Fundraising in Silicon Valley for Immigrant Founders

This episode explores the playbook, mindset, and tips to fundraise as an immigrant founder in Silicon Valley. We cover everything from dealing with cultural baggage, getting warm intros and building trust, prepping your startup to be venture-fundable, storytelling to stand out amongst the crowd, leaning on peer founders and mentors, going from leads to warm conversations to money in the bank, the “right” mindset and attitude to have when pitching VCs and finally, a 5-step framework for fundraising.

Joining me for this discussion is Vijay Rajendran, an executive coach based in Silicon Valley. Over a 20-year career as an entrepreneur, investor, and advisor, Vijay has supported hundreds of founders and helped them on their journey to becoming CEOs. Previously, Vijay led portfolio value at 500 Global and also built a venture studio for a global bank.

TIME STAMPS:

(00:57) Cultural baggage that immigrant founders carry

(04:35) Building trust in Silicon Valley as an outsider

(05:19) How warm intros work in Silicon Valley

(06:39) What founders new to the Valley should demonstrate to get investor traction

(09:06) Preparing your startup to be venture-fundable

(14:16) Generating social proof

(15:36) Showcasing your personal story to stand out

(21:20) Learning story-telling skills 

(24:53) Leaning on other founders and mentors 

(31:27) Tips to forge meaningful relationships with new customers and investors

(38:00) The “right” mindset and attitude for pitching VCs

(39:36) Vijay’s 5-step framework for fundraising in Silicon Valley

Connect with Vijay - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijayarajendran/ and check out his website - https://www.mystartupsystem.com/

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I am a venture investor focused on the US-India corridor. Feel free to reach out on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/soumitrasharma5/) and follow me on X (@soumitra_sharma).