The Fundraising Mindset
by
@cee | @seedcamp
Fundraising is a journey
Some of the Investors you'll meet along your
journey
Investors that doubt you and your capabilities to execute
Investors that are just meeting with you because they want to
invest in your competitor
Investors that don’t have the money to invest but want to be
seen to be active
Investors that want every inch of detail about what you will be
doing for the next 5 years
Investors that don’t get what you do at all, but have opinions
about everything(usually because of what their mom or kids do)
Investors that give you good advice, but unfortunately say you
are "too early for them"
Investors that are only comfortable following in a
round(usually smaller investors)
Fundraising can therefore be just as frustrating as...
... Dating!
What do Dating & Fundraising have in common?
You have to be willing to open up to meet anyone in the first place
No NDAs
It’s a numbers game: you have to meet many people, this can be at
in-person at networking events, parties, or online
Connections usually happen in the least likely of places and are
strongest when they come through a trusted 3rd party
Being a good story teller gets people to laugh, open up, and
remember you
Chemistry matters
Sometimes its just plain luck: being at the right place at the
right time
The better you prepare yourself, the better your odds get
Being too eager to get back to someone or waiting too long
can end things prematurely
You have to go on several dates with several people before you
ultimately feel someone is the right one for you.
Take Away Lessons on Fundraising
1. Understand that it's a journey and that it'll take time. Few are
lucky to have it be quick and painless.
2. Embrace rejection as part of the process. Don't take it as personal
rejection.
3. Treat every meeting as a form of practice that is merely making
you better for the next meeting
4. Analyse what was said & learn how to improve on mistakes
@cee | @seedcamp