In this episode of The Growth-Minded CFO, we sit down with Jeff Fidelman—Founder and Managing Partner at Fidelman & Co.—to talk about how startup fundraising has shifted, what VCs actually want to hear, and why today’s CFOs need more than spreadsheets to lead.

Chapters:

02:00 - Why Fidelman & Co. Was Born from a Market Gap

06:00 - Broken Incentives in Startup Fundraising

09:00 - How the Fundraising Game Changed Since 2021

13:00 - Why Founders Must Talk Like Operators

16:00 - The Role of Financial Models (and How to Build Them Right)

21:00 - Why Top-Down Models Alone Don’t Cut It

25:00 - AI: Useful Tool, Not Magic Bullet

29:00 - AI Use Case: Building an Internal CRM for $300

34:30 - Fundraising Tips for Finance Leaders

37:00 - CFOs as Process Owners During a Raise

38:00 - The Two Types of CFOs (and Why It Matters)

41:00 - Final Reflections on Strategic Thinking and Belief📌 Key takeaways:

• Fundraising now takes 6–9 months—build relationships early
• VCs invest in operators, not just visions
• The best financial models are built with founders, not for them
• AI is best used to get hands-on, not to replace human thinking
• Strategic CFOs do more than books—they pitch, plan, and believe.

Connect with Jeff ➡️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyfidelman/

Connect with Alex ➡️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexlouisy/

Connect with Lauren ➡️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenepearl/

Also available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/q-J8Ot3ecjQ?si=Pmfbug0McFB4AEmV

Subscribe for more episodes with founders, CFOs, and finance leaders.

The Growth-Minded CFO podcast aims to challenge the status-quo and explore how the best CFOs approach their work and lives. Hosts Lauren Pearl (Fractional CFO, 3-time Founder and Startup Finance Instructor at NYU) and Alex Louisy (FinTech CEO and Y Combinator graduate) speak with inspiring finance and business leaders who’ll share what great CFOs are doing to support high-performing organizations.

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