Podcast
Funded | How They Raised Millions
Hosted by Jason Yeh · EN
The tech media loves a splashy funding announcement - millions of dollars injected into a hot startup primed to become a unicorn. But what about the work behind those headlines? Host Jason Yeh, a former VC and venture-backed startup founder, talks with entrepreneurs about how they raised the capital to launch world-changing startups. Their conversations uncover incredible stories including cautionary tales, inspirational memories, and even some insightful tips. Keep up with us on social @fundedpod to learn more.
15episodes
Episodes
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TBC 156: Why Your Pitch Deck Needs a Flow, Not Just a Slide List
2d ago00:06:08Tap to summarizeMost founders treat their pitch deck like a list of data points investors will absorb from start to finish. That's not how it works. In this episode of The Backchannel, Jason breaks down the concept of narrative flow — why you have to constantly re-earn an investor's attention, how to know where to start based on your industry, and what the goal of every deck should actually be (hint: it's not a yes, it's an 'I need to learn more'). If your deck isn't making investors nod along, this episode explains why.
Transcribe →TBC 151: VCs Are Rooting for You — Here's How to Use That
1w ago00:05:40Tap to summarizeEvery VC you pitch wants you to be great. Not because they're generous — because your success is their success. In this episode of The Backchannel, Jason shares a quote that reframes the entire investor relationship, and breaks down what it means for how you show up in pitch meetings. When a VC asks you hard questions, that's not a bad sign — it's the opposite. Here's how to stop getting defensive and start using those moments to your advantage.
Transcribe →TBC 150: Why VCs Say They Love Cold Email (And What They Actually Mean)
1w ago00:07:05Tap to summarizeVenture capitalists who say they love cold email aren't lying — but they're not telling the whole story either. In this episode of The Backchannel, Jason breaks down the three types of founders who reach out cold, why VC cold submission forms mostly work for the best and worst founders, and why the messy middle — the founders who need that first leap of faith the most — are the ones cold email fails. If you've been debating whether to go warm or cold, this episode will make the answer obvious.
Transcribe →TBC 149: How to Actually Use Startup Advice You Find Online
4w ago00:08:22Tap to summarizeNot all advice is created equal — and bite-sized content on Twitter or LinkedIn was never meant to be followed word for word. In this episode of The Backchannel, Jason gets candid about his own content, why his takes are always directionally accurate but never fully comprehensive, and how founders should be filtering and applying advice they find online. He also shares why leaving a kind comment for a creator you follow might matter more than you think.
Transcribe →TBC 148: How Simple Is Too Simple for Your Pitch Narrative
Jun 600:05:16Tap to summarizeFounders almost never cut their narrative far enough. In this episode of The Backchannel, Jason shares a lesson from one of the best negotiators he’s ever seen — push all the way to the line so you know where it is. Applied to pitch narratives, that means going so simple it feels dumb, and then layering complexity back in from there. If you’ve been gradually trimming your story and wondering if you’ve cut enough, this episode will change how you approach it.
Transcribe →TBC 147: Your Numbers Are Part of the Story, Not Separate From It
Jun 200:04:33Tap to summarizeA lot of founders treat storytelling and hard data as two different things in a pitch — and that’s the mistake. In this episode of The Backchannel, Jason breaks down why your numbers mean nothing without a narrative wrapped around them, and why letting investors interpret raw data on their own is one of the most common pitching errors he sees. If you’ve ever wondered how much to lean on story vs. facts, this episode reframes the question entirely.
Transcribe →TBC 146: Why VCs Only Remember the Last Thing They Heard
May 2900:11:00Tap to summarizeVenture capitalists don't have a perfectly indexed CRM in their heads. They run on recency bias — last in, first out. In this episode of The Backchannel, Jason breaks down what he realized after bumping into a top VC at a cafe in San Francisco: investors share what’s freshest in their minds, not what’s most relevant. He explains what that means for how founders should think about messaging, surface area, and staying top of mind — without being manipulative about it.
Transcribe →TBC 145: Stop Blending Your Ask Into Your Personal Emails
May 2300:08:16Tap to summarizeMost founders make the same mistake when reaching out to their network during a fundraise, they try to combine a personal connection with a business ask in the same email, and end up doing both badly. In this episode of The Backchannel, Jason breaks down why blended emails feel disingenuous, and introduces his email appendix format: a simple structural shift that separates the personal from the functional so both actually land. If you’ve ever sent an awkward “hey, how’s your summer going, by the way I need a favor” email, this one’s for you.
Transcribe →TBC 144: Why You Don't Need Money to Start Moving
Apr 2100:06:06Tap to summarizeToo many founders think they need capital before they can make real progress — but that's exactly the mindset that keeps them stuck. In this episode, Jason breaks down the "parked car" trap: why waiting for funding before moving forward is the wrong approach, and how to start building momentum now so investors see a moving train, not a standstill. If you're preparing to raise your first round, this one's for you.
Transcribe →Mohak Nahta – How Atlys Raised a $36M Series C from Susquehanna After 11x Growth | Ep 62
Apr 1600:55:24Tap to summarizeOn this episode of Funded, Mohak Nahta, founder and CEO of Atlys, returns three years after his first appearance to share what building a real business actually looks like after the Series A. He talks about pivoting hard from B2B to B2C, navigating investor skepticism in the age of AI, and why the TAM slide he thought was airtight kept working against him. He also gets brutally honest about the mistakes most founders never admit — the soft signals he ignored, the wrong investors he kept engaging, and the weak spots he defended instead of owned. It's a rare look at what it takes to raise at scale when the stakes — and the scrutiny — are much higher.
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