The Fundraising Toolkit
Bookmark this page. These are the same frameworks I use with the founders I coach.
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A quick self-assessment to see if your company is ready for investment.
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A step-by-step reference for founders to design, run, and document validation work that convinces sophisticated investors you have de-risked the core assumptions of your startup.
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This exercise helps you uncover your critical assumptions, the things that absolutely must be true for your business to work, and then ask:
Have we validated this? Or are we flying blind?
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Finding investors is one of the most time-consuming, and critical, parts of the fundraising process. This guide will walk you through where to look and how to qualify the right people for your round.
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Your first message to cold investor contacts is usually the biggest leak in your funnel. This worksheet helps you build the best possible short message.
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This guide shows you how to stay top-of-mind without turning people off, and how to keep momentum moving toward a check.
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A large fraction of your pitches will be online, using Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, or similar services. How you look and sound impacts the effectiveness of those meetings. Now is a good time to create a location and setup that will let you present to best effect.
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You need to know what your company is worth to investors, whether it’s to set your own expectations, defend your numbers, or push back on investor-provided numbers.
This shows you the standard valuation methodologies.
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The Ideal Customer Profile Worksheet is a tool for startup founders to clearly define their Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). It guides you through key aspects like goals, pain points, and buying criteria.
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Due Diligence Audit Tool - Upload your deal room documents and get the same red flag analysis I run when evaluating startups for North Bay Angels. Built on Claude AI - Cowork. Works even if you haven't started building your deal room yet. The download zip file includes setup instructions.
Want an investor's eye on your materials?
Pitch Audit
These tools will help you prepare. But there's one thing a toolkit can't do: tell you what an investor actually thinks when they look at your deck.
In a Pitch Audit, I review your materials the way I would as an active angel investor, then walk you through exactly what's working, what's raising red flags, and what to fix first. You walk away with a written report and a clear set of next steps.
One hour. $500.
“As a founder without investor relationships, I needed the perspective of how investors think and how they approach a cold email. Lance gave me an understanding of how an investor skims my email, what they are looking for and how their mental filter operates. After some quick tweaks, we'll be reeling in the big fish!”
-Damon Guzman