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.
16episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
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.
Transcribe →Jackson Schultz – How an Angel Army of CISOs Unlocked a Lead Investor for ArgusEye | Ep 61
Apr 1400:43:14Tap to summarizeOn this episode of Funded, Jackson Schultz, co-founder and CEO of ArgusEye, shares how he left Google right after the birth of his second son, with no VC network and no hardware background, to build a cybersecurity platform for connected devices. He talks about getting passed on by VCs who couldn't see the market size, pivoting his fundraising strategy mid-process, and how assembling an angel army of CISOs and supply chain executives investing out of their own pockets became the credibility signal that finally moved the needle. It's a real look at what it takes to build momentum from scratch, and how sometimes the best thing you can do is stop trying to raise the round you planned.
Transcribe →TBC 143: Stop Using Fancy Words in Your Fundraising Pitch
Apr 500:06:01Tap to summarizeIf your pitch deck or investor emails are full of words like "tremendous latent potential," "highly efficacious," or "flywheels of growth" — this episode is for you. In this Backchannel episode, Jason breaks down why flowery language and SAT words are one of the biggest red flags for investors, and why stripping it all back to simple, clear language will almost always get you further. He reads a real (anonymized) founder blurb as an example, breaks down exactly what's wrong with it, and shares a simple fix you can apply to your own pitch today.
Transcribe →TBC 142: Why Cold Outreach Fails (and the 4 Tactics That Actually Work)
Apr 300:07:13Tap to summarizeMost founders treat cold outreach like a numbers game — blast enough investors and something will stick. It doesn't work that way. In this episode of The Back Channel, Jason breaks down why cold outreach is inherently at a disadvantage, why it should only ever be 5% of your fundraising strategy, and the specific tactics that can actually make a cold email land. From the traveling founder trick to warming up relationships on social before you ever hit send, this is a practical guide to using cold outreach the right way — without wasting your most valuable resource: time.
Transcribe →TBC: What's the Deal With Thesis-Driven Firms? (TBC61)
Feb 1, 2024Tap to summarizeJoin Jason Yeh on The Back Channel as he demystifies thesis-driven firms. They may not be as rigid as you think!
Transcribe →TBC: The dirty secret of thesis-driven firms (TBC19)
Oct 20, 2022Tap to summarizeThesis-driven firms have been on the rise for the past few years. These firms have a specific area of focus - one they use as a main driver for their marketing. Because of this, some founders have a hard time in finding the “right” firm they’d want to invest in their business. But did you know there's a dirty little secret behind these theses? In today’s episode, Jason reveals a secret behind thesis-driven firms - and what you can do with that information. Find out this secret and get some actionable advice for your fundraising now! ---------- If you're looking for more fundraising content, grab my weekly newsletter packed full of strategies and insights around how to raise money: fundedpod.com/newsletter
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