Who should be the one to pitch - the CEO or the outgoing salesman? In today's episode of The Backchannel, Jason explains why he believes the CEO should always be the one pitching to investors. Although there might be a few exceptions, investors are looking to get to know the person who is running the ship and making the big decisions. A salesman sells the vision, the CEO is the one who executes on it. Remember: investors bet on the jockey, not just the horse. See you next week!

In this Back Channel episode, we're diving into the elusive "money round" investors adore. So what is it? To sum it up, the "money round" is the round before a valuation spike. Investors are searching for crystal-clear milestones and confident execution that screams, "Next round, here we come!" How do you do that? Make sure to watch the full episode where Jason dives into the details. See you next week!

Working with founders it's safe to say Jason has seen a lot of pitches, good and bad. Not to mention he himself has pitched quite a bit in his past as a VC-backed founder. In that time, he's learned what to do and not to do.‍ In this episode, Jason gives some practical tips around how to make the most of your pitch for a pitch competition. Enjoy the episode!‍

There's a lot of talk about data rooms in the startup world - but a lot of founders struggle to understand what a data room actually is. In today's episode, Jason discusses their purpose in validating a startup's pitch for investors. On top of that, he explains when and how to share a data room effectively. Founders, if you're even slightly confused around how to properly use your data room to help you get funded - watch this episode!

In this episode, we're unraveling the mystery behind Zoom-based pitches – a critical skill in the post-March 2020 startup landscape. Jason takes us on a journey, reminiscing about the pre-COVID days of in-person meetings, shaking hands, and engaging conversations. Ever wondered why some pitches feel like a Broadway show while others are just a mundane PowerPoint affair? Today, he shares the secret sauce: making your Zoom pitch more of a dialogue and less of a presentation. Forget the monotony, inject life into your virtual pitches, and learn how to capture investors' attention authentically. Make sure to give the full episode a listen. We'll see you next week on The Backchannel!

Slow and steady doesn't always win the race. In this episode of The Backchannel, we dive into a unique perspective on startup success that's not just about fundraising but about building a thriving business. Jason emphasizes the importance of launching your startup before you think you're ready. Forget about striving for perfection—what you really need is to get something out there and start chatting with customers. Find out how launching before your masterpiece is complete not only leads to a better product but also impresses investors. Tune in to this episode to discover why taking the leap now can save you from a lot more trouble down the road.

In this episode of The Back Channel, we've got a cool fundraising hack for you. Ever thought about hosting networking dinners to amp up your investor connections? Sure you won't become best friends overnight, but these connections create a sense of mutual support for one another. Plus, it might surprise you how similar the process of setting up a networking dinner is to setting up a fundraise. If you're tired of feeling like you have no way of growing your network - this episode is for you.

One of the hard truths of fundraising is that most founders don't have nearly enough investors added to their target lists. Some stop at 20, others even less. In all reality, you should AT LEAST be targeting 100. And if you're going to be targeting that many, one of the things you are going to need is a CRM system. Having a database for tracking your communications is one of the best ways to run a tight process and stay organized when meeting with investors. In this episode, Jason dives into the details of using CRM systems when going out to fundraise. Give it a listen & look out for weekly insights around fundraising, brought to you by The Back Channel.

Pre-seed vs. seed. It seems there are more and more terms coming out, but no one fully knows what they mean. My guess is even most investors don't actually know the difference. Nevertheless, it's good to get an overall understanding of what the world of venture capital means by these two closely associated terms. In this episode, Jason outlines the key differences between seed and pre-seed while also explaining how to answer this seemingly hard question from investors: "Are you raising seed or pre-seed?". Give it a listen & look out for weekly insights around fundraising, brought to you by The Back Channel.