Fundraising Fundamentals By Geoff Ralston

YC Partner Geoff Ralston gives an introduction to the key concepts to keep in mind once you enter a fundraising process.
Learn more at www.startupschool.org/

[@christopherarmstrong2710]

30:15 Fundraising is not the goal, it's the starting line. You're building a business and a product that people want, and you're trying to build something that's sustainable over the long term. Fundraising is just one small step on the way to that. 30:45 Fundraising is not winning. The company that raises the most at the highest valuation will not necessarily (or even usually) be the biggest & most successful company at the end of the day.

[@chrisutopian8472]

Sory, I am late. But, better late than never. I had it in my past experience I could only have felt, now I hear from you: The best time to raise money is when you don't need it! Thanks for the great lecture!

[@sineadward5225]

Thank you Geoff and YC for the leadership and the insights.

[@davidgrant6451]

One of the top presentations on KZbin on the subject.

[@shadieossei4336]

Phenomenal presentation!

[@davidshamiri1448]

46:40 Dilution average per round? Seed round 10-20% (30% is pushing it) Round A 20-25% Series B Usually less than 20%

[@reardelt]

Thanks.

[@felixbouma2691]

Amazing presentation!

[@fernfawfaw]

Thank you. Geoff Ralston for valuable lecture.

[@JosephProsnitz1]

why not put links in the description?

[@villanuevaphoto-eb6mi]

Invaluable information here. Thank you!

[@thearclight]

Thanks for sharing this, can’t wait to apply these lessons 🙌🏾

[@mrdibujante]

Got it, I will talk to others investors so I can practice, before reaching out... Seriously, thanks for sharing your experience.

[@SufyanKhan-zm2uc]

Great lecture.

[@Nedwin]

Thanks, sir! Very useful. 🙏

[@zofe]

If your start-up collects information for Big-Brother, e.g. IoT, Big-Data, Autonomous-driving (a moving cluster of sensors), Wireless Water-Meters, Payment Software, AI/ML, then you'ld see the big money quite from the start. AR is a way to carry cameras and to 'tag' (classify) contents from the real world in to the big-data search machines.

[@selenale7748]

this is so real and helpful, thank Geoff, Selena Le from WSAFE IMPACT VENTURE BUILDER

[@manangarg1]

Figure out the story of my start up Find the right investors Get organised , do your homework Make and pitch again and again until we getting a yes Agree on a reasonable price Get money in the bank Back to work

[@abdulsalamayoola7159]

That was great presentation!!

[@ratanvaghela7666]

GP level information ❤

[@LinardsBerzins]

great stuff

[@asyahussen5919]

Thanks a lot for this video

[@mhb11]

For people looking to find out the average valuation caps prevalent in YC around the time of this video: $8M (at the 50:05 mark)

[@stealthoverflow]

Loved the vid

[@adamlofquist]

Not trying to pick out a flaw but around 15:36 did Geoff mean to say pre-valuation? I believe he says if $1 million is invested into $4 million post-evaluation, then the total would be $5 million and therefore the investor would have 20% but if it is post-valuations, it means the total is valuation is $4 million and therefore would actually be 25%? I of course may be missing something.

[@eric_andrews]

ya he misspoke, amazing lecture though

[@adamlofquist]

@@eric_andrews thank you, agreed great presentation I just though I was missing something.

[@ASNL-ge6ih]

You are right on this point, he was wrong

[@amirnaeinee3330]

آنچه پس از آماده‌سازی مستندات لازم برای جذب سرمایه، باید مورد توجه بنیان‌گذاران کسب‌وکارها قرار بگیرد؛ انتخاب مدل تأمین مالی و طراحی سناریوهای مختلف جذب سرمایه است. دراین‌ارتباط گزینه‌های مناسب برای مذاکره به صورت بهینه لیست شده و مستندات لازم بر مبنای ملاحظات‌شان تهیه می‌شوند. در‌نهایت باز هم فرآیند مذاکره برای جذب سرمایه آسان‌تر می‌شود.

[@Inquire98]

"Thank GOD 🙏🏾", and thank you very much for your sharing support and time 😉 Should my fund-raising website be separate from the business website 🙄

[@shh1909]

10:00 what should your pitch include?

[@orshamaim]

Thank you!🙏🏽

[@justinfleagle]

What do you do with the money once people invest?

[@filobrosgolf]

This was great, thank you for sharing. One important question I have, recently I was diluted out of a startup I funded. I ended up getting 3x but felt somewhat ripped off. How can investors guard against the cap table dilution that sometimes happens when VC's start investing?

[@ABZO753]

Wha it something that you could easily have foreseen according to the signed spreadsheet ?

[@Rex1987]

what is a VC anyway?

[@lasansanjula1909]

@@Rex1987 venture capitalist

[@Talkwithtina808]

Thank you

[@jackthemarketscan2815]

Can you provide services to Thailand ?

[@fernandoaldridge4825]

What are the 8 things to put in a pitch deck?

[@MillionMajesty]

Thanks very much for this video but I have a question Am from Nigeria and want a fund raising for my planning company and my question is that how will I connect with investors overseas to pitch my company for them and how will I have communication with them and how will I connect with YCs. Thank you

[@mhb11]

Raising $1M on $4M post-money valuation is 25% of the company, not 20%. Geoff misspeaks at 15:38, but ultimately comes around to the right number at 17:12

[@vidbina]

Thanks. Was watching this, heard the 25, double taked, paused and recalculated multiple times, then started questioning my intuition on the matter. Lesson to self: just finish the tutorial (full-pass) before questioning too much and venturing down clarification-seeking side quests as clarification may follow on the main path ahead. 😅

[@home4ever895]

Geoff, thank you for the great information. My name is Eliyahu. We are based in Israel. We developed one of the most advanced building systems on the market today! Over the last 7 years we have invested millions to creat and perfect a buiding system that can produce a high volume pruduct using Israel High Tech in combinations with fully automated robots and machines and almost no human labor. We filed a provisional patent in 150 countries. I am an American so I know the U.S construction and housing industry fairly well, I believe we can do extremely well in the states and worldwide. We need your help and get your advice on how to move forward and raise the V.C needed. Can we talk?

[@dimitriantanov3150]

If you were actually valuable, you wouldn't try and pitch in youtube comments.

[@jonyfrany1319]

It’s all about relationships

[@FelixVendit]

That's dope!

[@george_davituri]

great talk

[@minakh4814]

جذب سرمایه و تامین سرمایه کافی برای استارتاپ‌ ها حیاتی است. آنچه پس از آماده‌سازی مستندات لازم برای جذب سرمایه، باید مورد توجه بنیان‌گذاران کسب‌وکارها قرار بگیرد؛ انتخاب مدل تأمین مالی و طراحی سناریوهای مختلف جذب سرمایه است. دراین‌ارتباط گزینه‌های مناسب برای مذاکره به صورت بهینه لیست شده و مستندات لازم بر مبنای ملاحظات‌شان تهیه می‌شوند. در‌نهایت باز هم فرآیند مذاکره برای جذب سرمایه آسان‌تر می‌شود.

[@manuelbaeza9396]

8:06 its about you

[@richarddavid6004]

Thanks May I have the link to the video about raised money you mentioned in your presentation

[@ahsanmohammed1]

Need slide with all topics and subtopics. Summary.

[@selenale7748]

how YC raise funds?, i would love to learn from accelerators/ incubators raise their funds?

[@gkkirilov]

YC has some billion-dollar investments from 10 years ago they are probably limited in good companies not money

[@selenale7748]

@@gkkirilov thank for your information, good day

[@dreamhome.realtors]

👍

[@asyahussen5919]

Fundraising

[@ahsanmohammed1]

Can someone do a list of topics (slides) he talked about.

[@shubhammahajan8149]

Hiii sir... I have a very business plan to solve the problem. I have been working on it for 3 years .. I wanted some help .. but I can't say that idea in front of everyone.

[@rahulb1069]

Hi Shubham, let me know when you think that the idea is convertible into product or services and can be delivered to the people. I look forward to support you if it sounds promising.

[@shubhammahajan8149]

@@rahulb1069 sir...send me your number

[@shubhammahajan8149]

@@rahulb1069send me your email id

[@james-innes]

Get on with it

[@divittoriofamily7353]

Hello I'm trying to raise 8thousand and 59 dollars to pay off my mortgage

[@gonzalomarmol5766]

Good luck. Keep working

[@roopmahalriceadministrativ6129]

15:14 17:37

[@darealemveepee]

The complex fragrance tellingly occur because nose wessely glue before a grubby gruesome virgo. hypnotic, energetic ex-wife

[@miky97it]

Now I'm even more scared

[@roopmahalriceadministrativ6129]

20:09

[@manangarg1]

2:44

[@Fumbuzi]

dude needed a staple

[@nastjastamenkovic1745]

52 minuten?? :-)))

[@darealemveepee]

The silky poultry temporally owe because van numerically snow between a healthy plain. quiet, heavenly heavy hellish sycamore

[@kismetology8031]

really? hour of mambo jambo?

[@kadenabet]

One of the worst talks ever. Ridiculous. 0 talk about the social approval and networking with privileged and rich people that has to be done before you can even go and ask.

[@gdhdjrjrndndn]

HP atarted in 1939, not 1957. I stopped watching at that glaring error.

[@houseofvenusMD]

Not an error😂 They formalized their agreement as a private partnership(LLC) in 1939. They were incorporated as a stock corporation in 1947 and became publicly listed in 1957. Thats three different starting points depending on what definition you care for. I personally would use 1947 since they filed articles of incorporation but I understand why a VC would care about the IPO date more than that. LLCs are small businesses, not high growth startups. HP after incorporation was categorically different than the initial private LLC.

[@gdhdjrjrndndn]

@houseofvenusMD that's has nothing to do with how they started, corporate structures change all the time.

[@houseofvenusMD]

@@gdhdjrjrndndn an LLC is NOT a corporation so by definition it is not a corporate structure. Once HP became a stock corporation then you can discuss "corporate structure" because it actually had one. Legally an LLC is just a partnership with limited tax liabilities. It does not have a LIMIT on shareholders like corporations do. A corporation is a different beast altogether. This is a VC channel. They care about corporations not LLCs. Again, as I said, I personally would have used 1947 as the starting date when discussing HP because they were officially a stock corporation then. VCs love IPOs though and a public company is another type of beast so I get why he focused on that date. Prior to 1947 though, HP was just a project with some legal protections. These distinctions matter.

[@jonyfrany1319]

If I ever do this my life will be amazing 🥲