When I was in venture capital, it wasn’t uncommon to ask founders “What’s your runway?”. And way too often I’d get back “1 month”. Which meant the company will be out of money in 1 month’s time. That’s waaaay too little time to close your round, and it sends a very wrong signal to investors: you are raising out of desperation. To avoid this, I drafted today’s newsletter: my guide to structuring your fundraising process, step by step. And because fundraising is a huge topic that you can look...
about 2 months ago • 8 min read
Ever heard the term “venture-scale” company? Beyond anything else, this refers to how large a company can become (fast). And you might wonder what large means… well, large: it should be valued in the billions. To put in perspective: At a 10x revenue multiple at exit, this means annual revenues in the hundreds of millions (like $100M+ per year). If your company doesn’t have this potential from the outset, chances are you’ve been rejected by VCs, or you’ll hear you’re “not venture-scale” at one...
3 months ago • 4 min read
I often feel like 95% of the fundraising discussion revolves around the pitch deck. The exact slides to cover, the exact design, which template to use. And I see founders obsess over it for weeks, or even months… But while important, your deck’s job is actually quite limited: to get you to a meeting. That’s it. If your deck sparks enough curiosity that an investor wants to hop on a call with you, it did its job. If instead it’s confusing, too detailed, or misses key points entirely, it...
4 months ago • 8 min read
Many founders think raising money is about having a great pitch. Send your deck, wow them in 30 minutes, get a check. I wish. After sitting through dozens of investment decisions as a VC, I can tell you the investment process is way more structured, way more layered, and way more competitive than most people realize. So let me walk you through exactly what happens behind the scenes, from the moment a VC sees your name to the moment money hits your account. It starts with dealflow Dealflow is...
4 months ago • 4 min read
So often I feel like the entire pitching discussion revolves around one thing: how to pitch your startup in 3 minutes, on stage. In reality, most deals (almost all of them actually) don’t happen this way. They happen behind closed doors, in a 1-on-1 meeting. You and the VC you’re speaking with. That’s it. So when I hear the word “pitching,” I don’t think of those 3-minute stage pitches. I think of the entire long-form meeting. An actual conversation, with questions and answers, where you...
5 months ago • 4 min read
It’s one of the most common questions I get: “How do I know how much I should raise?” And while there is some (simple) math involved, calculating your funding needs is easier than you think. On the flipside, one of the worst answers you can give? “We are flexible, we’ll accept as much as the VC is willing to give” If you don’t know how much you need and why, how can investors trust you to spend their money wisely? Here’s what you need to do, step-by-step: Step 1: Start with Your Goals (Not...
5 months ago • 4 min read
If I have to sum up 2025 in a few words, it would be AI, deeptech, megarounds. As we entered into 2026, many of the leading organizations researching VC & startups issued their 2025 reports. So, I went through a few and summarised my findings below. Overview Funding came back in 2025, but has still not reached its peak in 2021. In the US, total private investment reached $327.8B in 2025, up 66% year over year. The recovery was fast and heavily driven by late-stage AI rounds. Europe recovered...
6 months ago • 4 min read
Hey there, If you’re reading this, you’re part of an elite group of my very first subscribers, and I’m really happy to have you here! I mainly write about fundraising and VC, coming from my own experience. From next week on, that’s all you’ll be reading about. But for this issue, I wanted to make it a bit more personal and properly introduce myself. So, hi, I’m Geri! I spent six years in Germany and Italy, studying Business Administration and Finance. Nine years ago, I decided to move back...
6 months ago • 3 min read