Marshall Budin’s Post

When people ask me what I do, I tell them I eat breakfast and dinner. Breakfast with founders. Dinner with angels. Check out my profile for more on those two. But since the Squared refresh, Domenico and I have been working with select number of founders to help coach them into becoming better fundraisers. You see. Although investors are back from summer and VCs have started to steam their gilets, it doesn't magically help your fundraising efforts. There still needs to be a narrative that makes it easy for investors to understand to want to make them invest in your business. And it's likely that the narrative isn't a million miles away from where you are. But it's where we come in to help you. £750 one-off (no equity!) Two weeks of intense time Five 1:1 sessions with both of us A shared slack channel to stay on top of things Right now, you're probably too confusing and not clear enough. We empower you to simplify your proposition and make it more investable Spoiler: it's not about giving you an email list of investors. That's the easy part.

Looking for #funding ? "Raise Millions" by Hustle Fund is a fantastic free resource! Clear, simple, and full of practical tips and it helped me clear up many doubts. 📚 Key points of the book: 1️⃣ Comprehensive guide for first-time founders 2️⃣ Step-by-step approach to fundraising 3️⃣ Practical tips and real-world examples Highly recommended for anyone in the early stages of their #startup journey. Get the Book for free here 👉 https://lnkd.in/dpjtvFBz 💡 Have you heard of this book before? Do you know any other great resources for fundraising? Share your thoughts and recommendations!

What’s that steady hum? It’s the sound of a continuous fundraise operating and building momentum, even when you are not actively raising. Ironically, fundraising is easier if it never stops. Investors won’t even think of it as a traditional ‘fundraise’, involving a direct ask. The dynamic in a long-running fundraise is different – you share thoughtful insights, discuss your track record and case studies, host informational webinars, and interpret industry developments. By doing so, you pull investors into conversation with you, rather than pushing for a meeting. They follow you and sign up to learn more. In the best case, they eventually ask you if they can invest. Worst case, you end up with say 50 warm leads in the bank when you are actually ready to raise, and are spared the inertia of a cold start. More effective. Less stress. More time to spend on creating value. Time to move to a content-driven continuous fundraise? DM me if you want to explore. #fundraisemarketing #capitalraises #venture #PE #hedgefunds #digitaloutreach #contentmarketing

What will your runway be for this round? This question can trip up first-time founders. Say you're raising for 24 months—investors might think you're too conservative and not spending money fast enough. If you have a solid business case that is. Say 12 months—they might think you're underestimating how long the next fundraising takes. The sweet spot? Typically 18 months. That gives you 12 months to execute and six months to raise. Don’t just give a number. Show your thought process. Investors want to see you're strategic, not just guessing.

Founders don't get enough support and resources. I've partnered with Jamie Harford, Europe's leading fundraising advisor, to change this. (+free gift below) We've only gone and built the No. 1 founder community on LinkedIn & beyond. And with all of the following benefits: → Investor lists for multiple industries → Pitch deck reviews and critiques → LinkedIn brand-building insights → Sales and marketing tutorials → Founder networking sessions → Fundraising advisory → Founder lifestyle tips → Intros to investors ...you will NOT want to miss it. The launch price? The community will be the cheapest EVER @ $250/mo for full access and $2,400 per YEAR. Meaning - you'll spend less for a month of these benefits than you did at your last night out. And as for the gift I mentioned? We're sharing an all-in-one investor megalist AND pitch deck template for members who join on launch day. Want to get notified early? Comment "Interested" below and I'll let you know as soon as we launch! P.S. Everyone who reposts this video will get a surprise in their DMs on launch day, too! #fundraising #investors #vc

Last week I saw two founders aiming to raise a 20M+ Series A round. Within 9-12 months. On the basis of a strong business case. Yet with v different approaches to fundraising. One with in depth understanding of market expectations. Understanding of the critical path. Using the time to build a relation with funds by taking 2-3 calls a week. Then fostering these relations through a monthly 3 bullet update. Time invested: 4h/ week. The other focussed on getting his company where it needs to be - pushing out anything to do with fundraising. With the idea that fundraising is mainly about getting someone to pull the “right list” of investors. No time invested. Sometimes small changes in approach lead to real differences in outcome ... this may be one of these instances.

Remember the “buddy system” from childhood? Every fundraising founder should follow it… 🤝 I share lots of tactical fundraising tips. But the hardest part? The emotions. → Long hours → Countless meetings → Very unfriendly investors But the worst bit of all? The no’s come first. Lots of them. So how do you feel? Like you’ll never raise. Like you’re completely alone. That’s why you need a buddy. 🙌 It could be anyone who: 1️⃣ Has raised capital before 2️⃣ That you absolutely trust 100% 3️⃣ No other incentives (not a current investor) They’re half-coach, half-superfan. Just schedule a recurring 30 min meeting every week while you’re fundraising. I promise it’ll make you both happier and more effective. __ Was this helpful? 👍 like and ♻️ repost it to help other founders!

Got a great question the other day from a founder: Should you use warm intros now to build relationships with investors, even if you’re not actively fundraising? Or should you wait and pack your meetings when you're ready to raise? My take is... there’s nuance to it. If the warm intro is strong enough that the investor will take a meeting, even when you’re not raising, go ahead and build that relationship early. But only do it if there’s a specific reason - like asking a question or discussing something relevant to them. Otherwise, don’t activate the intro just yet. If the VC doesn’t see the value in meeting when you’re not raising, they could be annoyed and pass on meeting later when you actually need it. In short: build relationships early if it makes sense, but don’t waste an intro without a clear reason.

🚨𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭! 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤! 💡 Think securing funding is just about the money? 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧. The hidden costs of raising capital could be draining your start-up’s potential: 1️⃣ 𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 – Don’t lose control of your dream. 2️⃣ 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝘀 – They stack up fast. 3️⃣ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘁 – Fundraising takes focus away from growth. 4️⃣ 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 – Surprise repayment terms may catch you off guard. 5️⃣ 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘁 – The grind is real. Here’s the secret: Missing out on these details could cost you more than just cash—it could cost your business. ⚠️ Don’t wait until it’s too late! 💥 Velocity Pitch Decks is your personalized gateway to securing the right funding, without the costly mistakes. We’ll help you create a pitch deck that protects your vision and gets investors excited. 🏆 #StartupSuccess #InvestorReady #BusinessGrowth #VelocityPitchDecks #FundingFOMO #ProtectYourVision

🚀 Exciting News! 🚀 🔍 Are you ready to take your business to new heights? Look no further! 🔍 ✨ Introducing Scrub the Deck - Your Ultimate Partner in Fundraising Success! ✨ With a network of over 650 investors and a proven track record of numerous successful raises, we've got the expertise and connections to propel your venture forward! 📈💼 Don't let funding hurdles hold you back. Let Scrub the Deck navigate the waters of fundraising for you, so you can focus on what you do best - building your dream business! 💪💰 Reach out today and let's set sail towards your fundraising goals together! ⛵️ #RasingCapital #FundraisingSuccess #InvestmentOpportunity #AngelInvestors #SeedFunding