You’re about to start a fundraise. How can you make the process smooth, raise millions, and get back to building? Here are my three best tips…

1. Get Calendly. You cold message an investor and, miraculously, he responds! It’s time to set up a meeting.

Just drop your Calendly link and he can pick a time that works for him. This avoids trading messages endlessly.

Too many founders still schedule meetings the old way with emails back and forth. This is a huge time suck.

You’re going to have scores of these meetings. Save yourself time and get Calendly. 

2. Have Your Deck Ready. When a founder messages me, the first thing I ask for is the deck.

“We’re preparing the deck, and we’ll send it along when available.” Every now and then, I get this response.

Why are you starting a fundraise without a deck?

Usually, it takes them weeks to send me the deck, if I get it at all. If it takes weeks to make a deck, how on earth are you going to run a company?

You have the investor’s attention. Make the most of it. Include your deck in the first message. 

3. Incorporate Properly. Most U.S. investors won’t touch a company that’s not organized as a Delaware C Corporation. 

Before you start your fundraise, get incorporated properly. We need a predictable legal structure if we’re going to put money in. 

One of my investments, Capbase, can handle this for just $1,000/year. 

Wrap-Up

When you head out on a fundraise, you want all your ducks in a row. You want it to be quick and easy.

When you make scheduling smooth, have a great deck on hand, and incorporate properly, you’re showing investors you know what you’re doing. Each time you get one of these little things right, we gain confidence. 

Nail the little things and maybe you can be the one to build the next billion-dollar company.

How do you prepare for a fundraise?

More on tech: 

Your Deck Probably Sucks. Here’s How to Fix It.

How I Found 149 Investors Following Me on X – Plus 2 More Tools to Close Your Round Faster

Three Easy Ways for Frazzled Founders to Save Time

Save Money on Stuff I Use:

Fundrise

This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

More on Fundrise in this post.

If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

Misfits Market

I’ve used Misfits for years, and it never disappoints! Every fruit and vegetable is organic, super fresh, and packed with flavor!

I wrote a detailed review of Misfits here.

Use this link to sign up and you’ll save $15 on your first order.