Seed Money

If you're a first-time founder, you're probably feeling it: Cold outreach gets ignored. Paid ads are expensive and unpredictable. And in an increasingly "fake" online world, trust is harder (and slower) to earn. The result? You burn weeks in meetings, chase intros that never materialize, and pour energy into "partnerships" that look good on paper… then ghost at the finish line.

In this episode, Jayla sits down with Kyle Kane (former Universal Music VP of A&R, TEDx speaker, executive producer, award-winning entrepreneur), now founder of Onspark.com, to break down why partnerships are the #1 growth driver for modern businesses—and how early-stage founders can stop guessing and start building partnerships that actually produce revenue.

Kyle shares lessons from building over $2B in partnership value working with major brands and artists, then explains how he's turning that playbook into OnSpark, an AI-powered partnership engine designed to help founders, creators, and investors find vetted, aligned, high-intent partners.

• The real reason most partnerships fail: misalignment + unclear value exchange

• How Kyle reverse-engineered partnership success into a simple lifecycle:

  • Discover → Verify → Launch → Amplify

• The two hidden deal-killers that often show up right before the finish line:

  • Low self-worth ("What do I even have to offer?")

  • Lack of trust (ghosting, last-minute fear, sabotage)

• How to define a "successful partnership" based on your stage (audience, distribution, clients, investors, etc.)

• The founder investor strategy most people get wrong:

  • Stop treating investor meetings like interviews—you're interviewing them

  • Ask the questions that reveal if they can actually cut a check

  • The value of being (not just looking) buttoned up when talking to investors

• The growth principle trends Kyle sees successful entrepreneurs have:

  • Distribution before product

  • Leverage over effort

  • "Build environments where luck becomes inevitable"

  • Being focused is the #1 force of nature for any entrepreneur

• Kyle's take on AI: essential, but dangerous if it replaces your thinking

Visit OnSpark Today– AI-powered partnership engine

Connect with Kyle on LinkedIn

Dan Martell + Book Buy Back Your Time

About your Host:

About Your Host

Jayla Siciliano is an entrepreneur with 25+ years in consumer brands, product, and marketing. After raising her first angel round against all odds and later appearing on Shark Tank, where she closed a deal with Mark Cuban, she now helps founders become fundable, confident, and ready to attract the right investors. Entrepreneurship changed her life, and she's on a mission to help first-time founders raise their first round of angel funding and change theirs too.

Disclaimer

The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

If you're tired of getting silence after your investor pitch, this episode is your wake-up call. We're breaking down the real reason you're getting ghosted—and it's not your idea. It's how you handle the investor Q&A. Learn how to show up composed, confident, and ready to answer any investor question. Find out how to stop rambling under pressure, and get the exact system Jayla used to raise her first round as a pre-revenue cpg startup and later land a Shark Tank deal.

Need help with Q&A? I created a tool for you (what I wish I had) to help you get fully prepared and crush that next investor meeting by having the answers investors are looking for.

https://seedmoney.mysamcart.com/deck-of-investor-ready-flashcards97

Topics Covered in this episode:

• Why investor silence usually has nothing to do with your idea

• The four make-or-break questions every founder must be ready to answer

• How to talk about your numbers—even if you're early stage

• Crafting a compelling "Why Now" narrative

• What to say when asked: "What stops someone from copying this?"

• How to address red flags before investors bring them up

• The mental trap of desperation and how to avoid it

• Practicing under pressure: the exact method Jayla used to land $450K and a Shark Tank deal

• Why the Q&A is more important than your pitch deck

• How physical flashcards can train your brain to stay calm and confident

About Your Host

Jayla Siciliano is an entrepreneur with 25+ years in consumer brands, product, and marketing. After raising her first angel round against all odds and later appearing on Shark Tank, where she closed a deal with Mark Cuban, she now helps founders become fundable, confident, and ready to attract the right investors. Entrepreneurship changed her life, and she's on a mission to help first-time founders raise their first round of angel funding and change theirs too.

Disclaimer

The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

If you're sending investor emails, landing the occasional meeting, but waking up at 2 a.m. gripped with quiet panic—this episode is for you. Jayla Siciliano gets real about the emotional rollercoaster of fundraising and how desperation, even when justified, can tank your chances. Sharing personal stories from her own journey (including her Shark Tank experience), Jayla breaks down five actionable strategies to help founders show confidence and composure when everything is riding on the raise.

You'll Learn:

Why focusing on your vision instead of your needs changes everything

How to create momentum and avoid clinging to one investor

The art of asking like a partner—not a pitcher

When not to push for a close

How to shift your energy before every meeting

👇Get The Free Investor Ready Checklist ✅

https://seedmoney.mysamcart.com/free-checklist/

Raising capital but not really sure what investors want? The Free Investor Ready Checklist gives you the exact step-by-step path to get investor-ready and avoid the rookie mistakes that kill deals before they start. Grab it above and start fundraising and stop making mistakes.

About Your Host

Jayla Siciliano is an entrepreneur with 25+ years in consumer brands, product, and marketing. After raising her first angel round against all odds and later appearing on Shark Tank, where she closed a deal with Mark Cuban, she now helps founders become fundable, confident, and ready to attract the right investors. Entrepreneurship changed her life, and she's on a mission to help first-time founders raise their first round of angel funding and change theirs too.

Disclaimer

The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

👇Get The Free Investor Ready Checklist ✅

https://seedmoney.mysamcart.com/free-checklist/

Raising capital but not really sure what investors want? The Free Investor Ready Checklist gives you the exact step-by-step path to get investor-ready and avoid the rookie mistakes that kill deals before they start. Grab it above and start fundraising and stop making mistakes.

In this episode:

If you're an early-stage CPG founder struggling to raise money, it's probably not your product—it's your pitch list. In this episode we're talking about Why Your First Investor is Also Your Customer. We break down why the right investors are often already fans of your brand and your product, and how to identify those early believers. Make this mindset shift now and stop wasting time in the wrong rooms. Click below and start targeting smarter.

Topics Covered;

• Your first investors are likely to be your customers.

• Many founders pitch to the wrong people, like VCs.

• Angel investors are often passionate about the problem you're solving.

• Lead with pain points, not product features.

• Finding believers in your product is crucial for early funding.

• Networking is key; start with personal connections.

• Ask your network for introductions to potential investors.

• The investor community is more cautious in uncertain times.

• Building momentum requires talking to many people.

• Shift your mindset from seeking investors to finding believers.

About Your Host

Jayla Siciliano is an entrepreneur with 25+ years in consumer brands, product, and marketing. After raising her first angel round against all odds and later appearing on Shark Tank, where she closed a deal with Mark Cuban, she now helps founders become fundable, confident, and ready to attract the right investors. Entrepreneurship changed her life, and she's on a mission to help first-time founders raise their first round of angel funding and change theirs too.

Get More of Jayla's Fundraising Resources: https://seedmoney.mysamcart.com/seed-money/

Disclaimer

The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

You've got the hustle, the product, and maybe even a pitch deck—but if you're talking to the wrong type of investor, you're setting yourself up for silence and wasted time. In this quick episode of Seed Money, I'll help you understand exactly how friends and family, angel investors, and VCs think—and why each one needs a different pitch. I've made these mistakes myself, pitching VCs way too early with nothing but a dream, and I want to save you from the same frustration.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why pitching VCs too early is usually a dead end

• How to tailor your message to friends and family vs. angel investors vs. VCs

• What each group actually looks for before writing a check

• The #1 red flag that turns off early-stage investors

• How I burned time in the wrong rooms and what I'd do differently

• How to reduce ghosting by pitching the right people at the right time

About Your Host

Jayla Siciliano is an entrepreneur with 25+ years in consumer brands, product, and marketing. After raising her first angel round against all odds and later appearing on Shark Tank, where she closed a deal with Mark Cuban, she now helps founders become fundable, confident, and ready to attract the right investors. Entrepreneurship changed her life, and she's on a mission to help first-time founders raise their first round of angel funding and change theirs too.

Get Jayla's Founder Resources: https://seedmoney.mysamcart.com/seed-money/

Disclaimer

The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

If you're stuck between having a startup and having something investors actually want to fund, this episode is for you. Our guest, Kevin Nesgoda—CEO of OutPaged and recent Founder Institute grad—dives into the messy middle of startup life, where great ideas often die without the right pressure, feedback, and mindset shift.

After years of daydreaming and building but still feeling stuck between "interesting" and "investable," Kevin joined an accelerator to stress-test everything. Hear what broke, what shifted, and what finally clicked—plus his advice on resilience, determination, and what's needed to push through.

Topics Covered;

• Why most founders aren't actually fundable yet and how accelerators like Founders Institute expose the gap (and what they want in return)

• What surviving cancer taught Kevin about building a startup

• How OutPaged went from "cool product" to investable business

• The mindset change that happens when you stop pitching and start pressure-testing your model

• Why early founders misunderstand what investors are really evaluating

• The B2C vs B2B framing decision that can make or break your raise

• What mentors and investor reviews reveal that you can't see from inside your own startup

• Why the solo-founder myth slows momentum and increases risk

• How team design becomes a signal of scale readiness

• What rejection teaches you when you treat it like data, not failure

• How accelerators prepare you for capital, not just Demo Day

• The difference between building something exciting and building something fundable

Guest Bio

Kevin Nesgoda is the CEO at OutPaged and a recent graduate of The Founders Institute. OutPaged is the platform that turns books into living, breathing worlds. It uses AI to pull apart character arcs, emotional threads, and world logic, then rebuilds them into immersive experiences through AR and XR. Kevin has talked to over 100 publishers, authors, and media founders. Everyone feels the same thing: it is time for a new chapter in storytelling. Download the app here.

About Your Host

Jayla Siciliano is an entrepreneur with 25+ years in consumer brands, product, and marketing. After raising her first angel round against all odds and later appearing on Shark Tank, where she closed a deal with Mark Cuban, she now helps founders become fundable, confident, and ready to attract the right investors. Entrepreneurship changed her life, and she's on a mission to help first-time founders raise their first round of angel funding and change theirs too.

Get Jayla's Founder Resources: https://seedmoney.mysamcart.com/seed-money/

Disclaimer

The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

Numbers won't make them care—your story will. In this episode, you'll learn how to grab investor attention with a pitch that actually connects. If you're tired of wasting time and getting minimal responses, this is your wake-up call. Hit play to learn how to stand out.

Topics Covered;

• Why your founder story matters more than data at the early stage

• What investors are really evaluating when you don't have traction yet

• The three elements that make a founder story credible instead of pitchy

• How to tell a problem story that creates trust in under 60 seconds

• Why investors back conviction before they back certainty

• The biggest storytelling mistakes founders don't realize they're making

• How emotion builds credibility without sounding dramatic or rehearsed

• Why skipping your personal "why" quietly weakens your pitch

• How to structure your story so investors want the next meeting

• What makes an investor believe you won't quit when things get hard

About Your Host

Jayla Siciliano is an entrepreneur with 25+ years in consumer brands, product, and marketing. After raising her first angel round against all odds and later appearing on Shark Tank, where she closed a deal with Mark Cuban, she now helps founders become fundable, confident, and ready to attract the right investors. Entrepreneurship changed her life, and she's on a mission to help first-time founders raise their first round of angel funding and change theirs too.

Get Jayla's Founder Resources: https://seedmoney.mysamcart.com/seed-money/

Disclaimer

The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

It's 2026, and it's a good time to refresh your fundraising mindset. Budgets are fresh, investors are considering where to put their money, and LinkedIn is buzzing about how "now is the window."

If you position yourself correctly, you could have closed your funding round by June.

But no matter how much motivation you have, or how fired up investors are, founders are still being held back by basic, really simple gaps in their approach. Gaps that seem minor but quietly cost you momentum, meetings, and ultimately the funding you need.

Most founders don't lose deals because the idea isn't good enough. They lose them because of what's missing in their strategies (even if they have a great business or idea).

So before you send another pitch deck or book another investor meeting, there's a simple exercise you can do to make sure you're not getting ruled out before the conversation even starts.

What are investors noticing that you're too close to see? What might be quietly stopping them from ever responding?

In this episode, we walk through a simple but confronting exercise every founder should do before sending another pitch.

Topics Covered;

• Why most pitch decks fail before the first meeting even happens

• The exercise that exposes hidden deal-breakers fast

• Why paragraphs, jargon, and over-explaining silently kill investor interest

• How to clearly answer the real question investors care about

• The credibility gap founders underestimate and how to close it without revenue

• How unrealistic valuations signal self-awareness problems, not confidence

• The difference between how founders think investors evaluate deals and how they actually do

• The true barrier to fundraising (not market conditions)

About Your Host

Jayla Siciliano is an entrepreneur with 25+ years in consumer brands, product, and marketing. After raising her first angel round against all odds and later appearing on Shark Tank, where she closed a deal with Mark Cuban, she now helps founders become fundable, confident, and ready to attract the right investors. Entrepreneurship changed her life, and she's on a mission to help first-time founders raise their first round of angel funding and change theirs too.

Get Jayla's Founder Resources: https://seedmoney.mysamcart.com/seed-money/

Disclaimer

The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

Getting an investor to fund your business isn't just about your idea, industry, team, or even your business model.

What can help or tank your efforts often comes down to how you show up in the room. Your mindset, how you handle the power dynamics, and whether you actually see yourself as the one offering value, not asking for it.

The truth is that many founders operate from a place of desperation, and investors can sense it immediately. You lose sight of the fact that you and your business are the prize. You treat the investor like a boss, not a peer, or you say your schedule is completely open. You come across as overly eager or grateful for the opportunity.

These are all things that quietly make an investor pull back, even if the idea itself is strong.

If you walk into investor conversations acting like you're asking for permission instead of offering an opportunity, getting funding is harder.

This is something founder-turned-angel investor Shefqet Avdullau knows all too well. As a super-connector with deep experience on both sides of the table, he brings a rare perspective shaped by building, exiting, and now backing companies.

How should founders actually show up in investor conversations? How do you know when an investor will help you build something, or quietly make things harder?

In this episode, we unpack the parts of fundraising no one puts on the pitch deck: why desperation is detectable (and deadly), why treating investors like they're above you destroys leverage, and why confidence is often what really moves a round forward.

Topics Covered;

• Why fundraising fails before the pitch even begins

• How to avoid looking desperate to investors

• The subtle signals investors read instantly, including desperation and lack of leverage

• How to engineer FOMO using calendar density and scarcity

• Why "owning the elephant in the room" builds more trust than perfect metrics ever will

• The soft-commit strategy founders should use before officially opening a round

• Why a bad investor is often 10x worse than no investor

• The SAFE agreement mistake that can cost you your company

• Why easy yeses are a red flag, not a win

• The "two-week vacation test" reveals if you've got a company or a stressful job

• How founders accidentally become bottlenecks

About the Guest

Shefqet Avdullau is a founder, active angel investor, board advisor, and "super connector," primarily in the tech ecosystem. He has made 17 investments in the last four years, with two successful exits. Today, he backs advisors and mentors tech startups, using his experience to help new founders navigate the challenges with strategic funding and real-world guidance. Having started his career as a software engineer and later founding, scaling, and exiting his own ventures, he brings an operator-first perspective to early-stage investing. For more of Shefqet's insights, find him on LinkedIn.

About Your Host

Jayla Siciliano is an entrepreneur with 25+ years in consumer brands, product, and marketing. After raising her first angel round against all odds and later appearing on Shark Tank, where she closed a deal with Mark Cuban, she now helps founders become fundable, confident, and ready to attract the right investors. Entrepreneurship changed her life, and she's on a mission to help first-time founders raise their first round of angel funding and change theirs too.

Get Jayla's Founder Resources: https://seedmoney.mysamcart.com/seed-money/

Disclaimer

The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

We spend so much time stressing about pitch decks…the formatting, the stats, and the perfect slide order. But honestly, that's not what trips most founders up.

The real issue is way simpler: a lot of us just aren't telling investors what they actually need to hear. Not because our ideas are bad, but because the way we explain them ends up hiding the good stuff.

Last week I listened to sixteen founder pitches in a row. Different industries, different personalities, and different business models.

And while every single one had real potential, almost all of them shared the same 5 blind spots.

What stood out wasn't the mistakes themselves, but how shockingly easy they are to fix. The founders who nailed just a few simple things immediately came across clearer, more confident, and honestly… way more fun to listen to.

The difference between a forgettable pitch and a memorable one usually isn't a full overhaul. It's tiny tweaks, and once those clicks happen, the whole pitch lands differently.

In this episode, I go through the 5 common mistakes I see in founder pitches, and why correcting them will get (and keep) the attention of investors.

Topics Covered;

• Why most founders bury the most important part of the pitch

• How jargon kills investor confidence, even when the idea is great.

• The "single-takeaway rule" that instantly makes your deck clearer and more persuasive

• What investors actually want to know about your funding ask

• Invisible deal-breakers: lack of passion, weak projection, and low energy

• How to present traction even when you don't have revenue yet

• How to communicate a credible 18-month plan investors can believe in

• Verbal, visual, and emotional signals that matter far more than data points

About Your Host

Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast, where she's on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!

Connect:

Website: https://seedmoneypodcast.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaylasiciliano/

Subscribe and watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@seedmoneypodcast/