Mike Rome’s Post

Worked on 2 cos. in the last 2 years that raised $100M+. One big, often overlooked thing stands out: *Founder-market fit like you wouldn’t believe.* Everyone talks product-market fit, but this one’s just as important: How uniquely qualified is the founder to solve the problem and blow the competition away? In both cases, there were founder “unfair advantages” like I hadn’t ever seen. When looking to join or invest in a startup, don’t sleep on founder-market fit.

Investors give startup founders money to grow the startup. Growth is not optional, it is the very thing you sold them a stake for. It’s extremely stressful. Losing your OWN money is one thing. Losing your investor's money is next-level stress. This is why I do what I do at Midstage Institute. I help founding teams speed up their startups systematically. So they don’t need to have those awkward no-growth investor meetings. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gtFy_Zhe

Timing your startup fundraise is a balance. In my latest video, I discuss how to find the sweet spot: • Don't raise prematurely before building momentum. • When you do have traction or a demo day, seize the moment. • Make it happen before traction fades and your story is less compelling.

Building and growing a startup requires momentum, especially when raising capital. In this chat with Curve Club, Joe highlighted the power of momentum in the entrepreneurial journey. We're gearing up for our upcoming AMA session where we dive deep into 'Building Thriving Startup Ecosystems in Africa' with Caleb Maru. Join us to harness the momentum and insights that can elevate your startup and angel investing journey. Save your seat for the AMA now 👉🏽 lu.ma/februaryama

What a great discussion with Jessica (., Jesse Bardo and Kyle York yesterday! If you missed their webinar on How to Scale a Startup When Capital Is Scarce, stay tuned for on-demand viewing details. In the meantime, check out this clip of how Jessica thinks about milestones for her Seed-stage startup, Stockpress:

it requires a zeal

Navigating the timing of your startup's fundraising is crucial. Check out Ash Rust's latest video for the tactics to find that fundraising sweet spot. 🚀💡📈 #StartupFundraising #Entrepreneurship #InvestmentStrategy

Has an investor asked you "How much traction have you got?" Or perhaps they said "Come back to me when you have more traction". ?Knowing what traction is, and how to demonstrate it, makes it quicker to raise funding for a startup as this blog explains https://lnkd.in/dyEFp83

How you manage your cash can make or break your startup, but no one ever tells you the best way to do it. Until now! As the business account of choice for 1 in 3 US startups, we know a thing or two about optimizing your cash and extending your runway, and we’ve laid out our recommendations for the post-SVB reality here: https://bit.ly/45PTBOg

Sharing a terrific listen (or read of the transcript) from my Bay Area investor friend Heidi Roizen, of Threshold Ventures, in her latest podcast episode of Startup Solution where she focuses on term sheets. The issues she highlight happen all the time. Founders need to understand term-sheets in a context greater than the terms themselves. It's important to understand: 👉 The normal level of detail (always written, not verbal) 👉 What's typical versus atypical 👉 Standard versus non-standard asks/requirements 👉 What's legally enforceable Take a listen below, or read the transcript (also below). Enjoy! #venturecapital #management #leadership #termsheets #creativity