Leads & Co-leads, what's the deal?? + Fundraising Fieldnotes - 8.20.21

Aug 20

Hey - it’s Jason Yeh 🕺🏻

This is my Friday recap of thoughts I’ve had while helping founders solve their fundraising challenges this past week (8.20.21)

If you have any questions, please reply! I try to get to every comment/question I get :)

Shoutout to Jonathan Lee for co-authoring this week’s newsletter!

So what’s the deal with Leads & Co-Leads?

With a record $125B poured into global venture funding in early 2021,VC activity is advancing at a white-hot velocity with no signs of slowing down. Startup founders have an extraordinary opportunity to get in front of investors and pitch even the wildest ideas.

Among all the critical questions that startup founders need to answer regarding potential investors, one is especially important - are they willing to lead the round?

But what exactly is a lead investor, and what happens if a firm offers to co-lead instead? In my experience as a fundraising coach interacting with startup founders daily, the latter scenario is occurring at a high clip and is often a smoke signal that founders need to be wary of.

One of the most common misconceptions founders have is that lead investors have specific, binding responsibilities and obligations… (continue reading…)

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On to the Fieldnotes for 8.20.21…