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.
Episodes
267 episodes
262. Justin Izzo on the Art and Science of Pitch Decks
The author of Dropbox DocSend's pitch deck analyses shares his insights into building a "snappy" pitch deck.About Justin IzzoJustin is the Lead Data and Trends Analyst at Dropbox Docsend and trusted insights professional with...
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Season 4
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Episode 262
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2:48
261. Build the Future, feat. Sunny Han, Founder & CEO of Fulcrum
"There's very few companies, or people, or teams that get to build the future." -Sunny HanAbout FulcrumFulcrum applies modern technology to manufacturing processes, helping makers focus o...
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Season 4
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Episode 261
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2:57
260. Venture Capital Is A Game, feat. Sunny Han, Founder & CEO of Fulcrum
Sunny looks at VC as a game, one that has rules. You can still choose to play with people good people, but know that they have objectives that may not be the same as yours. About Fulcrum
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Season 4
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Episode 260
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3:03
259. Delusion and the Series A Extension, feat. Sunny Han, Founder & CEO of Fulcrum
After raising in the bubble of 2021, the next raise proved both challenging and humbling. About FulcrumFulcrum applies modern technology to manufacturing processes, helping makers fo...
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Season 4
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Episode 259
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3:36
258. Raising Series A in 2021, feat. Sunny Han, Founder & CEO of Fulcrum
Sunny shares, "The Series A felt like poetry. It didn't feel like finance. And I think there, underlying that, there's some delusional problems with how I was managing the company at the time."About Fulcrum
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Season 4
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Episode 258
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4:20
257. Rapid Growth, Is It the Right Growth? feat. Sunny Han, Founder & CEO of Fulcrum
VCs push founders for growth. Founders push their teams for growth. But is all growth the right growth? About FulcrumFulcrum applies modern technology to manufacturing processes, hel...
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Season 4
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Episode 257
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4:39
256. Choosing the Right Investors, feat. Sunny Han, Founder & CEO of Fulcrum
Sunny shares his lesson on how he would choose investors. About FulcrumFulcrum applies modern technology to manufacturing processes, helping makers focus on their craft and grow thei...
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Season 4
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Episode 256
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3:59
255. Raising Seed and Reaching Investors, feat. Sunny Han, Founder & CEO of Fulcrum
Running a targeted fundraising process—knowing who he want to reach and who can introduce him—got the fundraise moving quickly.About FulcrumFulcrum applies modern technology to manufactur...
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Season 4
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Episode 255
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2:45
254. Friends, Family Fools Round, feat. Sunny Han, Founder & CEO of Fulcrum
Sunny leveraged his personal savings and help from family to fund the pivot. About FulcrumFulcrum applies modern technology to manufacturing processes, helping makers focus on their ...
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Season 4
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Episode 254
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2:18
253. From Consulting To Startup, Painfully, feat. Sunny Han, Founder & CEO of Fulcrum
Starting out as a consulting business was a great way to learn what customers wanted, but caused problems as the other founders didn't want to give up the consulting work. About FulcrumF...
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Season 4
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Episode 253
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3:13
252. Meet Sunny Han, Founder & CEO of Fulcrum
Meet Sunny Han, founder & CEO of Fulcrum. SpringTime invested in Fulcrum and has been with them through all the ups and downs. About FulcrumFulcrum applies modern technolog...
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Season 4
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Episode 252
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3:06
251. Fundraise Now, Or Focus on the Business Then Raise Next Year?
Should you back off of the business to fundraise for 3 months, or can you accomplish more by spending 4 months heads-down growing the business? About AVL Growth PartnersAVL Growth Partners...
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Season 4
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Episode 251
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2:07
250. Get Intros, Set Meetings, Create a Tight Feedback Loop
Block out three weeks just for initial investor meetings to create a tight feedback loop. Put all of your focus into getting as many meetings as possible in those weeks. About AVL Growth Partners
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Season 4
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Episode 250
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1:52
249. Before Going To Your Full List, Start With Friendlies
Organize your VC target list into: Friendlies, A-List, and everyone else. Start by pitching your friendlies to get raw VC feedback. About AVL Growth PartnersAVL Growth Partners, founde...
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Season 4
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Episode 249
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2:30
248. Top Fundraisers First Build Their Lists
Before you send a single email, build a list of 200+ target VCs. Here are four sites you can use for free.signal.nfx.comOpenvc.app
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Season 4
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Episode 248
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2:50
247. You Need a Term Sheet Before Thanksgiving
There are 14 weeks between now and Thanksgiving. If you don't have a term sheet by then, you're not going to get one until Q1 next year. About AVL Growth PartnersAVL Growth Partners, f...
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Season 4
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Episode 247
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2:24
246. Summertime Slowdown
In fundraising, the end of June is a lot like the end of November. If you don't have a term sheet on the table, you're not going to get one in the next month. About AVL Growth PartnersAVL ...
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Season 4
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Episode 246
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3:05
245. Love Your People feat. Jeff Gardner, author of Love Your People
The title of the book is not about romantic love, it's about instilling a love for the work within your organization. About “Love Your People” by Jeff GardnerLove over fear is the key to exceptional leadership. 'Love You...
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Season 4
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Episode 245
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2:20
244. The Authoritarian Approach vs. Loving Your People feat. Jeff Gardner, author of Love Your People
If you can become a great leader, people will dig deeper for what they're building. An authoritarian approach will drive people away from your startup. About “Love Your People” by Jeff GardnerLove over fear is the key to ...
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Season 4
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Episode 244
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2:03
243. Start Building a Culture of Innovation Now feat. Jeff Gardner, author of Love Your People
A culture of innovation that is tied into your vision and team goals will drive success throughout the organization. About “Love Your People” by Jeff GardnerLove over fear is the key to exceptional leadership. 'Love Your Peop...
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Season 4
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Episode 243
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2:22
242. Hiring Great People feat. Jeff Gardner, author of Love Your People
You're not going to hire the right people every time. Increase your chances by learning the "Who" methodology by Geoff Smart.About “Love Your People” by Jeff GardnerLove over fear is...
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Season 4
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Episode 242
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2:12
241. Live By Your Core Values feat. Jeff Gardner, author of Love Your People
Live by your core values, without exception. Because any one exception will undermine those values to everyone. About “Love Your People” by Jeff GardnerLove over fear is the key to exceptional leadership. 'Love Your People' s...
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Season 4
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Episode 241
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2:36
240. Key to Enabling Autonomy for Founders feat. Jeff Gardner, author of Love Your People
It's not just you, enabling autonomy is hard for all founders. About “Love Your People” by Jeff GardnerLove over fear is the key to exceptional leadership. 'Love Your People' shatters conventional wisdom by advocating for...
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Season 4
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Episode 240
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3:22
239. Importance of Clear Expectations feat. Jeff Gardner, author of Love Your People
After you have articulated the vision, break it down into clear expectations for each individual. Done right, this will create autonomy.About “Love Your People” by Jeff GardnerLove over fear is the key to exceptional leadersh...
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Season 4
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Episode 239
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2:36
238. Three Components of Setting the Vision feat. Jeff Gardner author of Love Your People
The vision for your startup needs to come out of your head and be articulated to you company. About “Love Your People” by Jeff GardnerLove over fear is the key to exceptional leadership. 'Love Your People' shatters conv...
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Season 4
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Episode 238
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2:07