Introducing my new podcast: Raiser’s Edge
My new podcast uncovers the secrets of the best VC fundraisers.
Over the last 15 years, I’ve helped dozens of founders become better fundraisers.
Fundraising has one of the most extreme skill gaps in startup life. Some founders make it look easy and land monster FOMO rounds in days.
But most founders aren’t in a hype sector and don’t have the magic touch of a Musk. Instead, they slog through hundreds of meetings—often with no term sheet to show for it.
The gap isn’t just about product or market. It’s about mastery. The best fundraisers know how to translate vision into conviction and use investor psychology to their advantage. Their raises don’t just fill a balance sheet—they change a company’s trajectory.
Raising capital is a skill any CEO can master—as long as they have the right resources. That’s why I created Raiser’s Edge, a new podcast, hosted by me, Ben Elowitz. Each episode takes you behind the scenes with top raising founders, uncovering the real, hard-won, actionable secrets that allowed them to gain a capital advantage—so you can, too.
Some tips from this upcoming season of Raiser’s Edge:
1. Design your company to be investable.
In my conversation with David Shim (Read.ai, Placed), he cautioned founders against pitching their startup without proving product–market fit. Most VCs already run their own analytics—they often know exactly where you stand before you’ve even met. David stood out by supercharging PMF so his numbers lit up those screens, and investors started chasing him.
2. A “no” can be just as valuable as a “yes”.
During our pilot episode, Dan Shapiro (Glowforge, Ontela/Photobucket) talks about how he sees rejection from VCs not as failure but as feedback. Each “no” is a chance to refine your pitch—as long as you learn how to tell genuine critiques from polite brush-offs.
3. Investors aren’t buying your product.
In my interview with Gregory Mark (Backflip.ai, Markforged, Aeromotion), Greg put it simply—investors buy companies not products, so it’s not what you make, it’s how you make it. No matter how great the product, your pitch needs to be about the business behind it. Your model, margins, and momentum are what they’re betting on.
The common thread? None of these masters were “born” fundraisers. They learned, iterated, and built the skill that got them capital and outcomes—and you can too.
On Raiser’s Edge, you’ll get these insights and more tools, hacks, and insider advice you can’t get anywhere else.
Ready to learn from the best and level up your fundraising game?
Watch the trailer below! And subscribe to us here on Substack, as well as on Apple Podcasts & Spotify to make sure you don’t miss an episode - our first episode, with guest Dan Shapiro, drops next Tuesday, November 11th.
Let’s raise the bar together.
– Ben