Episode Overview

Title: She Raised $650M by Fixing What Every Founder Gets Wrong About Investors
Podcast: Founder’s Story (Ep 281)
Host: IBH Media
Guest: Dannika Warburton, Founder and Principal of Investability
Release Date: November 18, 2025

This episode features the remarkable founder Dannika Warburton, who brings her singular experience from the mines of Western Australia to having raised over $650 million for small-cap companies as the principal of Investability. The conversation dives into her journey, lessons on effective fundraising, the critical importance of narrative over numbers, internal leadership insights, and the future of investor relations in a media-saturated, attention-deficit world.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dannika’s Origin Story: Mines to Markets

• Mining Roots:
  • Grew up in Western Australia, an area dominated by natural resources. During university breaks, worked in underground gold mines.
• Corporate & Investment Banking:
  • Moved on to investment banking (US, then Canadian bank), learning deal-making and the full spectrum of capital markets.
• The Toxic Culture Catalyst:
  • Brief stint at a digital investor relations firm with a toxic culture led her to launch Investability, focusing on building a company with a positive workplace culture and strong client relationships.
• Startup Timing:
  • Founded Investability in Sydney right as COVID hit. The timing proved fortuitous, growing from 1 to 45 clients and doing 14 IPOs in a year.

“I really wanted to build a business that had a great culture. So that's what I did... Founded Investability right as the COVID pandemic kicked off... We just were entering a bull market.”
— Dannika Warburton (02:23)

2. What Founders Get Wrong About Investors

• Overemphasis on Numbers

  • Founders often obsess over financials and technical details—yet what “moves the market is the narrative.”
  • A compelling, simple story is more memorable and persuasive than granular data.

• Keep It Simple: The Power of Three

  • The most effective investment pitches are clear and focused on three key takeaways.

“It’s not necessarily the numbers that move the market, it’s the narrative.”
— Dannika Warburton (04:48)

“The best stories that I’ve heard are ones where the CEO... comes with three key points that they want you to walk away with. The human brain loves the power of three.”
— Dannika Warburton (05:49)

3. How Investability Helps Founders

• Trusted Advisor Role
  • Founders, especially from technical backgrounds (mining, engineering), are receptive to advice and lean on Investability for support in narrative building and investor communications.
• Communications Bridge
  • Investability helps bridge the gap between institutional and retail investors by tailoring the complexity of the story to suit both audiences.

4. Lessons from Failure & Building Resilience

• Painful Mistakes as Teachers
  • Both Daniel (host) and Dannika share stories of professional setbacks that became powerful growth moments.
• The “Alter Ego” Effect
  • Dannika uses the “Alter Ego Effect” by Todd Herman: building a fictional empowered persona to tackle stressful moments and imposter syndrome.
• Restructuring After Setbacks
  • Example: After mass resignations at her firm, she restructured the business, improved systems, and emerged stronger.

"If you can create a character, give it superpowers and then press play... it's amazing."
— Dannika Warburton (10:05)

“Everything has a silver lining... if you have that growth mindset that you can see the benefits of something bad that happens to you, I think that’s a really positive trait...”
— Dannika Warburton (11:31)

5. The Small Cap World: What Needs Fixing

• Information Asymmetry
  • Smaller companies often fail to communicate effectively with shareholders, generating mistrust and negative sentiment.
• Solutions: Proactive, Transparent Communication
  • Regular investor webinars, two-way dialogue, being results-oriented, and cultivating trust are transformative.
• Work-Life Alignment vs. Balance
  • Focus on alignment within teams rather than striving for a work-life “balance.”

“We’ve turned negative sentiment into great sentiment just by communicating with shareholders.”
— Dannika Warburton (13:20)

6. Leadership & Culture

• Learning From Poor Leadership
  • Dannika's negative experience at a top-down toxic firm fueled her commitment to warmth, transparency, and trust in leadership.
• Intentional Culture Building
  • Investability’s culture is anchored in being “good people doing good jobs,” leading to high client retention and reputation.

“When you see something that you don't like, it is a real impetus for doing something differently.”
— Dannika Warburton (17:18)

7. The Critical Role of Communication and Soft Skills

• Soft Skills Undervalued Yet Vital
  • Host Daniel reflects on how essential communication skills are, yet how little they’re taught—calling out the need for founders to develop EQ and soft skills for sustainable success.

8. The Future: Media, Content, and Investor Relations

• Content Is King for Fundraising
  • Media (especially video) is becoming indispensable in investor relations.
  • Investors are attention-deficit—succinct, compelling videos trump lengthy slide decks.
• Companies Must Build Media Capabilities
  • High-quality media presence will become mandatory for companies, not a nice-to-have.

“Video is the new investor presentation... If you can tell your story in a two-minute video rather than a 25-page slide deck, they're going to choose the quick two-minute video...”
— Dannika Warburton (21:22)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Origin Story & Cultural Turning Point

  “It was like upside down land, this agency. The culture was super toxic... I really wanted to build a business that had a great culture.” (02:00–02:23)

• On the Narrative Edge in Fundraising

  “It’s not necessarily the numbers that moves the market, it’s the narrative.” (04:48)

• The Power of Three in Pitches

  “The human brain loves the power of three... best number of investment highlights for memory retention.” (05:51–06:00)

• The “Alter Ego” Strategy

  “If you can create a character, give it superpowers and then press play... it's amazing.” (10:05)

• Information Asymmetry in Small Caps

  “We’ve turned negative sentiment into great sentiment just by communicating with shareholders.” (13:20)

• On Alignment (Not Balance) and Building Teams

  “I don’t believe in work-life balance—I believe more in alignment.” (14:45)

• On the Media Future for Fundraising

  “Video is the new investor presentation... It’s incredibly powerful and the way that everything is moving.” (21:22)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:40–02:23 | Dannika’s mining background and Investability origin
• 03:39–04:38 | Transferring experiences & raising capital
• 04:38–05:44 | Biggest founder misconception: Narrative over numbers
• 05:44–07:09 | What makes a successful pitch: Simplicity & power of three
• 07:27–08:34 | Founder receptiveness to feedback; Investability as trusted advisor
• 09:18–11:56 | Hard lessons, resilience, and the “alter ego” effect
• 12:39–15:35 | Small cap communication challenges & solutions
• 16:09–18:00 | Lessons on leadership and building a positive culture
• 19:17–20:05 | Investability TV and investor education initiatives
• 21:15–22:16 | Why media creation is the future of investor relations

Final Words

If you work in small caps, invest or advise founders, or aim to improve your company’s relationship with investors, this episode provides invaluable, actionable insights—delivered with the warmth and candid spirit that define both the guest and the Host’s approach.