On this episode of the Traction podcast, host Lloyed Lobo of Boast.AI and Brian Ascher, Partner at Venrock dive into the top themes driving startup funding and how founders should think about raising capital in this market.

Brian has had a successful career investing across unicorns, exits, and IPOs and has been named to the Forbes Midas List multiple times.

Specifically, Brian dives into:

5:04 - What Brian looks for in founders when he invests

14:40 - What's driving decision making in VC today, particularly at the Seed and Series A stages

18:25 - How founders should think about fundraising in this market

25:38 - How much money founders should raise at Pre-Seed and Series A

36:48 - How much equity should you give up at each stage

46:00 - Tips for founders to navigate the fundraising process

54:09 - Managing board and investor relationships and ongoing communications

1:10:26 - Brian's book recommendations

Learn more at https://tractionconf.io

Connect with Brian Ascher: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianascher/

Learn more about Venrock at https://www.venrock.com/

This episode is brought to you by:

Each year the U.S. and Canadian governments provide more than $20 billion in R&D tax credits and innovation incentives to fund businesses. But the application process is cumbersome, prone to costly audits, and receiving the money can take as long as 16 months. Boast automates this process, enabling companies to get more money faster without the paperwork and audit risk. We don’t get paid until you do! Find out if you qualify today at https://Boast.AI.

Launch Academy is one of the top global tech hubs for international entrepreneurs and a designated organization for Canada's Startup Visa. Since 2012, Launch has worked with more than 6,000 entrepreneurs from over 100 countries, of which 300 have grown their startups to seed and Series A stage and raised over $2 billion in funding. To learn more about Launch's programs or the Canadian Startup Visa, visit https://LaunchAcademy.ca 

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