#149 VC Fundraising in 2024 - Execute!

April 19, 2024

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“The purpose of life is a life of purpose.” -Robert Byrne

Top Reads of Recent History, VC CFO Style

Top VC Fundraising Reads & Lessons (Timeless)

Previously, we shared posts with lessons learned from VCs such as Fred Wilson @ Union Square Ventures, Jeff Morris Jr. @ Chapter One, Elizabeth Yin @ The Hustle Fund, Winter Mead @ Oper8r, and Mark Suster @ Upfront Ventures.

All have had different fundraise journeys and share unique insights. The background posts are linked here:

VC Fundraising in 2024 - Execute & Next Steps

1. Top of Funnel First

Build your top of funnel first! This isn’t a unique insight from just us! Listen to Mark Suster @ Upfront Ventures, who has raised hundreds of millions as an entrepreneur and investor: “The hardest thing about fund raising is how dispiriting it can be. The reality is that very early in your process you’ll hear “no” and it can set you back and make you think that nobody sees your vision or values your progress to date. You might hear 9–10 “no’s” in the early stretches of your fund raising process. It is CRITICAL that you not let this get inside your head.”

@galeforceVC said it well on X (fka Twitter) in 2021 - this still stands:

2. Make a List

The investor universe out there is broad. You only have 24 hours in a day. How do you narrow the universe down to spend your time effectively, with individuals likely to invest in your fund or make the right connections to ones that will? Back to Mark Suster, who shares his thoughts on the first thing to do before fundraising in this post. Here are our favorites:

  1. Create a list

  2. Stack rank opportunities

  3. Qualify, qualify, qualify

  4. Follow up. Be humble

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