CA Ovais Shah’s Post

**The Critical Role of Friends & Family Rounds in Fundraising** 🚀 As founders, the journey of building a startup is both exhilarating and challenging. One of the earliest and most pivotal steps in this journey is the friends and family round of fundraising. Why is this stage so important? 1. **Building Accountability:** Raising funds from those close to you isn’t just about securing capital. It’s about establishing a sense of responsibility. When friends and family invest in your vision, it pushes you to deliver because you’re accountable to people who believe in you on a personal level. 2. **Laying the Foundation for Future Rounds:** This accountability becomes a cornerstone as you approach angel investors. When you’ve shown that you can manage funds responsibly and drive results with your initial backing, it demonstrates to angels that you’re not just an entrepreneur with a dream—you’re a founder who can execute and steward resources wisely. 3. **Confidence Boost:** The vote of confidence from your inner circle can be the fuel that propels you into the next phase with renewed determination and focus. Knowing that others believe in your idea enough to invest is a powerful motivator. The friends and family round is more than just a stepping stone—it’s a foundation of trust, accountability, and belief that sets the tone for your startup’s success. #Entrepreneurship #StartupLife #Fundraising #AngelInvestors

This is by far the best approach to raising money I have ever seen online... Brett Adcock has raised over $1B in capital and his fundraising formula hits home from my own experience of raising VC funding and helping founders raise over $20M+ through The ORCA Network. Each part of this formula is crucial to the success of closing a funding round. Qualified Investors: There are over 13 Million accredited investors in the United States that could believe in your idea. Its a matter of identifying the most relevant investors to your startup's stage and sector. All it takes is a small small group to believe in you and your vision. Outreach: The most effective way is through networks. Spend a majority of your time finding paths through people you know to get in front of qualified investors. For investors you don't know, research them heavily and send a tailored outbound email or LI message to increase odds of an investment. Idea/Branding: A clear, concise vision on the future of the world and how your product aims to capture the evolving market is a necessity. Build as much momentum as possible to show why you are an attractive investment to the investors. This is part of the branding. Executing, growth, revenue, and product development increases odds of fundraising successfully. Each part of this formula is crucial to the success of closing the round but takes a ton of effort and time. See how Arda Bulut and I are saving founders hundreds of hours to raise their round more efficiently so they can focus on what really matters: the product/customers. _____ Also shoutout to Matthew Schkolnick for sharing me this masterclass of an article with me! #fundraising #startups #investing

Navigating the complexities of multi-round #fundraising can be daunting for startup founders. Foundercrate simplifies this journey by offering a comprehensive suite of innovative tools designed to optimize investor relations, streamline operations, and foster growth. 💼 With access to a global investor database and AI-powered tools, embracing multiple rounds of funding has never been easier. Discover how Foundercrate can become your ultimate fundraising ally. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gEZY48KN #StartupFunding #Entrepreneurship #Investment

Last week, I was told to grow up. . . . . Seriously! And it was exactly what I needed to hear. I was talking to a new friend about fundraising, and without realizing it, I was blaming investors instead of myself. To paraphrase, he said, “It is not always the investors. Many times it is because you can't explain your superpower. You need to grow up. People face this issue all the time but many figure it out and raise funds.” That comment struck a huge chord with me. He was right! A lot of things go wrong in startups and life, but 90% of the issues are due to the person looking back at you in the mirror. To all my fellow founders—grow up, realize you can control your outcome, and go build something amazing! #founder #chicago #entrepreneurship #sales #fundraising

Founders might think VCs don’t have to deal with pitching but let me tell you, that never changes. As VCs we contstantly pitch to LPs. 14 years of pitching will accumulate some “odd” pitch meeting stories along with the good ones. I’ve had a couple of founders tell me that they’ve been to meetings where it looked like the investor would fall asleep any second. We too have been through a pitch or two where those on the other end were yawning so much - to the point that it felt closer to a dental exam than a pitch meeting. It really gives you an existential crisis let me tell you - “Is our pitch THAT boring?” I keep telling founders (and ourselves) you have to kiss many frogs to find your prince (similarly these weird fund raising moments help you find get to the right investor). Because of this when you find the right one, you’ll know right away - they’ll super charged like you and also not run away sticking you with a large dinner bill 🙈👇🏻 Delhi is boiling hot and I’m struggling to get motivated, talking about fun stuff (humorous now…not then 😜). Help me stay motivated - tell me if you’ve ever had a weird one? #fundraising #founders #startups #pitch

SAFE Let's understand in the down carousel! ---‐-------------------‐----------------------------------------- Comment down your thoughts Follow Foundercrate for more amazing content 🚀 Save this post for later ✅ Repost to help others 🔁 Schedule a free demo to see how foundercrate help you with uplifting fundraising efforts of founders in raising funds. You can also sign up directly on the foundercrate platform. . #startup #startupecosystem #equityresearch #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #businessman #apple #motivation #trading #information #preference #education #vanguard #entrepreneurship101 #google #blackrock #businesscoach #investors #fundraising #sharktank #fundraisingcrm #shares #safe #contract #investorrelationship #venturecapitalists #foundercrate

How do you keep your pitch deck out of an investor's trash folder? 🗑️ Often founders are making simple mistakes that are easy to fix but aren’t aware of how. I’ve helped hundreds of founders do this with my pitch deck reviews, coaching sessions and course. When I first started teaching this stuff, the improvement was so dramatic and fast that I got tapped on the shoulder to lead accelerators and investment funds. This video will cover sections on: 🎯 Target Market 📈 Traction 💰 Business Model & Revenue Believe it or not, there is a right and wrong way to show traction! Here's more tips in this video - https://lnkd.in/gPM8yyt3 This is part 2 on “10 ways to instantly improve your pitch deck”. ICYMI, here’s Part 1 - https://lnkd.in/gfT7hp93 Make sure you’re subscribed for the final part 3 next! https://lnkd.in/gvvqJS39 #pitching #venturecapital #fundraising #startup #womenintech

🚨 ATTN #Founders: How do you raise real money 💰 in a tight market? 🌟 Five basic tactics: 1) Nurture your relationships with investors 💼 (even when you’re not raising) 🌱. 2) Plan to raise with conviction for a short season; don’t drag it out ⏳. 3) Craft a great story 📖 and great numbers 🔢, but only prioritize one 🎯. 4) Choose the investors that can help the most 🚀, not the ones that say your company is worth the most 💵. 5) Go where the grace is 🙏. You probably only need a few people to say yes 👍. (And if they say no 👎, ask them who they know who might be interested 🤝). Plus, this article shares real stories 📚 and strategies from successful fundraisers. (The real gem 💎 is that the best way to raise money is to NOT need money, i.e., get profitable as quickly as possible 📈.) Check it out: 📘✨: The Founder's Guide to Optimizing Your Fundraise #venturecapital #startups #Founders #Scaleup

How to Ask Investors for Intros When you get a new investor and you're still fundraising, you'll want to ask your new investor for intros to other investors in their network. Here's how to do it right: 1. Ask who they suggest. Once their money hits your bank account and not before, ask your new investor for a list of the investors they suggest you meet. This is the easy part. 2. Go through their network. You also need to review all their online networks for investors who might be a fit and ask for an intro to each one. No investor will remember everyone in their network, so doing the legwork will get you more meetings. 3. Return with Momentum. Later in your process, if you suddenly find momentum, e.g. via a term sheet, it's a good idea to go back to your existing investors and ask again. The excitement might just get you a few more meetings. #fundraising #startups

Here’s how you can ask investors for intros ⬇️