If You Raise, Raise Properly — Timing, Process, and Leverage (Part 3 / 3 in Fundraising Playbook for Founders Series)

​Most founders fail at fundraising not because their company is bad, but because their process is weak. In this final session, we focus on how to fundraise intentionally, quickly, and from a position of strength. You will learn what “fundable” actually means at different stages, how to build leverage before investor outreach, and how to run a tight fundraising process that protects your time, momentum, and negotiating power.

​What you’ll learn:

​What investors actually look for at different stages, beyond generic traction metrics

​Why traction is contextual and how founders misread readiness

​How to create leverage before talking to investors

​How to sequence investors to avoid weak signals and stalled rounds

​How to run a focused 4–6 week fundraising window

​Common founder mistakes that kill momentum and credibility during a raise

​About Ankit Nayal: Ankit is the Founder & CEO of Flamme – The Couples App, and Lead Mentor for Techstars and Stanford LISA. He has raised capital, bootstrapped profitably, and advised hundreds of founders on capital strategy across pre-seed to growth stages. At Flamme, he scaled to 150k+ users with industry-leading retention while prioritizing leverage and capital discipline. Previously, he helped a European HaaS scale-up grow from $40M Series B to $200M Series C and built and exited a RMB 15M consumer business in China. (edited)