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Building Yourself a Trust Dividend with Kevin Bennett
Kevin Bennett raised $200M in an unloved categories — no hot pitch, just a "trust dividend." Here's how it works.
In this conversation with Ben Elowitz, Kevin breaks down the trust dividend: the idea that small, consistent, low-stakes acts of honesty and vulnerability compound into the confidence investors need to fund something unproven. It's the framework he credits for closing rounds in a category VCs initially overlooked, and for raising his current company's first round before writing a line of code.
In this episode:
- What a trust dividend actually is, and why it beats bravado
- Why naming your business's risks pays into the trust dividend, not against it
- How a trust dividend from one company carries forward into the next raise
- Why fundraising is a relationship first, a transaction second
- The personal story Kevin credits with shaping how he leads
About Kevin Bennett: Kevin is a multi-time founder who has raised over $200 million across his companies. After HomeZen, he co-founded Caribou, an online auto refinance business he grew into a unicorn over five and a half years. He's now the founder and CEO of Further, an AI company building tools to make homeownership more achievable for the next generation.
About Raiser's Edge: Raiser's Edge is a podcast about venture capital fundraising for startups, hosted by Ben Elowitz. Each episode goes deep with founders and investors on what actually works when raising capital — not the conventional wisdom, but the real tactics and relationships behind successful rounds.
Subscribe to Raiser's Edge for more conversations on startup fundraising with the founders who've managed to truly excel.
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@raisersedgepod?si=9KB5Z2scXJrE2uAc
Substack: https://substack.com/@elowitz
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jUhW3Yq0ZnvBFZnWngnzj?si=982aa2c361544dd6
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raisers-edge/id1850622699
Connect with Ben Elowitz:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elowitz/
Next Level Strategic Partners: https://www.nextlevelpartners.co/
Connect with Kevin Bennett:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinspencerbennett/
Further: https://withfurther.com/
View all episodes
By Ben ElowitzKevin Bennett raised $200M in an unloved categories — no hot pitch, just a "trust dividend." Here's how it works.
In this conversation with Ben Elowitz, Kevin breaks down the trust dividend: the idea that small, consistent, low-stakes acts of honesty and vulnerability compound into the confidence investors need to fund something unproven. It's the framework he credits for closing rounds in a category VCs initially overlooked, and for raising his current company's first round before writing a line of code.
In this episode:
- What a trust dividend actually is, and why it beats bravado
- Why naming your business's risks pays into the trust dividend, not against it
- How a trust dividend from one company carries forward into the next raise
- Why fundraising is a relationship first, a transaction second
- The personal story Kevin credits with shaping how he leads
About Kevin Bennett: Kevin is a multi-time founder who has raised over $200 million across his companies. After HomeZen, he co-founded Caribou, an online auto refinance business he grew into a unicorn over five and a half years. He's now the founder and CEO of Further, an AI company building tools to make homeownership more achievable for the next generation.
About Raiser's Edge: Raiser's Edge is a podcast about venture capital fundraising for startups, hosted by Ben Elowitz. Each episode goes deep with founders and investors on what actually works when raising capital — not the conventional wisdom, but the real tactics and relationships behind successful rounds.
Subscribe to Raiser's Edge for more conversations on startup fundraising with the founders who've managed to truly excel.
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@raisersedgepod?si=9KB5Z2scXJrE2uAc
Substack: https://substack.com/@elowitz
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jUhW3Yq0ZnvBFZnWngnzj?si=982aa2c361544dd6
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raisers-edge/id1850622699
Connect with Ben Elowitz:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elowitz/
Next Level Strategic Partners: https://www.nextlevelpartners.co/
Connect with Kevin Bennett:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinspencerbennett/
Further: https://withfurther.com/