Clarity beats clever in the pitch room.

I sat down with Edward Keelan, Partner at Octopus Ventures, to unpack what really drives a yes from investors.

We cover:
 • The VC hierarchy of needs and why the founder comes first
 • Commercial acumen that matters at pre-Series A and beyond
 • Capital efficiency, burn ratio, and controlling headcount
 • Lean teams using AI and tooling to scale with discipline
 • The right time to hire a VP Sales and how to avoid the merry-go-round
 • GTM that works: repeatable pipeline before more salespeople
 • How founders should diligence a VC and get real post-investment support
 • The hidden cost of a bad early commercial hire

Find out more:

Edward Keelan (guest)

Connect with Edward on LinkedIn

Find out more about the Octopus Ventures

Matthew Codd (host)

Connect with me on LinkedIn

Find out more about my business, Cosmic Partners