop your questions in a comment below. ⬇️ See below my question that I'll start with. 👀

The next unicorn 🦄 always is geared towards transportation apps. I predict the next phase is ANONYMITY while driving. #analyticalskills #writing #predictiveanalytics #personaldevelopment #safedriving #communityoutreach #lgbtqcommunity #patientadvocacy #privacyprotection

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!

The essentials of a killer pitch deck by Hustle Fund. If you can’t communicate your ideas, no one will understand you. And if no one understands you, no one will buy your product or invest in your company. This means great communication is everything! Eric Bahn breaks down the 5 most important slides in your Pitch Deck: Team, Problem, Solution, Market, Traction. The team at Hustle Fund created a Guide to Fundraising "Raise Millions", linked in the comment. It's an amazing resource for all founders thinking about raising money!

Don't take rejection from VCs personally and, in no way, don't let it put you down. Here's what to do instead: 👉 Understand their reasons and POV - Usually, rejection is based on factors that are out of your control - market conditions, previous experiences, timing or risk. Try to understand the investor's point of view and learn how to object the risks at the next meeting. 👉 Ask for feedback - After understanding the investor's POV, ask for their feedback. Take this opportunity to improve, refine or change your fundraising strategy and approach. 👉 Maintain relationships - If an investor has passed on your start-up, it doesn't mean they don't want to hear about you anymore. Thank them for their time, their answer, and stay connected. They might come in handy in the future - them or their connections. hashtag #founders #venturecapital #fundraising

✨ A underrated strategy used by a few very successful founders is Innovating ahead of the curve! 🚀 Sam Altman's bold move with Loopt, seizing the opportunity when Apple had just launched its maps and most of Loopt's features were very futuristic back then, exemplifies the power of foresight in tech #entrepreneurship. A testament to the prowess of being an early mover in an evolving market landscape. 💡 Sam Altman also, once again proved with OpenAI's success, the importance of visionary thinking and daring execution in shaping the future of technology. #innovation #TechTrailblazers #StartupSuccess #OpenAI