The Raise

Levi Fawcett is the co-Founder and CEO of Partly, a Christchurch-based company building a global platform to make it simple for buyers to find the right parts for their vehicles. In this episode, Levi shares the path that led him and his co-Founders to find a problem and opportunity that is so big, it led to a US$1.2 million pre-seed round, despite having no pitch deck, no connections and no revenue; the milestones they hit to achieve a NZ$37million raise at a NZ$180 million valuation in their series A capital raise (making it the largest in New Zealand history); and the questions he asked when he was vetting investors for their capital raise. Resources and links: Levi Fawcett | LinkedIn Partly Blackbird Ventures Peter Beck (Rocket Lab) Square Peg Capital The Life You Can Save (Peter Singer) 20 Minute VC Lex Fridman podcast Radiolab podcast Connect with us: Learn how to raise capital for your startup quickly, cost effectively and successfully with Term Sheet Guru. Download one our free SAFES v Convertible Notes Cheat Sheet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Atkins is the Chief Revenue Officer and co-Founder of Cake Equity. Cake simplifies equity management for early-stage tech companies, empowering founders to build outstanding companies through equity. In this interview, Jason shares his strategy for de-risking his move from a well-paid corporate career into startup life, how he convinced Jason Calacanis (one of Silicon Valley’s best startup investors) to lead a capital raising round, and how to raise capital successfully in the current economic climate. Resources and links: Cake Equity Jason Atkins | LinkedIn Jason Atkins (@skandojase) / Twitter Jason Calacanis Startmate Rampersand LAUNCH Aussie Angels Richard Moore Angel Investor Slack QIC Disciplined Entrepreneurship by Bill Aulet The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg | Spotify Against The Odds | Podcast - Spotify Startup Equity Matters Podcasts Connect: Learn how to raise capital for your startup quickly, cost effectively and successfully with Term Sheet Guru. Download one our free SAFES v Convertible Notes Cheat Sheet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re sharing some of the highlights from our favourite conversations with startup Founders in 2022. Today, we’re revisiting My-Linh Dang’s chat with Brooke Roberts, CEO and Co-Founder of Sharesies. Sharesies is an investment platform that democratises financial investment by giving anyone with $5 the same financial investment opportunity as someone with $5 million. Resources and links: Sharesies | WebsiteBrooke Roberts | LinkedIn Connect: Learn how to raise capital for your startup quickly, cost effectively and successfully with Term Sheet Guru. Download one our free SAFES v Convertible Notes Cheat Sheet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re sharing some of the highlights from our favourite conversations with startup Founders in 2022. Today, are some of the highlights from my chat with Jessica Christiansen-Franks, Co-Founder of Neighbourlytics, a platform that provides data and insights into the urban life of neighbourhoods. Resources and links: ● Jessica Christiansen-Frank’s LinkedIn ● Neighbourlytics Website Connect: Learn how to raise capital for your startup quickly, cost effectively and successfully with Term Sheet Guru. Download our free SAFES v Convertible Notes Cheat Sheet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re sharing some of the highlights from our favourite conversations with startup Founders in 2022. James Behzadi, the CEO and Co-Founder of Kintell. Kintell is a digital platform that connects subject matter experts with learners across any topic for a video learning session. Resources and links: James Behzadi LinkedinKintellY Combinator SAFE Connect: Learn how to raise capital for your startup quickly, cost effectively and successfully with Term Sheet Guru. Download one our free SAFES v Convertible Notes Cheat Sheet See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the second instalment of our chat with Noga Edelstein, advisor & investor at Tractor Ventures, a fund that helps unlock possibilities for startup founders through non-dilutive capital and hands-on advisory services. If you missed the first instalment, catch up here; in that episode, Noga shared how to scale your startup by knowing who your target customers are (which is trickier than you think), how to prepare an investor pitch that actually gets heard, and how to approach building an investor network that gets you efficient access to capital. In this Part 2, Noga shares how to raise capital in these challenging economic times; the art of valuing a startup and how to vet and secure the right investor for your startup. Resources and links: Noga Edelstein LinkedInShantaramTractor VenturesMasters of Scale – Reid HoffmanHey YouCrowded HouseINXS Connect: Learn how to raise capital for your startup quickly, cost effectively and successfully with Term Sheet Guru. Register for one of our free capital raising webinars. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Noga Edelstein is co-Founder of Urban You, one of the most successful home service booking platforms in Australia, which she successfully exited in 2018 and which was bought out by OneFlare and ultimately by AirTasker in 2022. Today she sits on the other side of the table as an advisor and investor at Tractor Ventures, a fund that helps unlock possibilities for startup founders through non-dilutive capital and hands-on advisory services. With this 360 experience, Noga is uniquely positioned to help Founders looking to raise capital and scale their startups. In the first of this 2 part interview, you’ll hear how Noga’s early acting career helped build her resilience for capital raising; how she beat her competitors by understanding who her customers actually are and what female founders can do to help them raise capital successfully. Resources and links: Noga Edelstein | LinkedInTractor VenturesSBE Tech AcceleratorBlack Nova VC Connect: Learn how to raise capital for your startup quickly, cost effectively and successfully with Term Sheet Guru. Register for one of our free capital raising webinars. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daniel Vassilev is the Co-Founder of Relevance AI, a tech startup that gives businesses artificial intelligence super powers using a no-code AI platform and focussing on unstructured data (e.g. text, pictures, video, audio). When he was in high school, Daniel built an app in 1 week that allowed users to listen to YouTube music in the background. The app had 1 million users in just over two years. When PokemonGo was at its peak popularity, Daniel built an app that located Pokemons. That hit 4 million users in just two months. In this episode, you’ll hear Daniel’s guiding principle for validating ideas; how a conversation with a friend at a high school party led to a long-lasting co-Founder relationship and how he managed to successfully raise $3M, without it taking him away from the day-to-day business of Relevance AI. Resources and links: Daniel Vassilev | LinkedInDaniel Vassilev | TwitterRelevance AI | websiteWant to work with Relevance AIDeficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People's Economy – Stephanie KeltonBackground Briefings – Rise of Far RightYouTube PremiumNetflix -Stranger ThingsRunning up that hill Connect: Learn how to raise capital for your startup quickly, cost effectively and successfully with Term Sheet Guru. Register for one of our free capital raising webinars. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mel is the Co-Founder of Blakthumb. Blakthumb is a tech company that provides an intuitive end-to-end operating system for cultivators and producers of cannabis and food. They are driven by their mission to build resilient communities with better food security through the power of decentralised production. Mel spent almost 20 years in senior positions in government and local government before she decided to use her knowledge to change cannabis and food production systems. In this episode, you'll hear Mel share why decentralised food production (think growing crops in office buildings) is the way of the future; how she managed financial insecurity when she started working in Blakthumb full time and how she nurtured relationships with prospective investors years before Blakthumb started raising capital. Resources and links: Blakthumb | WebsiteBlakthumb | InstagramBlakthumb | TwitterMel Fyfe | TwitterPlaying to win: How strategy really works – Roger Martin, A.G. LafleyAmy Winehouse documentary Connect: Learn how to raise capital for your startup quickly, cost effectively and successfully with Term Sheet Guru. Register here for our Term Sheet Negotiation Masterclass. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brooke Roberts is the Co-CEO & Co-Founder of Sharesies. Sharesies is an investment platform that is democratising financial investment by giving someone with $5 the same financial investment opportunity as someone who has $5 million. Sharesies won the 2021 Finder Investment Awards as the top share trading platform for beginners. Brooke and her Co-Founder, Sonya Williams won the NZ Women of Influence 2020. In this episode, you’ll hear Brooke smash some of the common myths that Founders are told about capital raising; how she and her 5 co-Founders created the vision and values that still drives Sharesies today as a $500m business and how she and her co-Founders managed the almost impossible: keep all shareholders on the same class of shares so that her early backers would not be diluted further. Resources and links: Sharesies | WebsiteBrooke Roberts | LinkedInPurakau: Maori Myths Retold by Maori Writers | AmazonInventing Anna Trailer | YouTubeAiming Out by Two Another | YouTube Connect: Raise capital for your startup quickly, cost effectively and successfully with Term Sheet Guru. Register here for our capital raising Masterclass. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jade Ong is the co-founder of Elevate Money. A business that started out as 2 distinct businesses: AtlasTrend and Elevate Super. AtlasTrend allows users to access global stock markets and to easily invest in emerging trends such as big data, clean disruption and online shopping. Elevate Super allows Australians to invest their superannuation funds into companies that support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Both businesses are providing returns that are exceeding the market. Jade spent over a decade in some of the world's leading investment banks before turning her hand to building something that would make a real impact. In this episode, you'll hear Jade share how she met her co-Founders; she breaks breaks down the elements in their pitch deck that helped them close their capital raise in record time and her thought process that helped her finally leave a well paying corporate job to start this impactful business. Resources and links: Jade Ong’s LinkedInAtlasTrend WebsiteElevate Super WebsiteLean in by Sheryl SandbergA life on our Planet by David AttenboroughRubik’s CubePitch Perfect Soundtrack | Spotify High School Musical Soundtrack | Spotify Connect: Raise capital for your startup quickly, cost effectively and successfully with Term Sheet Guru. Register here for our capital raising Masterclass. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Claudia King is the CEO & Founder of Firmsy. Firmsy helps entrepreneurial law firms scale their businesses online through automation software and world class strategy coaching and support. A former tax lawyer, Claudia created New Zealand's first online legal service, Legal Beagle, before selling it for 7 figures. In this episode, you'll hear Claudia share how a eulogy that she gave at her dad’s funeral led her to the first investors for Firmsy; how she answers sexist questions from prospective investors, and tips on how to deal with prospective investors pulling the rug at the last minute in a raise. Resources and links: Savvy Lawyers FB GroupFirmsy websiteFirmsy appClaudia’s InstagramDan Martell’s SaaS AcademySusan Hyatt Rachel RodgersChantal HofsteeDeepwork (book) by Cal NewportRenew Your Mind (book) by Chantal HofsteeLeila Hermozi’s YouTube channelShakti MatSalmonella Dub’s Spotify Connect: Term Sheet GuruhereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Burton is the CEO and Co-founder of prop-tech start-up Rental Heroes, an AI chatbot revolutionising the communication between tenants and property managers to get tenancy issues dealt with quickly and effectively. Ben's years of experience in the corporate world, and passion for inventing, have been driving forces in the creation and growth of Rental Heroes. In this episode, Ben shares how they built out their list of potential investors; the successes he had cold calling potential investors and how bringing on a lead investor dramatically changed the course of Rental Heroes’ capital raise. Resources and Links: Ben’s LinkedInRental Heroes’ LinktreeRental Heroes’ WebsiteThe Proptech Podcast with Kylie Davis | SpotifyLinkedIn PremiumABC Radio Connect: Term Sheet GuruhereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jessica Christiansen-Franks is the CEO and Co-founder of Neighbourlytics, a platform that provides data on the urban life of neighbourhoods. The platform analyses social data and turns it into valuable neighbourhood insights, answering questions such as “Which cafes are most popular?” or “Where are the hubs of activity on the weekend?” In this episode, you'll hear how Jessica convinced her idol to become her Co-founder; how Neighbourlytics leveraged its accelerator programme to broaden its potential investor pool; and how to “hold the power” in investor meetings. Resources and Links Jessica Christiansen-Frank’s LinkedIn Lucinda Hartley’s LinkedInNeighbourlytics WebsiteAudiobook - Phoenix Project | Audible Podcast - 7AM Daily Podcast | Schwartz Media Connect: Term Sheet GuruhereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on The Raise, we’re back with our intrepid entrepreneur Josh Rogers, Founder and CEO of Minterest, the DeFi lending protocol that is shaking up decentralised finance. In the previous 2 instalments, Josh shared how he built his team, how he found the right investors, plus he gave us a sprinkling of heartfelt insights into what it personally takes to be a successful founder of a start-up. In this third and final instalment, Josh shares the next part of his journey. It’s an extraordinary backstage pass into a unique fundraising methodology where, in a rapidly falling market, he was still able to deliver an incredibly successful result for his startup and it’s half a billion-dollar valuation. Resources and links: Josh Rogers TwitterJosh Rogers LinkedInJosh Rogers TelegramMinterest Telegram chatTelegram announcement channelMinterest TwitterMinterestMinterest LinkedInMinterest emailMinterest Fundraising Process Blog Post Connect: Term Sheet GuruhereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the second instalment of a chat with Josh Rogers, the CEO and Founder of Minterest, one of the most innovative and exciting fintechs in crypto’s booming DeFi sector. Last time, we heard a remarkable account of how, after a personal legal dispute, Josh had to start again from scratch, building out Minterest. In this second instalment, Josh shares his views on getting the right investors and having them powerfully support his start-up, how understanding the “network effects” playbook is critical for any start-up to be successful, plus some heartfelt insight into what it personally takes to be a successful founder of a start-up. Resources and links: Josh Rogers TwitterJosh Rogers LinkedInJosh Rogers TelegramMinterest Telegram chatTelegram announcement channelMinterest TwitterMinterestMinterest LinkedInMinterest emailMinterest Fundraising Process Blog PostExtreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALS Lead and Win by Jocko Willink & Leif BabinManufacturing Consent by Noam Chomsky | YouTubeJabra HeadphonesBoris Brejcha | Spotify Connect: Term Sheet GuruhereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Josh Rogers is the CEO and Co-founder of Minterest, a blockchain-enabled, DeFi lending and borrowing protocol with the user at its core. In just 18 months it achieved in a bear market a valuation of half a billion US dollars, and it hasn’t even launched yet! In the first of this special three part episode, you'll hear how Josh went from the depths of a legal stoush that abruptly killed his last start-up to raising $6.5M US dollars in 5 days for Minterest; how he built a team of industry heavyweights specifically to raise capital for Minterest; and why he moved to Estonia to do this. Resources and links: Josh Rogers TwitterJosh Rogers LinkedInJosh Rogers TelegramMinterest Telegram chatTelegram announcement channelMinterest TwitterMinterestMinterest LinkedInMinterest emailJosh’s blog on Minterest’s capital raising Connect: Term Sheet GuruhereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the conclusion of a 2-part conversation with James Behzadi, the CEO and Co-founder of Kintell, a digital platform that connects subject matter experts with learners across any topic for a video learning session. James is a wealth of knowledge and shares his learnings with great stories. In Part 1, James shared how he vetted his co-founder and how he decided that a SAFE note was the best fundraising option for Kintell. On this episode, James discusses the myth of start-up fundraising that is perpetuated in the media, and he shares the steps Kintell took to win over $500,000 in the much-coveted “Accelerating Commercialisation” grant and what to do when an investor does not want to invest in your start-up. Resources and links: Accelerating Commercialisation Grant Fantastic Fungi The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy book/movieWu Tiao Ren | SpotifyWe Crashed | SpotifyReed Hastings: Building Netflix (by Matt Burgess)That will NEVER work (by Marc Randolph co-founder of Netflix)Shoe dog (the story of Nike) (by Phil Knight)Crossing the chasm (by Geoffrey Moore)Blitzscaling (by Reid Hoffman & Chris Yeh)Apple Airpods Connect: Term Sheet GuruSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James Behzadi is the CEO and Co-founder of Kintell, a digital platform that connects subject matter experts with learners across any topic for a video learning session. On Kintell, you can learn anything: from start-up legal advice, to spirituality habits, hobbies and craft and everything in-between. James is a mathematics whiz, an engineer and a data scientist. He spent over a decade in business and academia before starting Kintell. In part 1 of a 2 part series, you'll hear how James came to the decision to go into business with his life partner and how Kintell raised 7 figures using SAFE notes. Resources and links: James Behzadi LinkedinKintellY Combinator SAFE Connect: Term Sheet GuruhereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Erlin is the Co-founder and CEO of AbilityMap, a behavioural measurement and modelling platform that enables teams to drive productivity across their workforce. We've used AbilityMap in our business, and the tool allowed us to identify and recruit people who ended up being our best performers. In this episode, you'll hear how Mike, along with his Co-founder, Kevin Chandler, came up with the idea for AbilityMap; how they tackled the challenges to turn a side hustle into a full-time gig; and how they secured investors to back their early-stage start-up. Resources and links: Ability MapMike Erlin LinkedInRecruitment tech can make hiring faster and cheaper….but is it better?Retain & Attract Top Talent During The Post-COVID Resignation BoomDo your team members possess the skills that drive remote working effectiveness?Articles from AbilityMapHomo Deus by Yuval Noah HarariSapiens by Yuval Noah HarariShoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil KnightLegacy: What the All Blacks Can Teach Us About the Business of Life by James KerrMy Octopus TeacherAudible subscriptionHilltop Hoods Connect: Term Sheet Guruhere See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.