Raising your first round has always been hard \u2014 but in today\u2019s market, the rules are changing fast.<\/p>\n
In this episode of Build Mode (https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/podcasts\/build-mode\/<\/a>) , our host and Startup Battlefield (https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/startup-battlefield\/<\/a>) lead Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Charles Hudson, Founder and Managing Partner of Precursor Ventures (https:\/\/precursorvc.com\/<\/a>) , to talk about what early-stage founders need to know before raising their first institutional round.<\/p>\n Charles shares a candid look at how the venture landscape has shifted, why AI is changing what investors pay attention to, and how founders can better navigate fundraising when the old playbooks no longer apply.<\/p>\n They get into:<\/p>\n \u2022 Why raising pre-seed and seed funding feels harder right now\u2022 How AI is reshaping venture capital\u2022 What founders should know before choosing an investor\u2022 Why the highest valuation is not always the best deal\u2022 How to build momentum during a fundraise\u2022 Why storytelling and a strong blurb matter more than ever\u2022 What happens when a startup raises too much too soon\u2022 Why the biggest risk may not be a down round \u2014 but no round at all\u2022 How to think about whether venture capital is actually the right path<\/p>\n Whether you’re preparing to raise, currently fundraising, or just trying to understand how early-stage venture is changing, this conversation is packed with practical, honest advice for founders building in today\u2019s market.<\/p>\n Subscribe to Build Mode on\u2060 (https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/gb\/podcast\/build-mode\/id1561051074<\/a>) Apple Podcasts\u2060 (https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/gb\/podcast\/build-mode\/id1561051074<\/a>) , \u2060Spotify\u2060 (https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0Dqmcq2aDrZkS9v1fITOKV<\/a>) , or\u2060 (https:\/\/pod.link\/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vWUZMNjEyNzkzNjQ5NA<\/a>) wherever you like to listen\u2060 (https:\/\/pod.link\/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vWUZMNjEyNzkzNjQ5NA<\/a>) . And watch the full videos on\u2060 (https:\/\/youtu.be\/1jCGsEOizz8<\/a>) YouTube\u2060 (https:\/\/youtu.be\/1jCGsEOizz8<\/a>) . New episodes of \u2060Build Mode\u2060 (https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/podcasts\/build-mode\/<\/a>) drop every Thursday.\u00a0<\/p>\n Chapters:<\/p>\n 00:00 \u2013 The New Rules of Startup Fundraising<\/p>\n 02:00 \u2013 What VCs Look for in First-Time Founders<\/p>\n 08:50 \u2013 The Biggest Fundraising Mistakes Startup Founders Make<\/p>\n 13:20 \u2013 Why Startup Valuations Are So Unpredictable in 2026<\/p>\n 18:20 \u2013 Why Raising Too Much Money Can Hurt Your Startup<\/p>\n 25:55 \u2013 Should Every Startup Raise Venture Capital?<\/p>\n 29:20 \u2013 How to Choose the Right VC Investor<\/p>\n 33:55 \u2013 Why Silicon Valley Still Gives Founders an Advantage<\/p>\n 36:40 \u2013 How to Build Momentum During a Startup Fundraise<\/p>\n Hosted by Isabelle Johannessen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Raising your first round has always been hard \u2014 but in today\u2019s market, the rules are changing fast. In this episode<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":91257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nicheblog.top\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nicheblog.top\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nicheblog.top\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nicheblog.top\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nicheblog.top\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nicheblog.top\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91241\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nicheblog.top\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nicheblog.top\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nicheblog.top\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nicheblog.top\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}