In today's episode Judith Germain speaks to Kevin Gwynn White about the VC landscape for seed-stage startups and changes in fundraising tactics. Kevin provides an overview of his career, including his time as an accountant at Ernst & Young, his work in capital markets and M&A, and his involvement with a venture capital firm that led him to start his own company, Expo Group, which provides accounting and finance support to startups.

Key Takeaways

• VC landscape has shifted from revenue growth focus to profitability and AI-centric investments
• Fundraising tactics now emphasise showing traction, path to profitability, and AI integration
• Team quality and execution ability remain crucial, especially for seed-stage funding
• CFO roles at early-stage startups require a rare blend of accounting and strategic financial modeling skills

What you should do

• Entrepreneurs should focus on demonstrating traction and path to profitability
• Incorporate AI authentically if relevant to the business model
• Prepare comprehensive team slides and financial projections for pitches
• Consider outsourced financial services for early-stage startups lacking CFO skills
• Stay persistent in fundraising efforts, as the market remains robust despite challenges

In this conversation Kevin advises startups to focus on demonstrating traction and a clear path to profitability when fundraising, as opposed to just emphasising rapid growth. He also highlights the importance of the founding team's experience and capabilities, as well as having a sophisticated financial model to present to investors.

Kevin encourages startups not to be discouraged by the current fundraising environment, as there is still significant capital available for the right opportunities. He emphasises the importance of persistence, grit, and strategic positioning when going to market for funding.

You can find out more about our guest and today's episode in this Maverick Paradox Magazine article here.

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