LinkedIn post by Tony Zhang, Founder, Sbur
Most founders spend countless hours refining their pitch. Far fewer understand what happens on the other side of the table.
Recently at Sbur, a community of 750+ founders and 230+ peer-to-peer advisory roundtables, we sat down with Utsarga (Tito) A. (EOS
Most founders spend countless hours refining their pitch. Far fewer understand what happens on the other side of the table.
Recently at Sbur, a community of 750+ founders and 230+ peer-to-peer advisory roundtables, we sat down with Utsarga (Tito) A. (EOS
EOS BioInnovation), Mona Chopra (Startup Angel Bazzar),
Rahul Singh (TiE Boston) to unpack how investors actually make decisions.
The goal behind these conversations is always the same: helping founders get to smarter decision making, whether they're raising capital or figuring out who to raise it from.
Key takeaways:
- Conviction is rarely built in one meeting. It's earned through a series of interactions, observations, and conversations over time.
- Investors evaluate more than the deck. They're watching how founders think strategically, take feedback, execute, and build trust.
- Fundraising isn't one-size-fits-all. Understanding an investor's thesis, portfolio, and focus areas before reaching out leads to stronger conversations and longer-term relationships.
In one sentence: funding follows conviction, and conviction is built through consistent, thoughtful engagement — not a single great pitch.
This session was part of Sbur Decision Lounge, held in partnership with Kevin Marsh of Synergy, where we bring founders and investors together to practice exactly this kind of smart decision making.
Want in on the next one? Head to www.sbur for free passes to our office hours, in-person meetings, and virtual get-togethers with fellow founders and investors.
