André Oliveira

Me: What’s the hardest part of raising capital? Vitor Asseituno 宋伟明: You don’t just raise money from VCs — you build a pipeline and convert it like sales. Most founders approach fundraising backwards. They blast pitch decks to hundreds of VCs, hoping someone will bite. This spray-and-pray approach fails because it ignores a fundamental truth: fundraising IS sales. Just like you wouldn't sell to unqualified leads, don't pitch VCs who don't invest in your stage, sector, or geography. Study their portfolio companies, recent investments, and thesis. A VC who just backed a competing startup isn't your prospect. Start conversations 6-12 months before fundraising. Share updates, ask for advice, get introductions to their portfolio CEOs. When fundraising time comes, you're not a cold email—you're a known quantity. Handle Objections Like a Pro. When a VC says "it's too early" or "the market isn't ready," don't just accept it. Dig deeper. Understand their real concerns and address them with data, analogies to successful companies, or strategic partnerships that de-risk the investment. Follow up systematically. Track every interaction, follow up on commitments, and keep momentum alive. VCs see hundreds of deals—staying top of mind requires intentional effort. The founders who master this raise faster, at better terms, and from investors who truly understand their vision. Stop hoping for luck. Start building your conversion funnel. 👉 Swipe through for more of insights from my conversation with Vitor Asseituno 宋伟明, founder at Sami 🎧 Search The J Curve podcast with Olga Maslikhova on Spotify or YouTube for the full story. 🗞️ Read the most tactical and practical insights from this interview in this week's Insider (link in comment)

110

16 comentários

𝗥𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗲-𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘃𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗱 (𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟭𝟬𝟬+ 𝗩𝗖 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀) What does “traction” actually look like when raising early-stage capital? If you’re gearing up for a pre-seed or seed round, here’s what the data says about ARR benchmarks from 100+ funded startups: 1. $1.5M Pre-Seed Round • 46% were pre-revenue • $150K ARR → 27% • $500K ARR → 15% • $1M ARR → 9% • $2M ARR → 1% 2. $4M Seed Round • $500K–$1M ARR is the sweet spot • $500K ARR → 29% • $1M ARR → 28% • $2M ARR → 20% • $150K ARR or Pre-Revenue → 17% each 3. Key Insights • Pre-seed is still a bet on the team, vision, and potential • Seed investors look for product-market fit and revenue repeatability • Hitting $500K–$1M ARR can significantly improve your odds This is why some founders wait to raise — and others sprint to get even $100K in early ARR. Where do you think the line between pre-seed and seed is really drawn today? #startups #fundraising #venturecapital #seedround #founder #startupfunding

97

22 comentários

Myth #1 about Venture Studios “Studio investors are also funding the studio’s operating costs.” False. In a dual-entity model, investors don’t fund costs they build equity. Here’s how it works: suppose the Studio holds 30% of each startup. If the Fund owns 35% of the Studio, then the annual capital deployed into the Studio translates into roughly 10.5% ownership in every new venture. This isn’t an additional cost it’s an alternative cost of equity creation. The cost per equity point is actually lower than what a traditional VC pays to acquire stakes on the open market, often in startups that are not yet validated. And there’s more. Each startup built through the Studio generates learning, improving the quality of every subsequent venture. At the same time, the Studio itself accumulates assets, processes, and capabilities that create residual value making the Studio itself a valuable, sellable entity. Studio investors, therefore, are not paying for operations. They are backing an investment thesis: building equity instead of buying it.

34

How does Lovable balance a great user experience with actually paying their bills? In this TWiST highlight, Lovable CEO Anton Osika swings by the show to take me and Alex Wilhelm inside his fast-growing vibecoding startup. Obviously, founders like Anton are all about providing a great user experience… but the compute bills for providing AI tools like Lovable’s aren’t exactly cheap. Go inside Anton’s process, considering his Big Picture goals for the company, and how to balance the needs of the Lovable faithful with his duty to investors and staff to actually build a sustainable business. It’s the kind of in-depth, nuts and bolts, founder-focused discussion you can ONLY GET from “This Week in Startups.”

196

17 comentários

A Founder’s Guide to Seed Fundraising by Mike Wilner and Max Nussenbaum This book is for founders who are considering raising money, founders who are in the middle of raising money, and founders who have already raised an angel or seed round but find themselves needing to raise another one. It covers everything from the basics of seed fundraising for first timers to the advanced tactics that enable founders to create urgency for investors and close rounds quickly. This book is broken up into six chapters. If you’ve never fundraised before, you should read all six chapters. If you have fundraised before, you’ll get the most value out of Chapters 2–6. Chapter 1: Seed Fundraising 101: This chapter will give you a baseline understanding of the seed funding landscape, along with the implications of seed funding for founders, angel investors, and VCs. Chapter 2: How to Run a Swift Seed Fundraise Chapter 3: Fundraising Narrative Preparation Chapter 4: Researching & Engaging Angels Chapter 5: Researching & Engaging VCs Chapter 6: Pitching & Closing This book provides simple answers to address all of the issues. ~~~~~ ♻️ Found this helpful? Repost it so your network can learn from it, too. And follow me, Fazlur Shah, for more content like this. #startups #entrepreneurship #venturecapital #investing

154

29 comentários