The Fundraising Debrief

Hosted by Vlad Cazacu

Business Entrepreneurship

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May 2024

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About the show

"The Fundraising Debrief" focuses on the real stories behind successful founders and their recent VC financing rounds. The podcast aims to provide valuable insights into what it takes to raise a successful financing round, from finding the first believers and navigating the due diligence process with various investors to the first term sheet and its negotiation. Hosted by Vlad Cazacu and sponsored by Flowlie Technologies, the #1 deck-sharing and round management platform used by VC-backed founders around the world.

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11 recent

May 29, 202429 min

The Fundraising Debrief (Ep. 11): Joe Orji (Trustcrow $550K Pre-Seed)

Joe Orji, founder and CEO of Trustcrow joins Vlad Cazacu, co-founder and CEO of Flowlie, to discuss their latest $550K Pre-Seed Round, his lessons from real estate, and why international focus can be a competitive advantage. 00:00 Introduction to Joe Orji and Trustcrow 00:16 Welcome to the Fundraising Debrief Podcast 01:21 Joe Orji's Early Career in Real Estate 03:42 Transition to Nigeria and Landmark Africa 06:07 Founding Trustcrow: The Vision and Challenges 12:27 The Fundraising Journey: Strategy and Execution 19:06 Reflections on Fundraising and Relationships 26:42 Rapid Fire Questions and Closing Remarks You can find Joe Orji on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-orji-a092017/ and learn more about Trustcrow at https://gotrustcrow.com/. Learn more about Flowlie and how the platform helped thousands of founders from 70+ countries around the world raise hundreds of millions of dollars. Build your dream cap table with Flowlie's all-in-one Fundraising Hub at https://www.flowlie.com/ Stay up-to-date with all our episodes by checking our website at https://www.thefundraisingdebrief.com/, following us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/thefundraisingd, and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thefundraisingdebrief/.

January 17, 202448 min

The Fundraising Debrief (Ep. 10): Yoav Oren (Zoog $2.2M Pre-Seed)

Yoav Oren, co-founder and CEO of Zoog joins Vlad Cazacu, co-founder and CEO of Flowlie, to discuss their latest $2.2M Pre-Seed Round, leadership during difficult times, and the role of the CEO for an early-stage business. 00:01 Introduction and Background of the Hosts 00:16 About the Podcast and Its Sponsor 01:10 Interview Begins: Current Situation in Israel 01:30 Challenges and Coping Strategies During War 03:50 Role of a CEO During Crisis 06:04 Adapting Business Operations Amidst Crisis 08:56 Introduction to Zoog and Its Origin 11:54 How Zoog Works and Its Impact 13:42 Yoav's Career Journey Before Zoog 20:27 Transition from Textile Industry to Tech 21:47 Experience at SimilarWeb and Decision to Start Zoog 25:26 Thoughts on Being a First-Time Founder 26:48 Being Honest and True to Yourself as a Founder 27:17 The Importance of Resilience and a Strong Support System 27:57 Facing Rejection and Maintaining Optimism 29:11 The Role of Vision and Optimism in Entrepreneurship 30:00 The Journey of Raising Capital for Zoog 30:40 The Challenges and Successes of Pre-Seed Funding 38:35 The Importance of Relationship Building in Fundraising 40:22 Learning from Mistakes in Fundraising 42:20 The Impact of ADHD on Entrepreneurship 44:05 The Role of Mentors and Gratitude in Career Success 47:00 Closing Remarks and Future Plans You can find Yoav Oren on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/yoav-oren-78aba714/ and learn more about ZoogI at https://www.getzoog.com/. Learn more about Flowlie and how the platform helped thousands of founders from 70+ countries around the world raise hundreds of millions of dollars. Build your dream cap table with Flowlie's all-in-one Fundraising Hub at https://www.flowlie.com/ Stay up-to-date with all our episodes by checking our website at https://www.thefundraisingdebrief.com/, following us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/thefundraisingd, and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thefundraisingdebrief/.

December 14, 202341 min

The Fundraising Debrief (Ep. 9): Kaia Parv (CrediLinq $8.1M Seed)

Kaia Parv, co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of CrediLinq, joins Vlad Cazacu, co-founder and CEO of Flowlie, to discuss their recent $8.1M Seed and Seed Extension raise and the unique challenges of raising capital for both a technology startup as well as a private credit fund. 00:00 Introduction and Welcome 00:16 About the Host and the Podcast 01:03 Introduction to the Guest: Kaia Parv 01:26 Kaia's Career Journey and Transition to CrediLinq 03:59 The Decision to Join a Fintech Startup 05:59 Understanding CrediLinq's Business Model 07:46 The Dual Structure of CrediLinq's Fundraising 09:39 The Startup Fundraising Journey 10:09 The Seed Extension Round 11:27 The Impact of Macro Environment on Fundraising 33:36 The Importance of Lead Investors 37:09 Rapid Fire Questions and Conclusion You can find Kaia Parv on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaiarparv/ and learn more about CrediLinq at https://www.credilinq.ai/. Learn more about Flowlie and how the platform helped thousands of founders from 65+ countries around the world raise hundreds of millions of dollars. Build your dream cap table with Flowlie's all-in-one Fundraising Hub at https://www.flowlie.com/ Stay up-to-date with all our episodes by checking our website at https://www.thefundraisingdebrief.com/, following us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/thefundraisingd, and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thefundraisingdebrief/.

November 8, 202341 min

The Fundraising Debrief (Ep. 8): Iliyas Issatayev (Hero's Journey $1.3M Seed)

Iliyas Issatayev, founder and CEO of Hero's Journey, joins Vlad Cazacu, co-founder and CEO of Flowlie, to discuss their recent $1.5M Seed raise and the unique challenges of raising capital for a Kazakhstan-based fitness technology startup. You can find Iliyas Issatayev on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/iliyas-issatayev-49ba2b10/ and learn more about Hero's Journey at https://herosjourney.kz/ Learn more about Flowlie and how the platform helped thousands of founders from 65+ countries around the world raise hundreds of millions of dollars. Build your dream cap table with Flowlie's all-in-one Fundraising Hub at https://www.flowlie.com/ Stay up-to-date with all our episodes by checking our website at https://www.thefundraisingdebrief.com/, following us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/thefundraisingd, and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thefundraisingdebrief/.

October 25, 202348 min

The Fundraising Debrief (Ep. 7): Keren Fanan (Giraffe $10.5M Seed)

Keren Fanan, co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Giraffe, joins Vlad Cazacu, co-founder and CEO of Flowlie, to discuss their recent $10.5M Seed raise with a global base of investors. You can find Keren Fanan on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/keren-fanan-47268344/ and learn more about Giraffe at https://giraffe.us/ Learn more about Flowlie and how the platform helped thousands of founders from 65+ countries around the world raise hundreds of millions of dollars. Build your dream cap table with Flowlie's all-in-one Fundraising Hub at https://www.flowlie.com/ Stay up-to-date with all our episodes by checking our website at https://www.thefundraisingdebrief.com/, following us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/thefundraisingd, and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thefundraisingdebrief/.

October 11, 202345 min

The Fundraising Debrief (Ep. 6): Brad Larschan (Avadain $6M Reg. CF)

Brad Larschan, Founder and CEO of Avadain, joins Vlad Cazacu, co-founder and CEO of Flowlie, to discuss their success in raising over $10M with $6M of that through equity crowdfunding. You can find Brad Larschan on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradley-larschan-a7736175/ and learn more about Avadain AI at https://avadaingraphene.com/ Learn more about Flowlie and how the platform helped thousands of founders from 65+ countries around the world raise hundreds of millions of dollars. Build your dream cap table with Flowlie's all-in-one Fundraising Hub at https://www.flowlie.com/ Stay up-to-date with all our episodes by checking our website at https://www.thefundraisingdebrief.com/, following us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/thefundraisingd, and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thefundraisingdebrief/.

September 27, 202342 min

The Fundraising Debrief (Ep. 5): Michael True (Prescient AI $4.5M Seed)

Michael True, co-founder and CEO of Prescient AI, joins Vlad Cazacu, co-founder and CEO of Flowlie, to discuss their latest $4.5M Seed Round, explore the strategy changes from their previous Pre-Seed Round, and jam on best tactics to build relationships with VCs before the round. You can find Michael True on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljtrue/ and learn more about Prescient AI at https://www.prescient-ai.io/ Learn more about Flowlie and how the platform helped thousands of founders from 60+ countries around the world raise hundreds of millions of dollars. Build your dream cap table with Flowlie's all-in-one Fundraising Hub at https://www.flowlie.com/ Stay up-to-date with all our episodes by checking our website at https://www.thefundraisingdebrief.com/, following us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/thefundraisingd, and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thefundraisingdebrief/.

September 13, 202344 min

The Fundraising Debrief (Ep. 4): Maddy Alcala (Gooten $11M Series A)

Maddy Alcala, President of Gooten, joins Vlad Cazacu, co-founder and CEO of Flowlie, to discuss their latest $11M Series A Round and her journey to lead the company. You can find Maddy Alcala on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/maddyalcala/ and learn more about Gooten at https://www.gooten.com/ Learn more about Flowlie and how the platform helped thousands of founders from 60+ countries around the world raise hundreds of millions of dollars. Build your dream cap table with Flowlie's all-in-one Fundraising Hub at https://www.flowlie.com/ Stay up-to-date with all our episodes by checking our website at https://www.thefundraisingdebrief.com/, following us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/thefundraisingd, and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thefundraisingdebrief/.

August 30, 202348 min

The Fundraising Debrief (Ep. 3): Lamine Zarrad (StellarFi $15M Series A)

Dive into Episode 3 of 'The Fundraising Debrief' as we sit down with Lamine Zarrad, the mastermind behind Stellar Fi - a game-changer in the financial empowerment space. Fresh off a whopping $15M Series A round, Lamine sheds light on the secrets of fundraising, his journey with one of Austin's first unicorn startups, and his impressive exits. This episode is packed with invaluable insights for every entrepreneur. StellarFi launched just a year ago and recently announced a $15M in Series A funding, and $2M in ARR only 7 months after its launch! Lamine is an immigrant and ex-Marine who previously founded Joust (acquired by ZenBusiness). He also worked as a National Bank Examiner for the US Treasury and founded StellarFi after his own experience with bad credit as a young adult. In total, StellarFi has raised $22.2 million in funding. Repeat backer Acrew Capital led its Series A, which included participation from Trust Ventures, ATX Venture Partners, Dream Ventures, Interplay, Accomplice Ventures, Vera Equity, FJ Labs, Fiat Ventures, Gaingels, Kelmhurst, Oyster Funds, Hilltop Ventures, Permit Ventures, Kindergarten Ventures, J2 Capital, Socially Financed and Kapital Ventures. You can find Lamine Zarrad on Twitter at https://twitter.com/zarradlb and learn more about StellarFi at https://stellarfi.com/ Learn more about Flowlie and how the platform helped thousands of founders from 60+ countries around the world raise hundreds of millions of dollars. Build your dream cap table with Flowlie's all-in-one Fundraising Hub at https://www.flowlie.com/ Stay up-to-date with all our episodes by checking our website at https://www.thefundraisingdebrief.com/, following us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/thefundraisingd, and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thefundraisingdebrief/.

August 16, 202337 min

The Fundraising Debrief (Ep. 2): Philip Odelfelt (Datavations $4.2M Seed)

Philip Odelfelt, co-founder and CEO of Datavations, joins Vlad Cazacu, co-founder and CEO of Flowlie, to discuss his latest $4.2M Seed Round and all the tactic used to assemble their cap table. Listen in as Philip spills the secrets on assembling a value-add roster of investors, the tactics that helped him secure capital, and why personal relationships are just as important as business acumen. Plus, he shares networking tips, book recommendations, and insights into the scalability strategies that are propelling Datavations to new heights. Whether you're a first-time founder or a seasoned entrepreneur, this episode is packed with actionable advice and behind-the-scenes stories that you won't want to miss! [00:00:00] - Introduction of Philip Odelfelt, Co-founder and CEO of Datavations [00:01:00] - Mention of Flowlie, the episode’s sponsor [00:02:00] - Datavations' proprietary data set and use of AI [00:09:00] - Datavations' edge over pure AI development companies [00:10:00] - Importance of growth rate for Datavations [00:11:00] - Impact of new talent on the company [00:12:00] - Philip’s six-month fundraising journey [00:15:00] - The vision-driven approach to getting investors [00:17:00] - Building personal relationships with investors [00:19:00] - Choosing investors based on value-add, not just brand [00:20:00] - The importance of business culture and relationships [00:24:00] - Investors who became customers before investing [00:27:00] - The power of investor introductions and endorsements [00:29:00] - The tactics that helped Datavations secure capital [00:31:00] - Treating fundraising as a business partnership [00:32:00] - Philip's background and bilingual education [00:33:00] - Networking insights and tips [00:34:00] - Book recommendations from Philip [00:36:00] - Scalability considerations for Datavations [00:37:00] - Advanced access and engagement tracking strategies Books mentioned: Pure business books Traction By Gino Wickman Lean Startup Zero to One Biographies/business stories How Google Works The Everything Store Lead From The Core Self-help & leadership books 7 Habits of highly effective people Just Listen Leaders Eat Last Funding Specific Fundraising by Ryan Breslow Angel by Jason Calcanis Backable by Suneel Gupta You can find Philip Odelfelt on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DatavationsCEO and learn more about Datavations at https://www.datavations.com/ Learn more about Flowlie and how the platform helped thousands of founders from 60+ countries around the world raise hundreds of millions of dollars. Build your dream cap table with Flowlie's all-in-one Fundraising Hub at https://www.flowlie.com/ Stay up-to-date with all our episodes by checking our website at https://www.thefundraisingdebrief.com/, following us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/thefundraisingd, and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thefundraisingdebrief/.