Seed Money

Warm introductions can open doors, but only if you use them the right way. Too many early-stage founders ask for investor intros before they know whether that investor is actually a fit, which can lead to awkward asks, weak pitches, and getting ghosted. In this episode, Jayla breaks down the research you need to do before asking for an introduction to an angel investor, so you can protect your rel...

If your fundraising momentum stalled this winter or spring, summer is not the time to disappear. It is the time to fix the gaps before investors start paying attention again in the fall. In this episode, Jayla shares a simple 5-part summer reset plan to help early-stage founders turn customer conversations, traction, numbers, and investor research into a stronger, more fundable opportunity. You'll...

Summer is slow for investors. Don't waste it. Fall fundraising starts now. Use the summer to tighten your deck, build your investor list, fix the gaps, and get clear on your funding strategy—so when investors are ready to talk, you're ready too. Listen for what to do this summer to be ready for fall.  To help you get dialed in this summer: Join Jayla's FREE monthly Seed Money Office Hours call to...

If you are holding off on raising capital because you think you need to become more confident, better at pitching, stronger at sales, or more "founder-like" first—think again. That advice sounds responsible. Strategic, even. But for many early-stage founders, it becomes a permission slip to delay the exact thing that would make them better. In this episode of Seed Money, Jayla breaks down one of t...

Feeling stuck because you "can't even raise $500K"? Before you decide your startup is doomed, your idea isn't good enough, or investors just "don't get it," take a breath. In this episode of Seed Money, Jayla breaks down why early-stage fundraising often feels more personal and discouraging than it actually is—especially for first-time founders without a wealthy friends-and-family network. Have qu...

Feeling overwhelmed by all the conflicting advice about startup funding? One person says bootstrap. Another says raise venture capital. Someone else swears crowdfunding is the smartest move. Then you hear angels are better, loans are risky, VCs are the only path, or that you should never give up equity. No wonder you feel stuck. In this episode, Jayla breaks down why funding advice feels so confus...

Most first-time founders think raising capital is the next big milestone. But what if raising money too early creates more pressure, more distractions, and less control? In this episode, Jayla sits down with Sarah Fox, founder of Riptie Hair, to talk about the real path behind building a startup without outside investors. Sarah started Riptie Hair with just $2,000, made the first products herself,...

Raising your first round of capital can feel intimidating, especially when you're not sure if you're ready, who to pitch, or what investors actually want to see. In this final episode of the pitch deck teardown series, Jayla sits down with founder Shane Pope to unpack what he learned after pitching both a VC and an angel investor. Shane shares how those conversations changed his perspective on fun...

Welcome to Part 3 of our Pitch Deck Tear Down Series. In this episode, Angel Investor Jason Butcher from Orbit Capital, sits down with first-time founder Shane Pope for a candid, real-time review of his startup (from an angel investor's perspective). If you're wondering how meeting with an angel investor differs from meeting with a VC this Pitch Deck Tear Down Series is for you.  We're giving you...

In this episode, Part II of the three part Pitch Deck Tear Down Series, Venture Capitalist Brian Bell from Ignite Ventures, sits down with first-time founder Shane Pope for a candid, real-time review of his startup. You'll hear exactly how a venture investor thinks through an early-stage opportunity, where founders often overestimate how ready they are to raise, and what signals make a startup mor...

In this kickoff episode of a 3-part Pitch Deck Tear Down series, host Jayla Siciliano coaches first-time founder Shane Pope through the question that keeps early-stage entrepreneurs up at night: Do you chase angels/VCs/accelerators—or keep bootstrapping and stay in control? Jayla and Shane walk through his pitch deck ( watch here on YouTube ) as Shane preps for pitching live in the next episodes t...

What really kills most early-stage consumer brands isn't a bad idea. It's underestimating how much cash, traction, and market proof it actually takes to survive. In this episode of Seed Money, Jayla sits down with beverage industry veteran Sam Anderson, co-founder of BevAssets and Frontline Beverages, to unpack the hard truths most first-time founders do not hear early enough.  If you are building...

If you're getting ready to raise—or already in the middle of it and not getting the responses you hoped for—this episode will change how you think about pitching. Jayla sits down with Diana Wilson, a seasoned executive who has raised over $100M and taken Deckers, the now-billion-dollar lifestyle brand, public. Diana unpacks one of the biggest reasons first-time founders fail to get funded: they're...

It's 11pm and you're tweaking your deck for the gazillionth time. You know your background. You know your level of commitment. You know exactly how much you've sacrificed to get here. But how are investors supposed to know that? If investors don't think you're credible, they won't take you seriously. And here's what no one's telling you—it's probably not your idea, your market size, or your projec...

Most founders think fundraising is persuasion. It's not—it's alignment. In this episode, Ali Dastjerdi (Co-Founder of Raylu) shares the mental models he learned from speaking with 5,000+ founders, raising seed and Series A, and surviving multiple near-death pivots. You'll learn how to diagnose investor fit in minutes, engineer momentum with strategic angels, and recognize product-market fit when c...

If you're a first-time founder, you're probably feeling it: Cold outreach gets ignored. Paid ads are expensive and unpredictable. And in an increasingly "fake" online world, trust is harder (and slower) to earn. The result? You burn weeks in meetings, chase intros that never materialize, and pour energy into "partnerships" that look good on paper… then ghost at the finish line. In this episode, Ja...

If you're tired of getting silence after your investor pitch, this episode is your wake-up call. We're breaking down the real reason you're getting ghosted—and it's not your idea. It's how you handle the investor Q&A. Learn how to show up composed, confident, and ready to answer any investor question. Find out how to stop rambling under pressure, and get the exact system Jayla used to raise her fi...

If you're sending investor emails, landing the occasional meeting, but waking up at 2 a.m. gripped with quiet panic—this episode is for you. Jayla Siciliano gets real about the emotional rollercoaster of fundraising and how desperation, even when justified, can tank your chances. Sharing personal stories from her own journey (including her Shark Tank experience), Jayla breaks down five actionable...

👇Get The Free Investor Ready Checklist ✅ https://seedmoney.mysamcart.com/free-checklist/ Raising capital but not really sure what investors want? The Free Investor Ready Checklist gives you the exact step-by-step path to get investor-ready and avoid the rookie mistakes that kill deals before they start. Grab it above and start fundraising and stop making mistakes. In this episode: If you're an e...

You've got the hustle, the product, and maybe even a pitch deck—but if you're talking to the wrong type of investor, you're setting yourself up for silence and wasted time. In this quick episode of Seed Money, I'll help you understand exactly how friends and family, angel investors, and VCs think—and why each one needs a different pitch. I've made these mistakes myself, pitching VCs way too early...

If you're stuck between having a startup and having something investors actually want to fund, this episode is for you. Our guest, Kevin Nesgoda—CEO of OutPaged and recent Founder Institute grad—dives into the messy middle of startup life, where great ideas often die without the right pressure, feedback, and mindset shift. After years of daydreaming and building but still feeling stuck between "in...

Numbers won't make them care—your story will. In this episode, you'll learn how to grab investor attention with a pitch that actually connects. If you're tired of wasting time and getting minimal responses, this is your wake-up call. Hit play to learn how to stand out.   Topics Covered; Why your founder story matters more than data at the early stage What investors are really evaluating when you d...

It's 2026, and it's a good time to refresh your fundraising mindset. Budgets are fresh, investors are considering where to put their money, and LinkedIn is buzzing about how "now is the window."  If you position yourself correctly, you could have closed your funding round by June. But no matter how much motivation you have, or how fired up investors are, founders are still being held back by basic...

Getting an investor to fund your business isn't just about your idea, industry, team, or even your business model.  What can help or tank your efforts often comes down to how you show up in the room.  Your mindset, how you handle the power dynamics, and whether you actually see yourself as the one offering value, not asking for it. The truth is that many founders operate from a place of desperatio...

We spend so much time stressing about pitch decks…the formatting, the stats, and the perfect slide order. But honestly, that's not what trips most founders up.  The real issue is way simpler: a lot of us just aren't telling investors what they actually need to hear. Not because our ideas are bad, but because the way we explain them ends up hiding the good stuff. Last week I listened to sixteen fou...