Unlocking Startup Growth: Fundraising Strategies and Resilience Tips with Paulo Andrez

What separates the startups that raise capital and scale… from those that stall out?

In this episode of Feel the Boot, I sit down with Paulo Andrez—angel investor, serial founder, and startup turnaround specialist—to talk about the real challenges early-stage founders face.

We dig into:

• Why most founders raise capital too early

• What investors like Paulo actually look for in a startup

• How to recover from failure and pivot the right way

• Why founder resilience is more important than brilliance

• The biggest reasons startups fail—and how to avoid them

If you’re working on a startup and planning to fundraise (or already trying), this episode is a must-listen.

🎧 For the full blog recap: https://ftb.bz/120B

🎥 Watch the full video: https://ftb.bz/120V

💬 Join our founder community, Crossroads, to go deeper with conversations like this: https://ftb.bz/crossroads

You can follow Paulo on LinkedIn at https:// www.linkedin.com/in/pauloandrez or on his website https://www.pauloandrez.com

Pre-Sell Before You Build: Avoid Costly Startup Mistakes — with David Hirschfeld

Most startups fail because they build something no one wants.

In this episode of Feel the Boot, I talk with David Hirschfeld, founder of Tekyz and creator of the Launch First method, about how to flip the script and pre-sell your product before you build it.

We explore how high-fidelity mockups, early customer conversations, and focused problem validation can help founders avoid wasting time, money, and effort on products that miss the mark.

If you’re an early-stage founder, this episode is packed with practical advice to help you test, sell, and refine your idea before writing a single line of code.

👉 What you’ll learn:

✅ Why most startup products fail

✅ How to pre-sell using mockups

✅ When to raise capital—and when NOT to

✅ The difference between building what you want vs. solving real problems

✅ Why narrowing your focus is critical in the early stages

🎯 Thinking about raising capital?

Take my free 5-question quiz to see if you’re fundable:

👉 https://ftb.bz/fundable

🔗 Connect with David Hirschfeld:

🌐 Website: https://tekyz.com/

🐦 Twitter/X: https://x.com/tekyzinc

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhirschfeld/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dmhirschfeld

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tekyzinc

📝 Want more from this episode?

📖 Read the full blog: https://ftb.bz/119B

🎞️ Watch the video: https://ftb.bz/119V

🎥 Related video: Watch my episode on pre-pivoting your startup: [Insert link here]

📍 Chapters

00:00 Intro — Most founders build too soon

02:09 Why solving the right problem matters

06:37 The Launch First method explained

10:27 High-fidelity mockups that look real

15:17 Validating with real customer conversations

18:07 Pre-selling before you write code

21:42 Founder mindset mistakes to avoid

27:12 Why you shouldn’t raise capital too early

31:07 Real-world examples from David’s work

34:57 Final advice for early-stage founders

👍 Like this episode? Be sure to like, comment, and subscribe for more practical startup advice!

#startups #founderadvice #productvalidation #entrepreneurship #FeelTheBoot #presell #startupfunding #startupmistakes

Avoid These Startup Finance Mistakes — Insights from a Fractional CFO

Most founders ignore finance until it becomes a problem—don’t be that founder.

In this episode of Feel the Boot, I sit down with Josh Aharonoff, a fractional CFO who works with fast-growing startups to get their financials investor-ready. We talk about common finance mistakes, when to hire help, and what investors expect from your financials—especially when raising capital.

If you’re pre-seed, pre-revenue, or thinking about raising capital, this conversation will help you avoid costly misstepsand get your financial house in order.

Read this as a blog: https://ftb.bz/118B

Watch the video: https://ftb.bz/118V

Take the quiz to see if your ready for funding: https://ftb.bz/fundable

👉 Topics we cover in this episode:

• When founders should start caring about finance

• How to avoid common finance mistakes

• When to hire a bookkeeper vs. CFO

• What financials investors expect at different stages

• How to think about accounting (cash vs. accrual)

• Tools for sales tax, payroll, and compliance

• Building an investor-ready financial model

🔗 Connect with Josh Aharonoff

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yourcfoguy

Model Wiz (Financial modeling tool): https://www.modelwiz.com

👉 Related episode: Watch my interview with John Li of PickFu to learn how to test and validate startup ideas: https://ftb.bz/102B

👍 If you found this helpful, don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more startup advice!

#Startups #Fundraising #FractionalCFO #StartupFinance #FeelTheBoot