Builder's Growth Lab
The podcast where builders, founders, and investors talk AI marketing and customer acquisition for AI builders.
Join us (Conor Douglas, Mallory Loar, Charlie Hernandez) as we talk about the latest AI coding tools, interview the creators building them, and share real builder stories with AI founders. From Claude Code to cutting-edge startups, how to acquire customers for your AI app, we talk about AI code and keep you informed and entertained.
Perfect for builders who want to stay ahead of the AI curve without the hype.
New episodes weekly.
Builder's Growth Lab
Why Some AI Founders Never Get Funded (Katie Dunn, Angel Investor Explains) | Episode #31
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Katie Dunn closed $10B in real estate deals before becoming a full-time angel investor. She's invested in 30 companies, helped founders raise $27M+, and focuses on underrepresented founders in CPG and tech. In this episode, she breaks down what separates fundable founders from everyone else and the biggest mistakes AI founders make when pitching.
What We Cover:
- What actually gets founders funded vs what doesn't
- "Founder-market fit" for AI builders making agents and wrappers
- How to tell if an investor is serious or wasting your time
- Step-by-step: getting your first $100K in funding
- Should AI founders raise right now?
- Pitch deck red flags that make investors pass
- When to bootstrap vs raise capital
Tune in for that and more!
---
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie--dunn/
TikTok and Instagram: @iamkatiedunn
Business Website: https://www.themastheadstrategy.com
Personal Website (with Angel Investments and thesis): https://www.katiedunn.com
Digital Twins: https://www.themastheadstrategy.com/digital-twins
Angel Investing Guide: https://www.themastheadstrategy.com/guides/p/from-curious-to-cap-table-a-starter-guide-to-angel-investing-for-women
Kondo (manages connection requests and LinkedIn DMs - link to get 1 free month): https://app.trykondo.com/referral/F88Y7X
Goodword (leveraging your network app): https://goodword.com
Fabrik (community building IRL space): https://www.joinfabrik.com/