March 28, 2020

Raising Capital for SaaS Startups

1 hour 21 minutes

Are you struggling to raise capital to sustain your Software as a Service (SaaS) startup? If you want to raise money, ask for advice. If you want advice, ask for money. Today’s episode features a panel discussion with founders from two early-stage SaaS companies in Toronto.

Panelists are Roy Pereira, founder of Zoom.ai and mentor at Techstars, and Wes Moon, co-founder and COO of Wisely. The panel discussion is hosted by Jono Landon, founder and CEO of Hubbli.

Topics Include:

Elevator Pitch: Future plans and ideas from SaaS startup founders

Wisely: Started with a prediction engine to help charities raise more money

Zoom.ai: Targets mid-market companies with AI-powered meeting scheduling assistant

What makes a safe (enough) bet for investors? Take money from friends or angel investors, but not family members—for now

Team vs. Traction: Attributes depend on phase and problem to be solved by right people

What KPIs and metrics drive SaaS companies? Stage sets story to make metrics

Practice makes Perfect: When trying to raise capital, seek advice on what matters

Lead Gen Ratio: It’s a numbers game; don’t give up on finding investors to raise capital

Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series Fundraising: Who to ask and how much money to request

How much time does it take to raise money? Go all in with complete focus and understanding because you don’t choose your venture partner, they choose you

U.S. vs. Canadian Investors: Know your audience’s perspectives on deal flow and funds

Accelerator and Roadshow Programs: Worth giving up equity to grow and gain validation

How to start fundraising? Warm vs. cold call, network referral/intro vs. unscheduled visit

Links and Resources:

Hubbli

Jono Landon on LinkedIn

Wes Moon on LinkedIn

Wisely

Roy Pereira on LinkedIn

Zoom.ai

Techstars

AngelList

Crunchbase

...more

View all episodes

By Jono Landon