Seed Money

Most first-time founders aren't failing because their idea is bad. They're spending their limited time pitching people who were never going to write the check. And when they do get an offer, they don't always know what it'll cost them down the road. Jay Kriner is a serial entrepreneur, Shark Tank alum, and the founder and CEO of Gale Project, a hardware company building early alert and drone response systems for floods, wildfires, and other emergencies. In the last year, he built a working prototype in 180 days, got his patent issued, and lined up about $2M on term sheets. Then he decided to cancel the round. In this episode, Jay breaks down why he said no, what he learned from talking to investors at every level, and what you can start doing now, even if you have no connections and no money. Why this matters right now: Investors have seasons too. Many VCs check out around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's, so you could be sending decks into a dead zone. Jay explains where to focus instead, and why family offices and high-net-worth investors are worth pursuing all year. Follow Jay on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaykriner/ You'll learn: *How to spot an investor who was never going to fund you, before you waste the time *The awkward question to ask every firm, because some of them don't actually have money to invest *The question that got Jay a clear roadmap to a Series A before he'd even closed his seed round *How to get on your dream investor's radar months before you need them *When dilution stops being worth it, and how to run the math on your own exit *Why a $1M check can be worth more than $5M *How to use accelerators without giving away equity for a badge on your deck *How Jay landed a CBS segment with one short LinkedIn message and no PR firm Have questions specific to your situation? Join Jayla's FREE monthly Seed Money Office Hours call to ask your real funding questions and get more clarity on funding strategy, investor materials, pitching, finding investors, and how to close. Save your spot: https://seedmoney.mysamcart.com/office-hours About Your Host Jayla Siciliano is an entrepreneur with 25+ years in consumer brands, product, and marketing. After raising her first angel round against all odds and later appearing on Shark Tank, where she closed a deal with Mark Cuban, she now helps founders become fundable, confident, and ready to attract the right investors. Entrepreneurship changed her life, and she's on a mission to help first-time founders raise their first round of angel funding and change theirs too. Disclaimer The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.  

If you're a first-time founder trying to raise money and keep hearing crickets—or worse, polite rejections—this episode is for you. In this episode, I'm breaking down the 5 biggest signs you're chasing the wrong investors and wasting time on people who were never going to fund you in the first place. From cold-emailing VCs at pre-seed to pitching anyone with a nice car, these mistakes are costing you months you don't have. I've been there and I made every single one of these mistakes before I figured out what actually works. If you recognize yourself in 3 or more of these signs, don't worry—there's a better way. Let's talk about it. In This Episode, You'll Learn: ✅ Sign #1: Why cold-emailing VCs at the pre-seed stage is a complete waste of time (and who you should be targeting instead) ✅ Sign #2: What "impressive, but we'd like to see more traction" *really* means—and how to stop hearing it ✅ Sign #3: Why pitching anyone with money or a nice car is not a funding strategy (and how to find *actual* angel investors) ✅ Sign #4: The real reason you've been tweaking your deck for months but still have no meetings (hint: it's not the deck) ✅ Sign #5: Why you're getting ghosted after the first conversation—and how to diagnose what's not landing in your pitch   Have questions specific to your situation? Join Jayla's FREE monthly Seed Money Office Hours call to ask your real funding questions and get more clarity on funding strategy, investor materials, pitching, finding investors, and how to close. Save your spot: https://seedmoney.mysamcart.com/office-hours About Your Host Jayla Siciliano is an entrepreneur with 25+ years in consumer brands, product, and marketing. After raising her first angel round against all odds and later appearing on Shark Tank, where she closed a deal with Mark Cuban, she now helps founders become fundable, confident, and ready to attract the right investors. Entrepreneurship changed her life, and she's on a mission to help first-time founders raise their first round of angel funding and change theirs too. Disclaimer The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

If you're afraid to talk to investors about funding your startup while you still have a day job, this episode is for you. Jayla talks about why splitting your time doesn't have to be a red flag in a first raise, and she highlights what investors actually care about instead.The big takeaway is simple: you can be fully committed while still keeping a side gig or full-time job to pay the bills. What matters more is how you frame it and how you lay out your funding strategy. Key topics Why founders feel anxious about seeming "all in" before they can afford to be Why small first rounds usually do not require full-time commitment How early capital should go toward milestones that increase company value, not personal salary A practical framing for investors: "Everything I'm bringing in is going back into the company" Why you do not need to volunteer details about consulting, bartending, or other side work unless asked How to explain that you are 100% committed even if you are still earning income elsewhere Why a full-time job can provide stability during an early raise without signaling a lack of commitment Why small raises generally should not be used to pay founder salary The real investor concern: whether you have a believable funding and growth strategy How the first $100,000 to $200,000 can create credibility and set up the next, larger raise Timestamps 00:00 — Why founders worry about seeming "partially committed" 00:38 — The pressure of raising money while still needing to pay the bills 02:09 — Naming the fear investors may not see 03:02 — Why small first rounds usually do not require full-time commitment 03:59 — Keeping side work private unless asked 04:30 — How a full-time job can still coexist with commitment 06:04 — The simplest way to explain your situation to investors 06:39 — Why early raise money should not go to founder salary 07:33 — Balancing hustle, milestones, and avoiding burnout 08:55 — What really worries investors in a small early raise 10:22 — Bottom line: commitment plus a clear growth strategy   Have questions specific to your situation? Join Jayla's FREE monthly Seed Money Office Hours call to ask your real funding questions and get more clarity on funding strategy, investor materials, pitching, finding investors, and how to close. Save your spot: seedmoneypodcast.com About Your Host Jayla Siciliano is an entrepreneur with 25+ years in consumer brands, product, and marketing. After raising her first angel round against all odds and later appearing on Shark Tank, where she closed a deal with Mark Cuban, she now helps founders become fundable, confident, and ready to attract the right investors. Entrepreneurship changed her life, and she's on a mission to help first-time founders raise their first round of angel funding and change theirs too.   Disclaimer The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.  

Jayla Siciliano explains how founders can turn perceived red flags into clear, confidence-building narratives for investors. The episode focuses on a common fundraising mistake: overexplaining a situation that the founder is already anxious about, which can make a neutral fact sound like a major problem.In this solo episode, Jayla walks through a real founder example involving a remote co-founder setup across the US and abroad, then shows how to present the same facts as a logical division of responsibilities instead of a liability. Key topics In this episode: red flags are often less about the facts and more about how the founder frames them. Jayla explains that if a founder is especially nervous about one investor question, that usually points to their own fear, not necessarily the investor's concern. She warns against overexplaining, rambling, and going down a rabbit hole, since that is often what turns a manageable issue into a real red flag. The main example is a consumer product company with two co-founders, one living abroad and one in the US, which the founders feared would look disorganized or uncommitted. Jayla breaks down why the setup is not inherently a problem if the roles are clear and do not depend on both people being in the same place. The US-based co-founder handled sales and physical distribution, while the abroad-based co-founder handled back-end logistics, marketing, corporate governance, and fundraising. She uses a simple test: if the company suddenly had enough money for both founders to go full-time, would the roles still make sense independently? Jayla emphasizes that the goal is to remove emotion from the explanation and present the situation in a matter-of-fact, logical way. She notes that some investors may still care about a specific issue, but that does not mean the issue is fatal or that every investor will react the same way. The bigger lesson is to stop letting a perceived red flag undermine your confidence before the conversation even happens. Timestamps 00:00 - Why red flags are mostly about framing, not facts 00:59 - The hidden fear behind the question you do not want investors to ask 01:27 - Why overexplaining makes a small issue sound worse 02:09 - A founder example from office hours 02:46 - The remote co-founder setup that felt risky 03:40 - The real concern: commitment and role clarity 04:37 - How panic can make a logistics issue sound like a liability 05:33 - Reframing the situation without creating a new problem 06:22 - Why role separation matters more than geography 06:45 - The million-dollar test for whether the team structure works 07:54 - How clearer roles reduce founder anxiety 08:18 - Remove emotion and tell the story logically 08:44 - When one investor's concern gets inside your head 09:40 - Why one investor's objection does not define the opportunity 10:09 - Remote international teams are now normal 10:41 - Ask whether the issue is truly a red flag or just your fear 11:08 - Why Jayla offers office hours for customized fundraising advice Action items Write down the issue you are most worried investors will question. Ask whether it is actually a business problem or mainly a confidence problem. Reframe the issue in simple, factual language without overexplaining. Clarify each founder's role and make sure the responsibilities make sense independent of location. Practice saying the explanation out loud until it sounds calm and logical.   Have questions specific to your situation? Join Jayla's monthly Seed Money Office Hours call to ask your real funding questions and get more clarity on funding strategy, investor materials, pitching, finding investors, and how to close. Save your spot: https://seedmoney.mysamcart.com/office-hours About Your Host Jayla Siciliano is an entrepreneur with 25+ years in consumer brands, product, and marketing. After raising her first angel round against all odds and later appearing on Shark Tank, where she closed a deal with Mark Cuban, she now helps founders become fundable, confident, and ready to attract the right investors. Entrepreneurship changed her life, and she's on a mission to help first-time founders raise their first round of angel funding and change theirs too.   Disclaimer The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

Jayla Siciliano breaks down why early-stage founders should not dismiss small checks when raising their first round. The episode focuses on how a modest commitment can create the validation needed to unlock larger angel, strategic, and investor conversations later.In this episode, Jayla explains why most founders are not ready for VC funding right away and why smaller early checks can matter more than the dollar amount itself. She also shares how founders without wealthy networks can still build credibility with strangers by showing that someone else already believes in the business. Key topics Why a $10,000 check can be more valuable than its face amount at the early stage Why most startups are not ready for VC funding or angel groups immediately Why "go straight to VCs" is usually the wrong first move for new founders How friends and family checks can validate a founder before meeting strangers Why even $2,000, $5,000, or $10,000 from a trusted person can signal legitimacy How strategic partners, distributors, sales channels, or influencers can provide even stronger validation than family money Why investors often want proof that someone else believes in the founder before writing a larger check Why founders should not get fixated on only accepting $50,000 to $100,000 checks at the start Why small early commitments can help open doors to much bigger checks later How Jayla's own experience raising money without a wealthy network shaped this advice Timestamps 00:00 — Why the right small check can matter more than the amount 01:31 — Why most founders are not ready for VC or angel money yet 02:30 — Why investor gatekeeping makes early fundraising harder than people expect 03:00 — When startups can skip the usual fundraising steps 04:25 — Raising money without wealthy friends and family 04:53 — How a small friends and family round builds investor validation 05:18 — Why strategic partners can be stronger validation than cash alone 06:17 — Why founders should not wait for only large checks 07:10 — How outside investors interpret early commitment from others 08:07 — Jayla's offer to help founders strategize their funding plan Have questions specific to your situation? Join Jayla's FREE monthly Seed Money Office Hours call to ask your real funding questions and get more clarity on funding strategy, investor materials, pitching, finding investors, and how to close. Save your spot: https://seedmoney.mysamcart.com/office-hours About Your Host Jayla Siciliano is an entrepreneur with 25+ years in consumer brands, product, and marketing. After raising her first angel round against all odds and later appearing on Shark Tank, where she closed a deal with Mark Cuban, she now helps founders become fundable, confident, and ready to attract the right investors. Entrepreneurship changed her life, and she's on a mission to help first-time founders raise their first round of angel funding and change theirs too. Disclaimer The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

In this episode, Jayla explains why waiting until January to set annual goals can sabotage fundraising plans, and why fall is a better time to map out milestones, funding needs, and investor strategy. And she's sharing practical fundraising advice from her recent Seed Money office hours sessions. If you're raising money in the next 6 to 12 months, this episode is about setting the right goals before the year gets away from you. Key topics Jayla argues that January is the worst time to set goals because founders are tired, distracted, and coming off the holidays. Fall is framed as the best planning season for founders who want to raise money in the next 6 to 12 months. She emphasizes funding the next milestone, not the "big crazy dream," when building a fundraising plan. The real fundraising question is: what will make the company more valuable next, and how much money is needed to get there? She explains why a company may need stepping-stone capital, such as friends and family money, before becoming ready for larger investors. Jayla warns that if the story is just "I need $2 million to build a billion-dollar company," it will not sound logical or well thought out to investors. She says pitch deck design matters less than the underlying funding strategy and investor fit. Personal goals matter as much as business goals because ignoring health, exercise, travel, and rest can lead to burnout. Jayla reflects on her own experience of building for growth without aligning it to the life she actually wanted. She encourages founders to define business milestones, personal goals, and funding strategy together. Timestamps (00:00) Why January is the worst time to set goals (01:00) Why fall is the best season for planning and fundraising (02:26) How endurance sports changed Jayla's view of conditioning and grind (03:23) Why constant sitting and nonstop work hurt founders long term (04:23) Fund your next milestone, not the giant dream (06:17) What investors really want: increasing company value over time (07:38) When friends and family funding makes sense before VC (08:37) Why your fundraising story has to match your stage (09:31) Why pitch deck tweaks will not fix a weak strategy (10:00) Jayla's personal cost of building without alignment (11:24) Why growth is not worth it if it kills the life you want (12:21) The danger of chasing a billion-dollar exit because it looks normal (13:33) How to align goals before deciding your funding plan (14:57) Office hours and how to bring funding challenges for strategy help Have questions specific to your situation? Join Jayla's FREE monthly Seed Money Office Hours call to ask your real funding questions and get more clarity on funding strategy, investor materials, pitching, finding investors, and how to close. Save your spot: https://seedmoney.mysamcart.com/office-hours   About Your Host Jayla Siciliano is an entrepreneur with 25+ years in consumer brands, product, and marketing. After raising her first angel round against all odds and later appearing on Shark Tank, where she closed a deal with Mark Cuban, she now helps founders become fundable, confident, and ready to attract the right investors. Entrepreneurship changed her life, and she's on a mission to help first-time founders raise their first round of angel funding and change theirs too.   Disclaimer The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

In this episode Jayla Siciliano sits down with Ethan Mayers, also known as "The Pitch Destroyer," to unpack what investors actually want, how founders should approach fundraising, and why relationship-building matters more than "the ask". Ethan shares hard-won perspective from years of helping founders sharpen their pitch, build stronger investor relationships, and understand the real purpose of a pitch deck: not to close a deal, but to start a conversation. He explains why investors are often looking for reasons to say no, how founders can better prepare for tough questions, and why the strongest pitch decks create curiosity, not just information. The conversation also digs into how founders should think about funding strategy, especially in categories like CPG where venture capital is often not the best fit. Ethan makes the case for defining success on your own terms, choosing the right type of capital for your business model, and considering alternative funding paths like angels, strategics, corporate venture, revenue-based options, and more. In this episode, you'll learn: Why investors are usually trying to de-risk, not "fall in love" with a deal How to treat a pitch deck as the beginning of a relationship Why fundraising should not replace building the business How to identify the right type of capital for your company Why CPG founders should think beyond VC How to define success in a way that fits your goals, not someone else's What makes a founder feel investable in today's market Key takeaways: Investors want inevitability, not perfection Relationship-building starts long before you ask for money The best founders know when to say "I don't know" Not every business is meant to chase venture-scale growth A durable, profitable business can be a stronger outcome than a unicorn exit About Ethan M. Ethan M. is a venture partner, mentor, and the force behind Post Unicorn Capital, where he tracks capital innovation trends and advocates for broader definitions of entrepreneurial success. He works with founders around the world to help them build stronger companies and navigate the evolving fundraising landscape. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanmayers/ Need help?  Join Jayla's FREE monthly Seed Money Office Hours call to ask your real funding questions and get more clarity on funding strategy, investor materials, pitching, finding investors, and how to close. Save your spot: https://seedmoney.mysamcart.com/office-hours About Your Host Jayla Siciliano is an entrepreneur with 25+ years in consumer brands, product, and marketing. After raising her first angel round against all odds and later appearing on Shark Tank, where she closed a deal with Mark Cuban, she now helps founders become fundable, confident, and ready to attract the right investors. Entrepreneurship changed her life, and she's on a mission to help first-time founders raise their first round of angel funding and change theirs too. Disclaimer The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.  

Finding investors can feel like the most intimidating part of raising your first round, especially if you were not born into a wealthy, well-connected network. But the answer is not to pitch everyone with "angel investor" in their LinkedIn bio or assume anyone with money could write you a check. That spray-and-pray approach wastes valuable time, leads to more rejection, and leaves many founders exhausted before they reach the investors who might actually be a fit. In this episode, I break down how to build a focused angel investor strategy so you can stop chasing random leads and start developing relationships with people who have a real reason to care about what you are building. Summer is the perfect time to do this work. Investor responses may be slower, but that gives you an opportunity to research, prepare, and create warm paths to the right people before fundraising activity picks up again in the fall. Have questions specific to your situation? Join Jayla's FREE monthly Seed Money Office Hours call to ask your real funding questions and get more clarity on funding strategy, investor materials, pitching, finding investors, and how to close. Save your spot: https://seedmoney.mysamcart.com/office-hours About Your Host Jayla Siciliano is an entrepreneur with 25+ years in consumer brands, product, and marketing. After raising her first angel round against all odds and later appearing on Shark Tank, where she closed a deal with Mark Cuban, she now helps founders become fundable, confident, and ready to attract the right investors. Entrepreneurship changed her life, and she's on a mission to help first-time founders raise their first round of angel funding and change theirs too.   Disclaimer The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

Warm introductions can open doors, but only if you use them the right way. Too many early-stage founders ask for investor intros before they know whether that investor is actually a fit, which can lead to awkward asks, weak pitches, and getting ghosted. In this episode, Jayla breaks down the research you need to do before asking for an introduction to an angel investor, so you can protect your relationships, show up prepared, and increase the chances that the intro actually leads somewhere. You'll learn: Why warm introductions are valuable social capital, and why you should not waste them Why paying for investor introductions is usually a red flag How to figure out whether an angel investor actually invests at your stage What to look for in their industry, business model, and check-size preferences Why you need to research their existing investments and potential competitors How to identify the strongest introduction path, not just the most obvious one What to say when asking for the intro so the person making it feels confident saying yes Before you ask someone to open up their network, make sure you've done the work. A thoughtful, well-researched ask will always be more effective than a random "Can you introduce me?" message. Have questions specific to your situation? Join Jayla's FREE monthly Seed Money Office Hours call to ask your real funding questions and get more clarity on funding strategy, investor materials, pitching, finding investors, and how to close. Save your spot: https://seedmoney.mysamcart.com/office-hours About Your Host Jayla Siciliano is an entrepreneur with 25+ years in consumer brands, product, and marketing. After raising her first angel round against all odds and later appearing on Shark Tank, where she closed a deal with Mark Cuban, she now helps founders become fundable, confident, and ready to attract the right investors. Entrepreneurship changed her life, and she's on a mission to help first-time founders raise their first round of angel funding and change theirs too.   Disclaimer The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

If your fundraising momentum stalled this winter or spring, summer is not the time to disappear. It is the time to fix the gaps before investors start paying attention again in the fall. In this episode, Jayla shares a simple 5-part summer reset plan to help early-stage founders turn customer conversations, traction, numbers, and investor research into a stronger, more fundable opportunity. You'll learn: Why summer can be the best time to regroup before your next fundraising push How to turn customer conversations into real investor-ready evidence What traction investors actually want to see in your pitch How to connect your use of funds to milestones, not just expenses Why random investor outreach does not work, and what to do instead How to practice your pitch before you are in front of real investors Have questions specific to your situation? Join Jayla's FREE monthly Seed Money Office Hours call to ask your real funding questions and get more clarity on funding strategy, investor materials, pitching, finding investors, and how to close. Save your spot: https://seedmoney.mysamcart.com/office-hours About Your Host Jayla Siciliano is an entrepreneur with 25+ years in consumer brands, product, and marketing. After raising her first angel round against all odds and later appearing on Shark Tank, where she closed a deal with Mark Cuban, she now helps founders become fundable, confident, and ready to attract the right investors. Entrepreneurship changed her life, and she's on a mission to help first-time founders raise their first round of angel funding and change theirs too.   Disclaimer The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.