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Raiser's Edge
Some entrepreneurs fly through fundraising; sailing through VC meetings, converting at high rates, getting to term sheets quickly and successfully. Other founders struggle; wading through hundreds of meetings and calls, reading thousands of online pitch guides, and still only producing a mediocre fundraising round. The very best founders seem to know cheat codes that the rest of the herd just lack, and this quickly creates capital advantage for their companies, allowing them to own their markets and achieve dominance in their industries. So what are these secrets that separate the best from the rest?
It turns out a lot of what these top raisers do is replicable - it’s just not easy to find on the internet or by asking advice from average peers. Raiser’s Edge bridges that very gap, sharing the strategies and philosophies that have separated industry leaders from the pack in order to transform mediocre raisers to excellent ones. Through interviews with outstanding founders who have themselves succeeded in the VC fundraising process, not only will listeners learn how to successfully fund their start-ups, but they will also learn how to raise strong rounds even in down markets, take advantage of VC funding and tailwinds, and impress investors in order to earn outsize capital. Most importantly, listeners will find out how the most skillful CEOs make it through the biggest challenges so that they can increase their own chances of surviving the challenges to come.
Each episode of Raiser’s Edge will interview a founder about the critical fundraising junctures in their company’s growth stage, highlighting stories in which they navigated investor concerns, challenging timelines, and emerging obstacles to raise and deploy funds successfully. By taking a closer look at these entrepreneurs’ paths to success, we’ll also shed a light on their moments of near-failure, self-doubt, and tough calls, and the way these challenges have transformed them into stronger leaders and fundraisers along the way. Through an entertaining, easy-to-follow interview format, this podcast hopes to demystify the fundraising process and serve as an intimate glimpse into the secrets of today’s business all-stars in order to inspire and teach the all-stars to come.
Raiser's Edge
What to Chase, What to Craft, and What You Can’t Control with David Shim
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In this episode of Raiser's Edge, host Ben Elowitz dives deep into the realities of startup fundraising with guest David Shim, CEO and co-founder of Placed and Read.ai,
The episode unpacks the critical importance of designing a business to be fundable—not just following trends—and why storytelling and narrative matter, but great metrics matter more. With stories of pre-emptive term sheets and the struggle of pitching to 100+ investors, this episode offers advice on using your control wisely: build for real customers, craft a compelling story, and understand when timing is everything (and what to do when it’s out of your control).
Whether you're at a hot AI startup or grinding through the “cold” sectors, this candid exchange is packed with practical takeaways on fundraising playbooks, investor psychology, and the necessity of runway. Tune in for real lessons on how to shape your fundraising strategy for what you can control—and adapt for what you can’t.