#114: How Startup Founders Can Turn Regional Tech Differences Into Successful Fundraising

Today we’re revisiting an old episode where Matt spoke with two amazing guests. The first being David Hall, a partner at the Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, a role that has taken him around the country to meet some of the most innovative startups in America’s burgeoning tech hubs. Joining David is Mike Preuss, the founder of stakeholder-reporting software Visible, which helps more than 2,000 companies on six continents track and share key business metrics with investors and other business partners. Together, the two possess a great understanding of the ways that unique regional factors influence how entrepreneurs and investors successfully operate. As we discussed in our opening episode of Season 2, raising money for your startup works differently between the coasts than it does in Silicon Valley, New York, or Boston. Non-coastal founders need to build strong relationships and prove their business model if they hope to secure funding, and they also need to understand what makes their particular community tick. Because as it turns out, not all heartland tech ecosystems are created equal. This is a fact that our two guests for today’s show know all too well. David Hall is a partner at the Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, a role that has taken him around the country to meet some of the most innovative startups in America’s burgeoning tech hubs. And Mike Preuss (who has previously joined us on the podcast) is the founder of stakeholder-reporting software Visible, which helps more than 2,000 companies on six continents track and share key business metrics with investors and other business partners. Together, the two possess an intimate understanding of the ways that unique regional factors influence how entrepreneurs and investors operate. In this episode, David and Mike help us go beyond one-size-fits-all fundraising advice to explain how the characteristics of your tech community should influence the way you interact with investors and raise capital. They point out some of the most pertinent similarities and differences between regional tech hubs, break down what a healthy founder-investor relationship looks like, and ultimately illustrate how founders can use their community’s unique identity to their advantage when raising money. In this episode with David Hall and Mike Preuss, you’ll learn: -- Key similarities and differences between non-coastal tech hubs (15:46). -- An experienced investor’s high-level work and life advice for entrepreneurs (22:51). -- The benefits that thorough stakeholder reporting can provide for every startup (22:51). -- How to build a talented team and loyal customer base between the coasts (33:38). -- Proven strategies for nurturing healthy founder-investor relationships (37:33). -- How founders and investors should approach fundraising in non-coastal cities (49:16). If you like this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes. You can also follow us on Soundcloud or Stitcher. We have an incredible lineup of interviews we’ll be releasing every Tuesday here on the Powderkeg Podcast. Check it out at powderkeg.com/itunes.