How I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.

Produced by Foundersuite (for startups: www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (for VCs: www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Lloyd Danzig of Sharp Alpha Advisors, a venture capital firm specializing in sports, gaming, and entertainment -- basically, any business where winning is a key component. Learn more at https://sharpalphaadvisors.com. In this episode, we discuss his 6-step process for raising a VC fund, the difference between raising Fund I and Fund II, why he believes incentives govern all, how to set up an SPV to incentivize LPs, how his target LP group has changed over time, and more. The Company most recently raised a $25 Million Fund II backed by a variety of US financial institutions, pro sports team owners, public companies, family offices, venture capitalists and funds of funds, among others. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $17 Billion since 2016. If you are a startup, create a free account at www.foundersuite.com. If you are a VC or investment banker, check out our new platform, www.fundingstack.com

Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Liza Rodewald of Instant Teams (www.instantteams.com) a talent marketplace that connects companies to military and veteran spouses. In this episode, we discuss the challenges and advantages of being a veteran / ex-military entrepreneur, how she got over 80 warm intros to investors, what it was like pitching Tiger Global, tips for sending monthly investor updates, her advice for military founders and much more. The Company most recently raised a $13 million Series A funding round led by Tiger Global. Other investors include Plug and Play Tech Center, The Veteran's Fund, Squadra Ventures, Brick Capital Ventures, Blue Tree Fund and Frontier Capital. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $17 Billion since 2016. If you are a startup, create a free account at www.foundersuite.com. If you are a VC or investment banker, check out our new platform, www.fundingstack.com

Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Amir Farha of COTU Ventures, a VC fund that invests in early-stage startups in the Middle East / MENA region. In this episode, we talk about what he looks for in startup founders, how to find your "champion" LPs and secure an anchor investor, tips for getting to a first close, tips for pitching sovereign wealth funds, the startup scene in the UAE vs. Saudi Arabia vs. Egypt and much more. COTU most recently raised a $54 million inaugural fund to support startups in the Middle East from pre-seed to seed stages. The firm typically invests between $500,000 and $2 million. COTU Ventures’ limited partners include Lunate, Mubadala, Dubai Future District Fund, Arab Bank, Bupa KSA, and GPs from VCs, including Foundry Group, Tribe Capital, Stride, and several family offices. Portfolio companies include Huspy and MoneyHash, among others. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $17 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com. If you are a VC or investment banker, check out our new platform, www.fundingstack.com

Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Shomik Dutta of Overture VC (https://www.overture.vc/). Overture is a climate tech venture fund that invests in startups working to transition our economy to a sustainable, decarbonized future. In this episode, we discuss the massive opportunities for climate tech startups, industry themes he thinks are attractive to invest in, how his firm helps founders win government support and navigate regulatory complexity, the two paths an emerging manager can take to become a VC, advice for climate tech startups raising capital, and much more. Overture most recently raised $60 million for its inaugural fund. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $17 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com. If you are a VC or investment banker, check out our new platform, www.fundingstack.com

Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Celine Halioua of Loyal (https://loyal.com/) a San Francisco startup developing drugs to extend the lifespan of dogs. In this episode, we discuss how to plot (and raise against) key company milestones, how to engineer scarcity with VCs, what terms are important and how to negotiate them, how to read an investor's body language for signals, the extensive pet collections we each had as kids and much more. Loyal most recently completed its Series B funding round, securing $45 million in investment. The round was led by Bain Capital Ventures with support from Valor Equity Partners. Previous investors include Khosla Ventures, First Round Capital, Box Group, Collaborative Fund, Quiet Capital, and Todd & Rahul’s Angel Fund. Loyal has cumulatively more than $125 million since its founding. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $17 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com. If you are a VC or investment banker, check out our new platform, www.fundingstack.com

Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Dayton Miller of BFG Partners (https://www.bfgpartners.com/) a VC fund that invests in "better for you" consumer products and the surrounding ecosystem of startups. In this episode, we discuss tips for emerging VC managers on raising their first fund (as well as how things change for funds #2 and #3), managing capital calls, how to be thoughtful and differentiated with your fund's thesis, tips for reporting and sending updates, what you need in your pitch materials package and more. BFG most recently raised $125 million for fund number 3 to back healthy food and beverage startups such as prebiotic soda Olipop and cauliflower pizza crust maker Caulipower. The firm invests from seed to series B with check sizes varying between $3 million and $5 million. Its previous two funds were $54 million and $108 million, respectively. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $17 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com. If you are a VC or investment banker, check out our new platform, www.fundingstack.com

Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Martin Tobias of Incisive.vc an early stage $10M venture fund that invests in technology companies that reduce friction at scale. Sectors of interest include B2B and B2C Software (SaaS, Fintech, Marketplaces, HealthTech, eCommerce, EdTech, AI/ML). In this episode, we discuss how poker is a good metaphor for startup investing, how technology has made it possible to be a solo GP, the transition from angel investor to a runner of Syndicates to becoming a professional VC, tips for emerging managers raising their first fund, and much more. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $17 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com. If you are a VC or investment banker, check out our new platform, www.fundingstack.com

Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Rene Hansen, CEO of X Shore (https://xshore.com) a Swedish startup making 100% electric boats. In this episode, we discuss the chicken and egg problem when launching a new category like e-boats, the technology that makes it all possible, how the business raised capital from both banks and over 500 individual investors (many of them also boat buyers), and more. X Shore was originally founded by Swedish entrepreneur Konrad Bergström. X Shore most recently raised €8.5 million (about $9M US), bringing the company’s funding to over €100 million. New investors in the round included Northvolt founder and CEO Peter Carlsson. Previous investors in X Shore include Delivery Hero founder Lukasz Gadowski’s Team Europe holding company, Navin Thukkaram, founder and CEO of Innovation Bootcamp, and Marec Gasiun, former Head of Automotive Business Development at Google and Summa Equity. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $17 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com. If you are a VC or investment banker, check out our new platform, www.fundingstack.com

Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Jack Kuveke of VC satire newsletter Jabroni Capital (subscribe at https://jabronicapital.com/subscribe). Jack also has a fundraising consulting business, Raiseyourseed.com. Jack is really amusing and he’s had an interesting background, including doing an ICO (do you remember those?) and then raising for Huddle. We talk about the 3 stages of fundraising, including prep, momentum, and closing with tips for each stage. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $17 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com. If you are a VC or investment banker, check out our new platform, www.fundingstack.com

Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Winter Mead of Coolwater Capital. Coolwater is an accelerator for emerging VC funds (https://www.coolwatercap.com/). Coolwater has helped launch 200 VC funds and to date, $1.5B has been successfully raised across all Coolwater cohort funds. Winter has also published two books, including "How To Raise A Venture Capital Fund: The Essential Guide on Fundraising and Understanding Limited Partners" (available on Amazon) as well as "How To Setup A Venture Capital Fund" (https://howtosetupaventurecapitalfund.com/). In this episode, we go deep into what it takes to raise a fund, understanding the needs of LPs, refining your thesis, pre-marketing your fund, the perception vs. reality of becoming a VC, and much more. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $17 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com. If you are a VC or investment banker, check out our new platform, www.fundingstack.com

Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with David Zhou, Head of Investor Relations at Alchemist Accelerator, a leading enterprise-focused startup accelerator and investor (https://www.alchemistaccelerator.com/). Alchemist has accelerated over 650 startups that have collectively raised over $3.9 billion in capital. David has a blog called Cup of Zhou which you can find at https://cupofzhou.com/. In this wide-ranging episode, we discuss the current market for raising a venture fund, tips for finding LPs and building relationships, the importance of developing a clear and focused fund thesis, how many LP meetings you need per week, how to find Family Offices, and much more. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $17 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com. If you are a VC or investment banker, check out our new platform, www.fundingstack.com

Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Brad Porter of Collaborative Robotics (https://www.co.bot/), a startup using the power of robotics to move the world. In this episode, we discuss Brad’s amazing 30 year journey in Silicon Valley and how he got to where he is today, the process and steps he uses to engage with investors, the column schema he set up in Foundersuite to keep track of every investor in his pipeline, why market timing matters, how to find investors with conviction, how to balance the right amounts of conviction and humility when fundraising, and much more. Cobot most recently raised a a $100 million Series B round led by General Catalyst along with Bison Ventures, Industry Ventures, and Lux Capital. Existing investors include Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures, Mayo Clinic, Neo, 1984 Ventures, MVP Ventures, and Calibrate Ventures, bringing the total funding raised to over $140 million in less than two years. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $17 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com. If you are a VC or investment banker, check out our new platform, www.fundingstack.com

Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Michael Heyink of Yellow.Africa, a startup bringing connectivity and power to rural African communities through an innovative distribution and financing model. In this episode, we talk about the opportunities and challenges of building a startup in Africa, his transition from working in private equity to becoming a startup founder, raising capital from impact investors and development finance institutions, and more. Yellow most recently raised a Series B funding round of $14 million, bringing the total capital raised by Yellow, through a combination of debt and equity, to $45 million. The round was from Convergence Partners and the Energy Entrepreneurs Growth Fund, managed by Triple Jump, along with follow-on investment from Platform Investment Partners. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $17 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com. If you are a VC or investment banker, check out our new platform, www.fundingstack.com

Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Tato Bigio of UBQ Materials (https://www.ubqmaterials.com/), a company making plastic substitutes out of mixed household waste: chicken bones, cardboard, dirty diapers, etc. In this episode, we talk about the technology behind turning trash into usable materials, raising capital from strategic investors as well as family offices, VC and private equity, building an ecosystem around your business, and more. UBQ most recently raised $70 million in a funding round led by Eden Global Partners along with TPG Rise Climate, TPG’s Rise Fund, Battery Ventures, and M&G’s Catalyst strategy. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $17 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com. If you are a VC or investment banker, check out our new platform, www.fundingstack.com

Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with May Habib of Writer.com, a startup building a full-stack generative AI platform for enterprises. In this episode, we talk about enterprise AI and the trends happening in the space, selling solutions vs. selling technology, what it's like to raise capital in a white-hot market, the importance of being contrarian + right, how to choose investors and more. Writer most recently raised a $100 million Series B round led by ICONIQ Growth, with participation from Insight Partners, WndrCo, Balderton Capital, and Aspect Ventures, along with customers such as Accenture and Vanguard. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $17 Billion since 2016. Create a free account at www.foundersuite.com. If you are a VC or investment banker, check out our new platform, www.fundingstack.com