Part 15: The dream comes true

Imagine what it would feel like to have raised the capital you are looking for. Raising capital is a significant milestone for start-ups. You can finally focus on product and growth initiatives and turn your vision into reality.

At Zendog Labs, we understand the importance of this step because we have experienced it firsthand. When Softbank Vision Fund, Founders Fund, Palantir, and other investors put US$3 billion into Roivant, we suddenly found ourselves on a hiring spree, investing in sales and marketing, renting offices on Times Square, and holding end-of-year events at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. As a founder, you've been through a tough journey and it's important to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

While raising funds is exciting, it also comes with a significant responsibility. You are now managing someone else’s capital, and they are trusting you to be a good steward of their investment. As a founder, you must keep in mind that your start-up exists to create shareholder value, so it's crucial to execute against the objectives that you promised. Remember, stakeholder value will follow later. And don’t get complacent just because you now have more runway and cash than you've ever had.

Among other things, you'll want to keep your current investors (not just investors that passed) engaged and informed. Provide regular updates via an investor newsletter and possibly meet key investors face-to-face regularly to improve your relationship. That’s in addition to the board meetings that you’ll have to have anyways.

Don’t forget that your next investors will look at your current investors. If your current investors do not follow on, i.e., exercise their pro-rata rights, it is a very strong signal to external investors that something is wrong. And you don’t want that because it can mean even more passes.

Alrighty, this completes our fundraising and pitch deck series for now. We hope you found this helpful. If you have more questions, get in touch with us.

Talk soon,

Rafael

PS: How do we help you? My team and I build pitch decks, review existing decks, and offer pitch simulations. Get in touch if you or someone you know may be interested.

PPS: This mini course is based on our popular “Fundraising & Pitch Deck” newsletter.