We're focused on changing the way founders learn about funding.
Season 3 of Next Round Ready is launching with daily episodes—Monday through Friday. Five episodes in five days.
Why daily? Because I want to pack as much value into your week as possible. More investors, more founders, more insights you can actually use.
Today's episode: Kevin Raper
Kevin's made 17 angel investments and runs Venture Catalyst. His background is wild—he went from designing for TV and film (30 million people seeing his work every week) to investing in startups during COVID.
Here's what stood out:
"Strong convictions, loosely held"
Kevin looks for founders who are confident but can adapt the moment they learn something new. He said: "You can't wait for the whole world to come to where you want it to be. You need to go to where the world is."
This is why he's drawn to female founders, minorities, and immigrants. They've already spent their lives adapting to a world not built for them. That resilience translates directly into startup execution.
Humility = knowing your place, not making yourself small
When I asked about humility, Kevin said: "Humility is knowing your place. If your place is as a CEO, then it's knowing your place is as a CEO."
It's not about diminishing yourself. It's about understanding your role and owning it.
Interview your investors (crazy right?!)
Kevin was direct: "The people you put on your cap table—the founder should interview the investor as much as the investor should screen the founder. It's a marriage till exit."
Choose your investors like you'd choose a co-founder. Because that's basically what they are.
If you're building with co-founders, Kevin's building a leadership assessment tool called "The Fulcrum" specifically because he's seen too many teams implode from poor communication and low emotional intelligence. Worth thinking about.
What's coming this week:
Wednesday: Anthony Rose from SeedLegals
Thursday: Liz Myslik (Loft Growth Partners) on why you need to ask yourself WHY before you raise
Friday: Founder spotlight w/ Marco Benitez
Thursday’s episode with Liz might be the most important one for founders thinking about raising capital. She's been angel investing for 20+ years in CPG and has seen every possible path founders can take.
Her advice? Not everyone should raise equity capital. And she'll tell you exactly why.
See you Thursday,
🎙️ Chris
P.S. - Kevin's on LinkedIn and loves meeting new founders. If your company sparks curiosity (his #1 investment criteria), reach out to him.