Robin Singhvi, founder of SmartCue joins me to talk about his experience with founding and fundraising. He reveals he secured 15 investor conversations, and shared his tips on how to create a personalised product demos that are relevant to buyers and prospects.
He advises founders to find 20 people who fit their persona and send them a cold email to validate their venture before seeking funding. He also suggested that they should start with smaller investors and work their way up, avoiding bad or dumb money. Robin recommended reading "The Mom's Test" to get meaningful responses in interview and emphasised the importance of understanding the emotional and social needs of product marketers to refine interview questions.
We cover several important topics related to entrepreneurship, including the challenges of fundraising, the importance of really understanding your customer, and how to create a successful business without raising a lot of money.
The interview also covered the challenges that solo founders face, and the importance of understanding the problem before attempting to solve it, while avoiding attachment to the outcome. Regarding fundraising, Robin discussed the dangers of accepting any money, and advised founders to think about the "right money," which includes not only the funding but also what else the VC can offer in terms of introductions, avoiding mistakes, and help with hiring, compliance, and legal. He discusses why to start with smaller investors and work your way up, rather than going straight to big funds.
Other topics discussed in the podcast included the importance of referrals, reducing CAC to LTV ratios, and how VCs can dictate salary and other terms when investing in a company. Robin and Marcus also discussed the importance of validating a venture before seeking funding, and how to tell the difference between good, bad, and dumb money. Overall, the interview provided valuable insights into the world of entrepreneurship and fundraising, and offered practical advice for those seeking to create successful businesses.
Contact Robin via linkedin.com/in/robinsinghvi
Websites
Email: robinsinghvi@gmail.com
Twitter: robinsinghvi
--
Book time with me to discuss what's not working in your career and your life> Let's see if some unconventional coaching might be what the doctor ordered for you - no risk, no charge, just an honest conversation and no bullshit - https://calendly.com/marcuscauchi/
Prevention is Better Than Cure: Lessons In Leadership and Sales From Functional Medicine
When You Have to Watch Every Penny, Some Sage Advice on Good and Bad Uses of Commercial Finance
How AI Makes It Easier To Remove Friction And Increase Cooperation For Your People
What Might Happen When You Treat Your Candidates Like They’re People You Respect?
Can You Really Create Mercifully Short Videos That Drive People To Engage?
Can You Even Understand Your Commission Plan and Why Your Company Might Not Be Paying You?
Do the Best With What You Have, and When You Know Better, Do Better
Isn’t It Time You Get Comfy Selling From Your Comfort Zone?
David Heinemeier Hansson: Bootstrapping Your Way To Success: The 37 Signals Story from Their CTO
Are You Amplifying Sales Velocity by Removing Friction For Buyers to Buy and Seller to Sell?
Prospecting, Growth, Scale, Profitability, Bad Hires, PLG and The Future
$100m in Sales. Shouldn’t Success Feel Less Like Looking Down The Barrel of A Gun?
How Clever Companies Become Stupid Overnight
Are You Coming To A Conclusion And Looking for Evidence to Support It?
Mitch Sullivan: Are You Selling Your Jobs So Candidates Who Are Already Successful Want to Apply?
Matthew Dixon: The Truth Behind Sales - Loss No Decision
Kieron Bain: Does Your Proposition Tickle Your Customer’s Unmet Needs?
Say What! You Like About Salespeople, They Make The Wheels Of Commerce Turn
The Economic Case For Diversity Is Even Stronger Than The Moral One
Udi Ledergor, Gong. The Best Salespeople: Insights from of millions of live interactions.
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Commercial Edge: Unleash the Power of People
The emPOWERed Half Hour
Aligned Money Show
Gorse Culture PODcast : The H.R. Detective Agency!
HCI Leadership Revolution
The Ramsey Show
Planet Money