Tested tactics for your startup. <br/><br/><a href="https://textswithfounders.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">textswithfounders.substack.com</a>
Texts with Founders
Claim This Podcastby Julian Weisser
5.0(25 reviews)
6 episodes
Updated Weekly
Accepts GuestsHas Sponsors
Podcast Overview
Tested tactics for your startup. <br/><br/><a href="https://textswithfounders.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">textswithfounders.substack.com</a>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
1/16/2024
1 verified contact email on file for Texts with Founders
Pitch yourself as a guest, propose sponsorships, or reach out directly to the host.
Recent Episodes
October 14, 2024
What no one tells you about raising your first round — Lessons from helping launch 1,000+ startups.
<p>I recently hosted a deep dive into fundraising. Presenting it here in podcast form (subscribe on on <a target="_blank" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/texts-with-founders/id1725949759"><strong>Apple Podcasts</strong></a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0mfCFqUeW0sLWUefeWgtPK?si=4df2cdc42a004326"><strong>Spotify</strong></a><strong>)</strong></p><p>Timestamps with topics and ideas that might be of interest below. I’ve been told the “Expectation vs Reality” segment (starting at approximately 11:34) was especially useful.</p><p>0:55 - Why it's called "What no one tells you"</p><p>1:26 - Why fundraising advice is generally not good</p><p>2:41 - Julian's background and overview of ODF4:10 - You shouldn't be good at fundraising</p><p>4:45 - Momentum is the main driver of success</p><p>5:29 - Customer momentum is the most important type</p><p>6:19 - Other types of momentum are less important than customer momentum</p><p>7:06 - Should you even be fundraising?</p><p>7:40 - Are you fundable?</p><p>8:46 - The funding market DOES NOT MATTER</p><p>10:02 - Raise on momentum or the dream</p><p>11:18 - If you aren't making progress...what are you waiting around for?</p><p>11:34 - Expectations vs Reality segment</p><p>11:53 - Expectation: It will take a few weeks to fundraise... Reality:</p><p>13:26 - Expectation: I'll nail most of these meetings... Reality:</p><p>14:30 - Expectation: Fundraising is a full-time job... Reality:</p><p>16:44 - Expectation: "I'm taking enough first meetings" ... Reality:</p><p>17:31 - Expectation: That went great — they're going to offer a TS... Reality:</p><p>18:42 - Expectation: [Trick] will get investors to move faster... Reality:</p><p>19:57 - Rapid Fire segment begins</p><p>20:12 - How to determine your startup valuation — it's actually straightforward!</p><p>21:00 - Does your valuation match market reality?</p><p>22:23 - Start your round raising from angels</p><p>22:38 - Top of funnel is essential for a successful fundraise.</p><p>23:00 - Get former boss to invest if they work in tech or in your sector</p><p>23:54 - Illustration of how angels lead to other investors — Freshpaint example</p><p>25:19 - How a $5k investor unlocked half of the round for Freshpaint</p><p>25:27 - Reward early backers with tranches</p><p>26:45 - RUVs are a way of rolling up small checks to save money and time</p><p>27:31 - Weekly Updates — what they are and why they help you build your business and successfully fundraise.</p><p>29:20 - AMA: How many investors do you need to speak with for your round?</p><p>30:19 - AMA: How do you define a preseed and what traction is necessary? How much runway should I have?</p><p>32:22 - Milestones inform how much you want to raise and how much runway you need.</p><p>32:41 - Defining a preseed vs seed round</p><p>33:43 - AMA: What are some of the key metrics to raise a round?</p><p>35:01 - AMA: How do you restart a process after making a bunch of fundraising mistakes?</p><p>37:20 - AMA: How do I find angel investors?</p><p>37:37 - You should be in SF if you can be if you want to start a company</p><p>38:07 - The second best geo to build a company is on the Internet — anyone can be there</p><p>38:39 - How Julian met his first investors and customers on X while a music school dropout in Boston</p><p>40:29 - Sincere cold outbound on X is surprisingly effective</p><p>41:26 - Merge - a club for nondilutive microgrants</p><p>41:57 - AMA: Is it risky to give early angels a lower cap?</p><p>44:50 - Is it worth giving a lower valuation to someone you really want to work with?</p><p>45:58 - AMA: Cold vs warm approaches for investor intros</p><p>48:11 - Cold is hard because it's a filtering challenge.</p><p>49:10 - If you do cold it must be highly personalized and succinct.</p><p>50:17 - AMA: Pros and cons of MFN sideletters</p><p>51:12 - Link to MFN document</p><p>51:33 - AMA: How do I make the most of ODF (to fundraise and otherwise)</p><p>53:20 - AMA: Applying for incubators and accelerators vs raising a more traditional round</p><p>55:27 - AMA: Things are not going great but we still have conviction on our idea - what's your advice?</p><p>55:39 - If you have conviction on your idea when it's not going well WHY do you have conviction?</p><p>56:52 - Customers understand before investors do — and most investors will never understand</p><p>57:56 - AMA: What tool do you recommend for RUVs?</p><p>58:11 - AMA: How to start super small but demonstrate to investors that the overall TAM could be really large</p><p>1:01:35 - ODF23 — the place to go to figure out who you're going to build with, what you might build, and who your initial customers might be. IRL in SF</p><p>https://joinodf.com</p><p>P.S. I don’t think you miss much not seeing the slides, but here’s the full session video <em>with</em> slides if want them: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Aj1_S7wrhc">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Aj1_S7wrhc</a></p><p>Follow me on Twitter: https://x.com/julianweisser</p><p>Subscribe:</p><p>YouTube: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/@BeOnDeck?sub_confirmation=1">https://www.youtube.com/@BeOnDeck?sub_confirmation=1</a></p><p>Spotify: <a target="_blank" href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0mfCFqUeW0sLWUefeWgtPK?si=4df2cdc42a004326">https://open.spotify.com/show/0mfCFqUeW0sLWUefeWgtPK?si=4df2cdc42a004326</a></p><p>Apple: <a target="_blank" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/texts-with-founders/id1725949759">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/texts-with-founders/id1725949759</a></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://textswithfounders.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">textswithfounders.substack.com</a>
February 27, 2024
Bonus: Don't fumble your first term sheet.
<p>This is a bonus episode. It's not based on a post—it's actually audio from a short video I recorded about what to do after you've received your first term sheet and you're still talking to other investors.</p><p>Check out more short videos and subscribe at <a target="_blank" href="http://textswithfounders.com/shorts">textswithfounders.com/shorts</a>.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://textswithfounders.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">textswithfounders.substack.com</a>
February 20, 2024
Avoiding Gossip (Audio Edition)
<p>Welcome to the third week of the brand new <strong>Texts with Founders </strong><em>Podcast</em>.</p><p>The goal of this podcast is simple: make the knowledge being shared on <a target="_blank" href="http://textswithfounders.substack.com">Texts With Founders</a> even more accessible to a wider audience of founders by creating high quality audiobook-like editions of popular posts.</p><p>Find me at <strong>weisser.io </strong>and on X at <strong>https://x.com/julianweisser</strong></p><p><strong>Full Written Post:</strong> <a target="_blank" href="https://textswithfounders.substack.com/p/texts-with-founders-avoiding-gossip">Avoiding Gossip</a></p><p><strong>Podcast Archive:</strong></p><p>- <a target="_blank" href="https://textswithfounders.substack.com/p/check-size-doesnt-matter-audio-edition">Check size doesn't matter</a></p><p>- <a target="_blank" href="https://textswithfounders.substack.com/p/vcs-that-ghost-audio-edition">VCs that Ghost</a></p><p>- <a target="_blank" href="https://textswithfounders.substack.com/p/handling-investor-inbound-audio-edition">Handling Investor Inbound</a></p><p><em>Are you exploring starting a company? Apply for ODF. The program has helped over 1,000 companies such as Traba, Levels, and Finch find their co-founders and get started. Learn more at </em><em>beondeck.com</em><em>.</em></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://textswithfounders.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">textswithfounders.substack.com</a>
6 total episodes available
Deep-dive analytics for Texts with Founders
Frequently asked questions
Have a different question and can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our support team by sending us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
- What is Texts with Founders?
- How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates weekly.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 6 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
Legal Disclaimer
Pod Engine is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected with any of the podcasts displayed on this platform. We operate independently as a podcast discovery and analytics service.
All podcast artwork, thumbnails, and content displayed on this page are the property of their respective owners and are protected by applicable copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to, podcast cover art, episode artwork, show descriptions, episode titles, transcripts, audio snippets, and any other content originating from the podcast creators or their licensors.
We display this content under fair use principles and/or implied license for the purpose of podcast discovery, information, and commentary. We make no claim of ownership over any podcast content, artwork, or related materials shown on this platform. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
While we strive to ensure all content usage is properly authorized, if you are a rights holder and believe your content is being used inappropriately or without proper authorization, please contact us immediately at hey@podengine.ai for prompt review and appropriate action, which may include content removal or proper attribution.
By accessing and using this platform, you acknowledge and agree to respect all applicable copyright laws and intellectual property rights of content owners. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or commercial use of the content displayed on this platform is strictly prohibited.