How to Raise Millions for Your Startup (Without Selling Your Soul)
What I’ve learned raising $40M+ across multiple businesses
When I raised my first round of funding, I thought it would be about the product.
The idea. The market size. The big vision.
What I learned—after pitching to dozens of investors and hearing far more no’s than yeses was this:
Fundraising is not about perfection.
It’s about clarity, conviction, and process.
I’ve raised more than $40 million across multiple businesses, across every stage, from pre-seed to growth rounds. And I’ve invested more than $1m myself into startup and scaleup companies.
Some rounds came together fast. Others felt like trench warfare.
But every single time, it came down to the same principles.
This is everything I wish someone had told me before I raised a penny.
1. Fundraising is an Ongoing Process, Not a Moment.
One of the biggest mistakes I made early was treating fundraising like a single event.
Like there would be a magical pitch where someone would just say “yes.”
The reality?
Fundraising is a structured, staged campaign, like B2B enterprise sales. It requires a pipeline, rhythm, follow-up, momentum, and a closing strategy.
If you drip outreach over 3 months and hope someone bites, you’ll lose steam and confidence.
Instead, think of it like this:
Warm up your network
Stack meetings over 2–4 weeks
Get feedback
Iterate
Build heat and interest
Close while the energy is there
Time kills deals. Momentum closes them.
