How Stacy Havener Built Havener Capital on Storytelling and Strategy

In this episode of the Rainmaker Podcast, Gui Costin is joined by Stacy Havener, founder and CEO of Havener Capital Partners, for a masterclass on raising capital through storytelling, behavioral finance, and human connection. Stacy’s path into the investment industry defies convention. With a background in English literature—not finance—and no Wall Street pedigree, she’s raised over $8 billion for emerging managers, resulting in more than $30 billion in follow-on assets under management. Her secret? A repeatable, story-led, data-backed approach that meets investors where they are.

Stacy shares how behavioral science and human psychology inform every layer of her process. Her philosophy is simple but powerful: “Investors don’t make decisions with spreadsheets alone.” Instead of the traditional pitch-first, data-heavy approach, she advocates for flipping the script—connecting emotionally first, then backing it up with data. From how a PM smiles in a meeting to the power of a well-timed question, she details the overlooked human cues that build trust and open doors.

One of the standout moments of the episode is Stacy’s take on pitch decks: ditch them, at least in the first meeting. Research shows prospects feel more positively about meetings when they do 70% of the talking. That kind of engagement doesn’t happen when fund managers are reading slides. Instead, she encourages sales professionals to focus on making meetings conversational, choreographing the interaction like a late-night talk show host—her version of the “Jimmy Fallon strategy.”

Stacy dives deep into meeting preparation, suggesting salespeople treat every meeting like a performance: prepare with a one-page brief, run a 15-minute pre-meeting with the PM, and walk into the room ready to humanize the conversation. She emphasizes that salespeople are not “carrying bags”—they are critical orchestrators of connection, learning to read the room, ask better questions, and track not just activity, but allocator behavior.

Closing the episode, Stacy offers clear advice to young professionals: perfect the craft before scaling the activity. Learn how to sell with purpose and intention, and let repetition come only after mastery.

This episode is a blueprint for any sales professional, allocator, or fund manager looking to break the mold and raise capital through authenticity, insight, and human connection.

Tired of chasing outdated leads? Book a demo to see how Dakota Marketplace simplifies your fundraising
process with accurate, up-to-date investor data.