.png)
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
Raiser's Edge Episode 6: Fundraising at Full Throttle with Greg Mark
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
On this episode of Raiser’s Edge, Ben Elowitz sits down with Greg Mark, CEO and founder of Markforged and Backflip. Drawing on his experience raising over $550M in capital, Greg Mark breaks down what it really takes to capture investor interest and thrive under intense fundraising pressure.
Greg Mark opens up about the rollercoaster world of startups—from the thrill of being the “Ferrari” in a hot round, to the grit required to fundraise when the market turns cold. You'll hear lessons learned from both easy and brutally challenging fundraising cycles, and a masterclass in pitching that turns your company story into a blockbuster movie that investors actually want to watch. Beyond the tactics, Greg Mark goes deep on personal growth, sharing how empathy and appreciation for the people across the table have shaped his journey.
These are practical, hard-won strategies for founders at any stage - you won’t want to miss access to Greg’s masterful playbook. Tune in for lessons on how to stay in control of your raise without having to take your foot off the gas.