FunRaising Podcast with Mat Vogels @ VC Sheet

On first impressions, momentum, and people bets

I recently went on the FunRaising podcast with Mat Vogels, a new series from VC Sheet where early-stage investors answer questions that were nominated and voted on by first-time founders. It was my first time doing anything like this, and Mat was a great host! He asked sharp questions and I tried to give honest answers. It was such a fun opportunity to reflect a little bit on what I’ve learned over the past few months.

We talked about what makes a great cold email (and when a warm intro might be worthwhile if you can swing it), what I hunt for when a new deck comes through, the distinction between pretty and well-designed, why I’m trying to lean more into consistency of principle than judging whether something is the “right” answer, how we think about diligence at a concentrated fund – and why you should reference us back the same way we’re referencing you. We also got into the importance of strong relationships through the whole process, which is really what most things come down to. Mat put together a great first batch of investors for the series, and there are a lot of easter eggs in those conversations – give it a listen if you have a few minutes!