261. Build the Future, feat. Sunny Han, Founder & CEO of Fulcrum Artwork

VC Minute

Quick advice to help startup founders fundraise better. Founders, do you feel like you're fundraising on an uneven playing field? You are. The VC minute is here to help you level up. Venture capitalists navigate pitches and negotiate investments every day. They know the ins and outs and are up-to-date on the current funding environment. But as a founder, it may be your first foray into fundraising, and no matter how much success you've had in other areas nothing truly prepares you for the fundraising journey. The VC Minute was created to help founders close this gap. While it may seem like securing an investment at the seed stage is mostly driven by luck, there are steps founders can take to increase the odds of successfully raising a round. And that's what we're going to cover on the VC Minute through a series of short episodes. I'm going to share with you insights to help navigate the seed stage financing dynamics. I'm Rich Maloy, Managing Partner at SpringTime Ventures with 25 years business experience a dozen years in the startup ecosystem. I've applied my experience from sales, finance, and venture investing, to help startup founders fundraise better.

All Episodes

VC Minute

261. Build the Future, feat. Sunny Han, Founder & CEO of Fulcrum

October 11, 2024 • Sunny Han • Season 4 • Episode 261

Text your thoughts directly to Rich.

"There's very few companies, or people, or teams that get to build the future." -Sunny Han

About Fulcrum
Fulcrum applies modern technology to manufacturing processes, helping makers focus on their craft and grow their businesses. The innovation of American manufacturers is critical to a better world, and Fulcrum aims to revitalize the industry with automation software.

About AVL Growth Partners
AVL Growth Partners, founded in 2009, is the leading fractional Finance and Accounting firm supporting organizations in pivoting from growth to scale. AVL brings an experienced team of CFOs, Controllers, and Accountants to your organization, delivering transparent, strategic actions for short and long-term success. Transform your financial approach affordably with AVL, supporting companies coast to coast - get to know AVL Growth Partners at avlgrowth.com. (Sponsored)

About SpringTime Ventures
SpringTime Ventures seeds high-growth startups in healthcare, fintech & insurtech, and logistics & supply chain. We look for founders with domain expertise, forging a path with a truly transformative technology. We only invest in software-based businesses in the USA. We bring a people-focused approach, work quickly, and reach conviction independently. Our initial check size is $600k. You can learn more about us and our approach.

Sunny Han: 0:01

I think that, you don't realize it in the moment. At least I don't realize it but there's very few companies, or people, or teams that get to build the future. And it's not an accident. I think that if you try to build the future, you will. You might not succeed, or you might build bad future, but we get to help shape how the future looks. I don't think we can control it. I think things will happen, and things will evolve, and don't have the power to really control it. We get to shape how it looks. The underlying structure of geopolitics or of technology or infrastructure or manufacturing, I don't have the power to change that or to drive that, but I do get to take all the components, all the ways that things exist and repackage it in a way that I think is better. If we get it right, we can actually improve things. We can make things happen that otherwise wouldn't have happened. The thing that I've thought a lot about is that that's actually really, really rare. If you look at the people that exist out there, smart people, hardworking people doing really, really amazing things, most of them don't stumble upon an opportunity to work on a problem in a way that could actually alter how an industry works. Most of them are devoting their lives to Improving each and every piece of nigiri that they're forming as a sushi chef, or each and every chair that they're making, or each and every spreadsheet that they're executing, or every discounted cash flow that they're preparing. And they'll get incrementally better, and write some macros, and better formulas, and leave a better infrastructure for the next person, and those are fulfilling, worthy endeavors to do. But as hard and as painful as it is, we some of us, we get, lucky enough to get to build the future. Even if we fail, there's a privilege in that. And, that adds whole layer of flavor to everything that we do that, makes everything a lot more special.

Rich: 1:50

I just love the way that Sunny shares his story in such a personal way. He also has a depth of self-awareness that I think separates the great founders from the good founders. We appreciate Sunny and the work that he's done and the work that he's doing to fulfill his vision for America and American manufacturing. I also appreciate AVL growth partners for supporting the VC Minute. Time is our most precious asset and I'm grateful that you'd spend some of it with me this week. AVL's team brings significant years of finance and accounting expertise. They ensure your path to success is crystal clear. Why go fractional? Picture this: a CFO with an average of 19 years of senior finance CFO experience, alongside controllers and accountants with 15 years under their belts. This isn't just bookkeeping. It's the expertise your company needs to navigate economic challenges. If you want to take your company to the next level and need the experience required to make it happen. Visit AVL growth.com right now.

People on this episode

Rich Maloy

Host