“I started without a fund at all, borrowed to make my first investment, and built from there, so I know the cold-start problem. For a first-time founder, I'd look for seed-stage specialists who back people before the proof is perfect, and I'd spend more time understanding what they actually add beyond the check.”

“Start with the investors who specialize in your stage, not the big multi-stage logos. I bias hard toward stage specialists because they actually lead, they know your world, and they tend to be the ones who will roll up their sleeves when product-market fit is still messy.”

“I spent my first decade as an operator before I ever sat on the other side of the table, so I raised money without really understanding who was actually adding value versus who was just well-known. Start with investors who have backed founders at your stage and in your sector, then backchannel with those founders to learn what the investor actually did when things got hard.”

“I raised our first $25M fund by getting 75 family offices to write $50K to $250K checks after 50 institutions passed, so I’d start with angels and seed funds that actually write first-check checks, not the brand-name firms you’re supposed to pitch.”

“I raised my first $250K pre-seed as a first-time founder with zero exits and no Ivy League stamp, mostly from angels and people one degree out from my network. VCs won't chase you yet, so don't chase them: start with operators who understand your problem and write small checks, because early investors bet on you, not the idea.”

“I've invested in 77 companies since 2012, and I can tell you that raising money and building a $50m company are two completely different things, and most people are only trying to do one of them. Find investors who back that version of you, not the unicorn story. Only take money if you'd personally invest in your own company yourself.”

“Start with angels and emerging managers who actually write first checks into pre-seed companies like yours, not the brand-name funds that mostly lead later. I built Behind Genius by cold-DMing operators who had operating scars in the spaces I cared about, because those were the people who would bet on a first-timer.”

“Stop chasing the brand names and start with investors who actually back first-timers at your stage. Newer sub-$200M funds are usually less ownership-sensitive, more helpful, and hungrier to prove themselves than the marquee firms. Target the partner, not the logo: find the one who has already invested in a company like yours, then get a warm intro through that founder.”

“I invest at the earliest stages in founders who look broken and decide they have to fix it. Start with angels—retired entrepreneurs who made money and want to help. They'll get involved, and one introduction often opens ten more doors. Don't pitch VCs; find the people building in your space already, and ask them who's writing checks.”