Raising Money Isn’t A Measurement Of Success: Interview With Robb Doub, New Markets Venture Partners

Robb Doub, a seasoned venture capitalist, discusses the right time and way to raise money.

PEOPLE

• Guest: Robb Doub, General Partner and Co-Founder, New Markets Venture Partners
• Host: Anil Hemrajani, Founder of Startup Sidekick

TAKEAWAYS

1. Take the money if anyone is willing to write a check
2. Build relationships with investors over time versus viewing it as a transaction
3. Raise money for the right reason (e.g. scaling versus business model not working)
4. Research the investment firm (e.g. are they active, is their bar too high) 
5. Get to the know the partner at VC firm you’ll be working with

TIMELINE

• 00:56 Overview of New Markets Venture Partners (NMVP)
• 03:25 How Ben & Jerry’s invested in NMVP
• 04:38 Terminology
• 05:38 Definition of fundraising and how NMVP builds relationship long before funding (versus viewing it as a transaction)
• 07:44 Why raising money isn’t a measurement of success and how raising money changes your company’s trajectory
• 12:10 When and how to raise money the right way
• 15:00 What type of investors to contact (e.g. angels, VC) and how to vet them
• 16:55 Advice on how to manage the raised money (cash is king)
• 20:48 Takeaways (see above)
• 23:00 BONUS: Prioritization and work-life balance