Andrew Gazdecki might have had some successful raises (totaling over $11M for his most recent venture) but paradoxically, he believes 99% of founders shouldn't raise. As the founder of Acquire.com, the best online marketplace to buy and sell startups - Andrew fills us in on the dangers of placing too much importance on fundraising as a founder. Instead he believes in focusing on constant improvement, listening to your customers, and creating an amazing culture. From there, everything else will fall into place. Glorified by the media, fundraising lots of dollars seems to be equated to running a successful company - something Andrew thinks is far from the truth. Look out for our conversation with Andrew where he tells us about growing up with an itch to be an entrepreneur, building a business of value, and utilizing his resources (even when he started with none) to find the perfect investors. If you're a founder getting ready to raise or thinking of raising, you don't want to miss his insights.

A lot of people say that the hustle of an entrepreneur starts long before their first business. For Thomas McLeod, 5x serial entrepreneur, this couldn't be more true. Growing up, Tom never stayed in the same place for too long. Constantly bouncing around to different schools, it got him used to being uncomfortable and facing challenge. By the time he was in middle school, Tom was already calculating profit margins off of baseball cards that he was selling to his fellow classmates. As we get deeper into the episode, Tom speaks on some of the difficulties and achievements he faced along his path of building five different companies and the lessons that he learned along the way. One of those lessons being to drop the expectation of things always working out as a founder. Instead, he speaks on learning from his mistakes and using them as opportunities to better not only his company but also his character. Now, Thomas is building his 5th company Arkive, a decentralized museum of culture curated by its own members, which was able to raise a $9.7 M seed round back in July of 2022. Whatever Tom's doing, it's working. Regardless if you are a founder or not, this episode is full of mindset gems that can be applied to almost anything in life.

Community & representation. These are the two things that Lolita Taub, founder of Ganas Ventures has prioritized while building her fund. Most people within venture would view the way in which Lolita has built her fund as unconventional or even impossible, but that hasn't stopped her from establishing one of the strongest communities filled with minorities and other underrepresented founders who have been pushed away from the 'conventional' world of Venture Capital. So where did this drive to create change come from? Being from a family of immigrants, you could say her drive has always been there. Lolita grew up with the understanding that she had to work twice as hard in order to get the same amount of recognition, especially in the work place. By no means has her journey been easy, but it's been worth it. In this episode, we learn more about what it's taken for her to get this far and what it means to be a founder of a VC firm.

Launching a startup requires not only expertise and skills but also immense determination and resilience. The journey from the ground up demands substantial effort, skills, and financial resources. However, not everyone feels comfortable asking for money, even though fundraising is often necessary for scaling the company or meeting basic financial needs like salaries. Shiloh Johnson, an innovator who merged technology and taxes, shares her remarkable fundraising journey in this episode. Starting with no prior knowledge of fundraising, Shiloh overcame her personal discomfort and operational financial needs to raise millions for her company, ComplYant. Join Shiloh and Jason as they explore the pivotal moments that led to her decision to raise funds, resulting in multiple successful funding rounds.

Setting the right company valuation is a complex and pivotal process that significantly impacts its future. Striking a balance is crucial - too high may deter investors, while too low could result in giving away too much. However, Emmanuel Straschnov, co-founder of Bubble, defied the norm by deliberately seeking a lower valuation in the seed round. Contrary to expectations, this strategic move proved successful, as Emmanuel later secured a massive $100 million funding round from prominent investors. By prioritizing a broader perspective and leveraging his unwavering passion, Emmanuel shares his remarkable fundraising journey for Bubble in this episode, shedding light on his unique and risky valuation strategy.

As a first-time founder and fundraiser, finding a guide is crucial. Typically, you seek successful founders or companies in your industry with similar backgrounds and visions to emulate. But what if you're entering uncharted territory with no models to follow? This was the predicament faced by Suneera Madhani, CEO and founder of Stax. Despite lacking a guide, patterns, or representation, Suneera, driven by her solution-oriented upbringing, forged her own path. In this episode, Suneera recounts the challenges she encountered, including the need to raise funds and navigate the venture world without prior experience, ultimately leading her billion-dollar company, Stax.

Facing unforeseen challenges is inevitable, even with meticulous fundraising planning. Ricky Yean, co-founder and CEO of Flow Club, discovered this firsthand. Initially aiming to develop a consumer-social product, Ricky encountered an unexpected obstacle when the COVID-19 pandemic struck during his fundraising preparations. Despite the adversity, Ricky shares his remarkable journey of adapting to the changing landscape and employing ingenious fundraising tactics to secure a significant investment for fueling the growth of Flow Club.

Robbie Bent, CEO and Co-Founder of Othership, had a challenging journey in fundraising and finding his true passion. Despite his initial setbacks, he persevered with a strong drive to succeed. However, he eventually realized that his mindset was hindering his progress. After learning from his mistakes and undergoing a significant mindset shift, Robbie found himself in a new industry, tackling a problem that aligned perfectly with his passion and expertise.

Fundraising for software that supports charitable giving started off as a challenge for Grapevine CEO Emily Rasmussen. After unlocking the fundraising story that would gain traction, she ran into another challenge. The year-end holidays disrupted her momentum and threatened to sabotage an exciting round. Emily shares how she weathered the storm and the important lessons she learned about the impact of calendar timing when raising.