For many founders, raising outside capital, including venture capital, is the accepted path. But is this always the case? This episode features Leigh Sevin, co-founder of Endear, a retail clienteling software startup. Leigh and I talk about her fundraising journey, choices they’ve made and how to think about VC versus other fundraising options.
- Raising early-stage funding for a tech startup with a profitability-first mindset
- The difference between pre-seed angels and VCs and how they think about investing at the early stage
- The concept of “portfolio of one” and potential alignment or misalignment with VCs
- Finding your own right path for fundraising
- What alternatives exist to VC, because you still probably need to raise at least some outside capital
- When different kinds of debt make sense for startups
- Exit considerations for founders, and the importance of cap tables
- Use your founder network to get help throughout the process
Music by Eino Toivanen, kongano.com
Edited by Deven Shah
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To submit a pitch or to find out more about Sapna Shah, check out Red Giraffe Advisors.