How I Raised It - The Podcast Where We Interview Startup Founders Who Raised Capital.

Produced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Michael Bloch of Pillar Life (www.pillarlife.com), an online platform to store, organize, and share information with your family. In this episode, Michael talks about how he used cold emails and persistence to land his first angel investors, how he got Kleiner Perkins to lead his seed round, and how (and why) he completely pivoted his business when COVID19 hit. The company raised $6.53 million of seed funding in a deal led by Kleiner Perkins. Red Dog Capital, Day One Ventures, Great Oaks Venture Capital, Rainfall Ventures, Kairos HQ, K50 Ventures, Financial Venture Studio, Patrick Kavanagh, Adam Nash, Zachary Weinberg, Nathaniel Turner, Misha Esipov and Noah Weiss also participated in the round. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $2.5 Billion since 2016

Produced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Brian Vallelunga of Doppler.com a platform for managing environment variables (e.g. API keys) for developers. In this episode, Brian talks about raising a pre-seed round from Kleiner while he was still working at Uber, applying to Y Combinator for the 6th or 7th time, pitching a long-term massive vision (even in the early days), resisting the temptation of initial offers and the search for "partners not capital," how he made his investor intros go viral, pitching Peter Thiel, the importance of managing dilution, and much more. The Company raised raised $2.3 million in a seed round led by Sequoia Capital. Abstract Ventures, Greylock Partners, Kleiner Perkins, Soma Capital, Nat Friedman, Aaron Levie, Dylan Field, Ben Porterfield, Jeremy Stoppelman, Kevin Hartz, Jeff Holden, Greg Brockman, Jeffrey Queisser and Peter Thiel also participated in the round. How I Raised It i

Produced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Jonathan Siddharth of Turing.com, a platform to hire the world's best remote engineers. In this episode, Jonathan talks about how he's building the "talent cloud" of 180k global engineers, his journey from EIR at Foundation Capital to startup founder, running a serial vs. parallel fundraising process, how he plays the "long game" and cultivates relationships with VCs, and much more. The Company raised $32 million of seed funding in a deal led by Foundation Capital on November 12, 2020. Adam D'Angelo, Cyan Banister, AltaIR Capital Ashu Garg, Beerud Sheth and other investors also participated in the round. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $2.5 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com

Produced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Matt Gillis of Clean.io which makes security technology that prevents "malvertising" threats. In this episode, Matt talks about what "malvertising" is, how raising capital is an emotional process, what he did differently to raise money during COVID19, how to leverage LInkedIn effectively to generate investor leads, and much more. The Company raised $5 million in venture funding in a deal led by Tribeca Venture Partners. Real Ventures, Inner Loop Capital and Grit Capital Partners also participated in the round. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $2.5 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com

Produced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Jack Conte of Patreon.com, a platform that allows creators to monetize their work through a direct relationship with their fans. In this episode, Jack talks about how and why he came up with the idea for Patreon, how he turned rejections into tips for improving his pitch deck, how he uses his personal story as a key component of the pitch, the difference between raising early rounds and late stage rounds (e.g. Series B, C, D, E), and much more. The Company has raised over $240 Million in total, and most recently raised $90 million of Series E venture funding in a deal led by New Enterprise Associates and Wellington Management. Glade Brook Capital Partners, Index Ventures, Thrive Capital, DFJ Growth and Lone Pine Capital also participated in the round. This is #3 of 3 in our "Music Tech" series. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise c

Produced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Milana Lewis of Stem.is, a platform that helps musicians distribute their music, automate splits, and get paid. In this episode, Milana talks about how she informally socialized her deal with investors (but ran a process), what discovery questions to ask prospective investors, what her investor funnel metrics looked like, how to prioritize investor leads, and much more. The Company most recently raised $10 million of venture funding in a deal led by Slow Ventures. Upfront Ventures, Aspect Ventures, Mark Gillespie, Baron Davis and Kevin Lee (Coach K) also participated in the round. This is #2 of 3 this week in our "Music Tech" series. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $2.5 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com

Produced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Paul Wiltshire of Songtradr.com, a music licensing platform that helps artists and songwriters license and monetize their content. In this episode, Paul talks about how the music industry works, why he decided to raise only what the Company needed to hit incremental milestones, his largely Australian cap table, raising capital from a family office, and more. The Company most recently raised $30 million of Series C venture funding in a deal led by St. Baker Family Office. This is #1 of 3 this week in our "Music Tech" series. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $2.5 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com

Produced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Justin Mast of Bloomscape.com, an online marketplace for fully grown and potted indoor plants. In this episode, Justin talks about his family's 5 generations in the garden supply business and how he evolved it into an online company, how he bridged the gap between local Detroit investors and VCs based in San Francisco, the risks he took when he launched without the capital he needed, tactics for finding a lead investor and attracting strategic investors, and more. The Company raised $15 million of Series B venture funding in a deal led by General Catalyst. Ludlow Ventures, Revolution, Bob Mylod, Jeffrey Boyd and John Replogle also participated in the round. This series is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $2.5 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.founders

Produced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Ameeth Sankaran of Religion of Sports (www.religionofsports.com) a sports media platform that produces content to explore greatness and human potential. The site features top athletes like Tom Brady ("Tom vs. Time") and Michael Strahan. In this episode, Ameeth talks about the greatness code and flow states, turning the business from a production company into a destination site, the nuances of pitching media venture firms, why raising capital is a long-term play (and you should start building relationships in advance), the importance of "structured serendipity" and more. The Company raised $10 million of Series A venture funding in a deal led by Elysian Park Ventures. CourtsideVC, Advancit Capital, Alexandre Icaza, Felipe Andreoli, Daniela Klabin Basilio and Marcelo Franco also participated in the round. This series is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to ra

Produced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Mustard (www.teammstrd.com) an AI sports coaching application that helps athletes improve their baseball pitching technique using machine learning. The platform is based on data from legendary pitching coach Tom House among others. In this episode, Rocky talks about how they are taking data from 40+ years of traditional coaching techniques and turning it into AI, how he tailored hit pitch for different VCs, how he compensates his advisory board, how he made a short list of the best-fit investors, and more. The Company raised $1.7 million of venture funding in a deal led by Shasta Ventures and Intersect VC. David Novak, Drew Brees, Nolan Ryan, Mike Dixon and Reid Ryan also participated in the round. This series is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $2.5 Billion since 2

Produced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Joseph Woodbury of Neigbor.com which makes an online peer-to-peer self-storage community that connects people with unused storage space. In this episode, Joseph talks about how he used business plan competitions to get exposure to VCs, how he got Jeff Jordan (eBay, PayPal, Open Table, etc.) on his board of directors, his formula for running effective board meetings, the time he was boarding the flight home to Utah when he got the text from Marc Andreessen to come back and chat about the round, and much more. The Company raised a $10 million Series A venture round in a deal led by Andreessen Horowitz. Ryan Graves, Saltwater Capital and Nate Bosshard also participated in the round. This series is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $2.5 Billion since 2016. Create a free

Produced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Hall Martin of TEN Capital, a "fundraising as a service" platform that helps connect startups with investors (https://tencapital.group/). In this episode, Hall talks about the origin of TEN, how investor relations campaigns are a proxy for sales, how many touches it takes to close a deal, why he believes startups must have a growth story to be fundable, and more. This series is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $2.5 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com

Produced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Christina Dorr Drake, CEO of Willa's Kitchen (www.willaskitchen.com), makers of organic, non-GMO oat milk. In this episode, Christina talks about how she pivoted the company when her main clients -- coffee shops -- were shut down due to COVID19, how she continued to raise capital during COVID (and after also being diagnosed with cancer), why she believes you should start with the "why" when pitching investors, and more. The Company has raised over $400k from angel investors. This series is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $2.5 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com

Produced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Chris Molaro of NeuroFlow.com, an online platform that optimizes mental wellness and performance. In this episode, Chris talks about the connection between mental and physical health, the time he did a risky live on-stage of his product at SXSW, how he used his student status to win business plan competitions, how he found his first "champion," tips for following up with those who say "no" and much more. The Company raised $7.50 million of Series A venture funding in a deal led by Builders VC. Red & Blue Ventures, AWT Private Investments, R2 Risk & Return, Alumni Ventures Group, DreamIt Ventures and Spring Point Partners also participated in the round. The Company also received grant funding from the National Science Foundation This series is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have rai

Produced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with David Rogier of MasterClass, an online lesson platform where viewers can learn from experts like Steph Curry, Simone Biles, Serena Williams, Natalie Portman, Martin Scorsese, Gordon Ramsay and many others. In this episode, David talks about how the idea for MasterClass was inspired by his grandma's quest to become a doctor, how he cold called and hustled to get the first set of celebrities onboard, why he prefers to raise capital on vision over metrics in the early days, why investors who offer the best terms are not always the best choice, tips for pitching during a pandemic, and much more. The Company recently raised $100 million of Series E venture funding in a deal led by Fidelity Management & Research. NextEquity Partners, Owl Ventures, 01 Advisors, Evolution Media Capital, New Enterprise Associates, IVP, PROOF Fund and Atomico also participated in the round. Th

Produced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Alexey Mitko, CFO of Eucalyptus.vc, an Australian-based startup studio launching a series of digital consumer companies such as Pilot (men's telehealth) and Kin (women's fertility teleheatlh). In this episode, Alexey talks about the strategy of using a common digital marketing engine across multiple brands, his experience working at Canva, how as an Australian startup he raised venture capital in the USA, tips for cracking the Australian VC market, and more. The Company recently raised AUD 8 million of Series A venture funding from Woolworths and Blackbird Ventures. This series is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $2.5 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com

Produced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Mark Switaj CEO of RoundTrip, a digital healthcare transportation marketplace and all-in-one ride ordering solution. In this episode, Mark talks about what COVID19 has done to healthcare businesses (and raising capital during C19), tips for preserving capital to extend runway, tips for doing an insider round, and more. The Company recently raised $4 million of Series A1 venture funding in a deal led by Motley Fool Ventures. ZOLL Medical, University Hospitals Ventures, Grays Ferry Capital, Ben Franklin Technology Partner of Southeastern Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins University Endowment also participated in the round. This series is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $2.2 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com

Produced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Jannick Malling, CEO of Public.com a social and fractional share investing app that unlocks greater access to the stock market for a broader audience of investors. In this episode, Jannick talks about the evolution of stock market investing apps, the growth of "verticalized social networks" (like Venmo), raising capital from celebrity investors like Will Smith, JJ Watt and Sophia Amoruso, the importance of "stories over spreadsheets" and much more. The Company recently raised a $15 million Series B venture round in a deal led by Greycroft and Accel. Advancit Capital, Dreamers VC, J.J. Watt, Sophia Amoruso, Casey Neistat, Scott Belsky, Morgan DeBaun, Will Smith, Keisuke Honda, Shari Redstone, Michael Vaughan, PLG Ventures, Scott Galloway and others participated. This series is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. F

Produced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Gautam Tanbay, CEO of Springboard.com an educational software platform and online courses that help customers level up and make career transitions. In this episode, Gautam talks about how fundraising is not about convincing investors, but rather "a search for believers," how he starts socializing his deal several months in advance of fundraising, how he divides his work week while raising capital, and why he views a "no" as simply "not right now." We also cover specific tactics he employed during COVID19 including changes he made to his pitch deck structure, tips for pitching over Zoom, qualifying investors' activity, and much more. The company recently raised $31 million of Series B venture funding in a deal led by Telstra Ventures and Reach Capital on August 5, 2020. Pearson Ventures, International Finance Corporation, Vulcan Capital, SJF Ventures, Costanoa Venture

Produced by Foundersuite.com, "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders who have raised capital. This episode is with Matt Pohlson of Omaze.com, an online fundraising platform that offers once-in-a-lifetime experiences and prizes to support charities around the world. In this episode, Matt talks about his business which has run non-profit fundraising campaigns with celebrities including Daniel Craig, Kristen Bell, Matt Damon and Pope Francis, his near-death experience of flat-lining for 4.5 minutes and how that changed his perspective, his focus on story telling when fundraising, and much more. The company recently raised a $30M Series B round led by FirstMark Capital. Additional investors include Causeway Media Partners, BDMI, Tusk Ventures, Inherent Group, Gaingels, Penni Thow’s Copper and Guy Oseary. This series is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $2.2 Billion since 2016. Create a