Sophie Bailey 🙌🌿’s Post

Accessing capital has never been harder. Here’s the advice from our Startup Life Live panel for founders looking to secure Series A funding in the coming year: 💎 The macro market really matters — understand the key trends and external factors shaping the market. 💎 Remember, funding is ultimately fuel to achieve something — it isn’t the end goal. The challenges of fundraising will actually strengthen your company. 💎 Craft a compelling narrative for investors, and ensure your data supports the story you want to tell.  💎 Be upfront with investors — ask them directly about any concerns or doubts to gauge their level of commitment early on to save you time.  💎 Conduct thorough due diligence on your potential investors. The deal isn’t done until the funds are in your bank. Thanks to our speakers for joining us; Murvah Iqbal 📦, Founder and co-CEO of HIVED, Tim Chong, Cofounder and CEO at Yonder, Pauline Paquet, Director of Operations for XAnge and moderator Anne Sraders, Sifted Senior Reporter. #seriesA #funding #startupeurope

📒 If a newly launched fund kept a diary, here’s what it might say: 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟭: We have a fund, a vision and a team. Now, let’s build the story. 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟳: Refined the pitch. It’s not just about the numbers; it’s about why we’re the right team for the job. 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟯𝟬: Reached out to everyone in our network. A lot of “no’s,” but we’re learning from each one. 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟰𝟬: We got active! Started creating content, sharing insights, and hosting webinars to expand our reach. 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟱𝟬: We’re getting better at this. Feedback is pouring in, and we’re adapting. 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟲𝟬: Building trust. Every post, every interaction, every piece of content helps investors see we know our stuff. 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟳𝟱: Some investors are interested. Still no checks, but the conversations are warming up. 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟴𝟬: We initiated a targeted outreach to other LPs (outside of our network). 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟵𝟬: We heard “No” again. But we’re not discouraged. Every “No” brings us closer to a “Yes.” 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟬𝟬: Finally, someone sees the value and believes in the team. We got our first 'Yes'! 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟭𝟬: That first investor is more than just capital; they’re a partner and a believer in our journey. 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟮𝟬: Momentum is building. That first win changes everything. It wasn’t about being perfect- it was about persistence, passion, and refining our story. Finding the believers is hard, but it gets easier! P.S Do you keep a diary? I’m Diana Tenkova - Outsourced Biz Dev for Emerging Managers. Capital-Raising Made Simpler, Smoother & More Effective - The Institutional Quality Way. #emergingmanagers #fundraising

How Did We Launch Our Game-Changing Personal Care Brand? Answers: https://lnkd.in/g26ukcTW #BrandLaunch #SmallBusinessJourney #PersonalCareInnovation Hey everyone! So, big news: we launched our brand yesterday!!! 🎉🚀 I just wanted to share a little background because, honestly, the journey has been quite the ride. Many of you have been incredibly supportive and offered fantastic advice throughout our development process, and I hope I’ve been able to contribute back as well. 🤗 After two years of hard work, tackling challenges, and navigating the ups and downs, we finally did it! Along the way, we faced struggles with fundraising and even encountered a few not-so-great 'potential investors.' While it was frustrating and demoralizing at the time, we realized this was a blessing in disguise. It taught us that we could pave our own path and bootstrap our dream! ✨ My business partner and I have been best friends for 20 years, and this venture is truly the result of our shared experiences and hopes for a radically different future. 💪 Now, let’s talk about our product. We created a personal care system that simplifies your routine by replacing 18 traditional products...

🌟 Fundraising Spotlight of the Week! 🌟 We’re excited to showcase this week’s top fundraising achievements from innovative start-ups to established industry pioneers! 🚀 These companies are securing the capital they need to accelerate growth and drive innovation. 💡 Join us in celebrating their success and explore new opportunities for collaboration. 🤝 Discover the latest updates here ➡️ https://buff.ly/3Ya5efB 📢 Which fundraising story inspires you the most? Drop your thoughts in the comments below! Together, we’re shaping the future of business! 💪✨ #FundraisingSuccess #StartupGrowth #VentureCapital #InvestmentTrends #Innovation

"At WorkTripp, we're not just booking venues – we're transforming how distributed teams connect and perform! 🚀 Offsites. They start with a big business catalyst to get everyone together. But then... Suddenly, it's all about venues. The grand vision gets lost in day delegate rates. But as Sally Page always says, "HOW your team connects will transform your business!" That's why we focus on what others overlook: 🎯 The big, audacious goal 📊 Clear success metrics 🗓 Personalised programmes that drive growth and alignment We put the power to create transformative offsites - quickly and with quality - directly into our customers' hands. Which is why I'm so excited about our product plans! #FutureOfWork #COO #InvestmentOpportunity ---------------------- WorkTripp is the offsite platform for growing teams. We're raising funds with EIS available. We have a lead investor and great angels on board. Interested in shaping the future of work? Get in touch!

I got a classic question from a founder last week... "What if my MVP disproves my business idea?" My answer? "Good - that’s exactly what an MVP is for." Of course we love celebrating our founders who are raising funds, onboarding clients, and making waves. But for us it's also a success when a founder invalidates their idea without bankrupting themselves in the process. An MVP lets you test the waters without diving into the deep end. It gives you clarity - whether that’s a green light to go full steam ahead or a hard truth that it’s time to pivot. And when it’s the latter, you’ve still got the resources, the learnings and the capacity to try again. Because the real failure is spending years (and every penny) building the wrong thing. At Verticode, we’re here to help founders find out fast. Whether it’s validating your idea or helping you regroup and refocus, we enable that to be done quickly and easily. Ready to take a (smaller than expected) leap? Let’s talk.

🚨 #eventalert How can you best manage expenses to boost your bottom line and make your startup more appealing to investors? How do you weigh qualitative factors like founder experience or market trends when applying a multiple-based valuation? What tools or methods can founders use to determine if a project is a profit center or a cost center, and when should they pivot? These are just a few of the crucial questions we’ll be diving into tomorrow with Melanie Rupp, Sr. Director at WeBC , and Giovanna Payne, Founder of saascfo.ca, during our exclusive Q&A session at Vancouver Tech Week! Thanks to our awesome venue partners SFU VentureLabs If you haven’t RSVP’d yet, now’s the time! Link to RSVP is in the comments. See you there! 👋 #finance #fundraising #technology #vancouverstartups Gauri Noolkar - Oak Amogh Oak Toki Hossain Kasey Fu

Curious about fundraising advice from VCs in the current environment? Hear some candid wisdom from industry giants! Remember, the ultimate goal for any business is sales, not just fundraising!   Top Silicon Valley VC firm New Enterprise Associates (NEA)'s CEO, Scott Sandell, advises: 'In this environment, raise money from your customers, forget investors!' Reach out to Scott when you're ready—but make sure that you have a proven product to sell.   Scott is the Chairman, CEO & Chief Investment Officer of New Enterprise Associates (NEA). NEA is one of the world's oldest and largest venture capital firm in silicon valley, with ~$25 billion in committed capital. NEA focuses investment stages ranging from seed stage through growth stage across an array of industry sectors. They have had around 1,000 companies in their portfolio, including Salesforce, 3com etc.    At The INNOVATORS, we are dedicated to help innovators in their learning, marketing and sales as the one-stop-shop for everything innovation. Ready to showcase your innovative ideas/products/services and sell? Join our ever-expanding startup video library where thousands of cutting-edge #innovators showcase their products and services in captivating videos, while prominent customers, investors and partners search, view and buy!  Let’s innovate together!

3 biggest mistakes that founders make with fundraising Fundraising is a long journey, just like finding the right business or life partner. You won’t be able to find the right partner within a day, nor would you with your investors. Investors have got to know you, build trust in you, see your growth, and so much more. What not to do: 1) The biggest mistake I see when I work with backed founders at DigitSense was that they fundraise when they’re about to go out of cash, or didn’t build a long enough pipeline. 2) They did not budget in the cost of commercialising the product when they build their financial projection (or not enough). Product development is just the start, the real cost comes down to operations, sales and marketing. Some founders would have run out of cash by the time their product is done, now where are you going to find your users? 3) Did not build a personal relationship with their investors. Investors are not clients, you can't go with the "if I lose a client I'll find a new one" mindset. Closing a sales deal can take as short as a few days, including negotiation, legal and finance. Fundraising legal process itself takes AT LEAST 2 months. Those who weren’t interested in the last round might be interested in the next, and so on. Building longer term relationships help you convert quicker when the next round is coming up. Keep your connections warm all the time on folk . #fundraising #fundraisingstrategy #vcfunding #digitalstudio #productdevelopment #productmarketing #saasproduct ______ Moon Yiu here, an entrepreneur igniting product ideas into reality 🦄 From DigitSense and beyond, I've crafted, built, and launched UX-driven software products that empower millions. Seeking to be the next game-changer? Let's chat!

𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐌𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐒 𝐃𝐄𝐁𝐔𝐍𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 - 8/10 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬? 𝐃𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐲 In the startup and business world, raising capital is often seen as a primary indicator of success. Headlines celebrate massive funding rounds as if they were the ultimate goal. But does more capital mean more success? Let's unpack this funding fallacy. 📉 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐱 Securing investment is undoubtedly a milestone for any business, offering resources needed for growth and expansion. However, it's not without its trade-offs. Here's why more money isn't always synonymous with success: 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Each round of funding can dilute founders' and early investors' shares, potentially decreasing control over decision-making and future profits. 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞: More capital often comes with higher expectations for rapid growth, sometimes pushing companies towards unsustainable expansion models. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Large investments can create a false sense of security, leading businesses to overlook underlying issues in their model or market fit. 💼 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 True success goes beyond the amount of money raised. It's about creating value, achieving sustainable growth, and making a tangible impact on your customers and community. It's building a business that thrives on its own merits, not just its funding rounds. Have you experienced the pressure of managing significant investments? How do you measure success beyond financial metrics and funding achievements? Let's shift the conversation from how much was raised to how value was created and sustained. Share your thoughts and experiences below! #FundingFallacy #StartupSuccess #ValueCreation #BusinessGrowth