If you’ve been following along with FemgineerTV, you’ll have learned what the investor-founder dynamic is like from the viewpoint of an entrepreneur. In the last episode, I sat down with the CEO & co-founder of StyleSeat, Melody McCloskey, to understand what it takes to raise capital at the various stages of a startup, from Seed to Series A and beyond.

In today’s episode, we’re going to get the opposite perspective by diving into an investor’s mindset. We’ll try to understand what compels them to write a check and, more importantly, how they add value beyond a check.

(That’s right, they’re not just a source of capital; they can be an indispensable partner!)

I’ve invited Shruti Gandhi to chat with us. Shruti is the founding and managing partner at Array VC, a fund that invests in early stage startups. She began her career as software engineer. Since then, she has been a startup founder and an investor in five funds; now, she has started her own.

Having been in many roles, Shruti understands the importance of capital, but she also knows firsthand that founders need help beyond the check.

During our conversation, you’ll learn:

• How investors can help you accelerate your company’s sales
• How investors test a founder’s commitment to their product and company
• How to work with different types of investors: corporate, institutional, and angels
• Why investors look for founders who have been an early employee at a startup before striking out on their own
• How to dig into an investor’s thesis to find out if they are a right fit for you