For pre-seed to Series A founders raising in the US and Canada, from anywhere

Know exactly what's holding your raise back, and what to do next.

Planning a round, or stuck in one? In 30 minutes, we tell you how investable you are today, what investors in your space need to see, and how to get in front of the right ones.

Book your 30-minute diagnostic$199 · refundable if it isn't useful by minute 15 · credited if you continue

Not ready to book? Check your readiness in 3 minutes →

With Alex & Yvonne, who have supported companies that went on to raise from top North American investors and accelerators, including a16z, Y Combinator, Khosla Ventures and Draper Associates.

Ventera · Readiness assessment

Composite sample from real diagnostics

“Are we ready to raise our pre-seed?”

Vertical AI software for SMB healthcare · pre-seed · 2 founders · 30-minute diagnostic · summary sent the next day

Verdict

Fundable, but about six weeks early. Fix two things, then raise.

TeamIndustry operator plus ML engineer: the founder–market fit investors look for.
Problem and productClear pain, live with (redacted) paying customers.
Traction(redacted) MRR, all month-to-month. Too early to prove retention.
Business modelA flat (redacted) a month hides expansion.
StoryLeads with the AI. Investors here buy workflow ownership and ROI.
Investor listMostly generalist funds. Few lead pre-seed in this category.

See both full samples: the round, the valuation, your next steps →

$100M+raised in rounds we coached directly

60+rounds supported

600+startups coached

324diagnostic sessions delivered

Sectors we work in AI & software · intelligent hardware · physical AI · clean tech & sustainability · advanced materials

Sound familiar?

What founders tell us, and what's usually going on.

“Investors take the meeting. Then nothing.”

They couldn't see a reason to say yes yet. The most common thing we hear, and the most fixable.

“The product works, so we're ready.”

Investors fund a business model and evidence, not a product. Being ready to build isn't being ready to raise.

“We just need more introductions.”

More meetings with the wrong investors, or with the wrong story, burn the ones you'll need later.

“We're running the company and the raise.”

The raise drifts, follow-ups slip, and investors notice the round has been out for months.

Raising in the US or Canada from abroad?

It's twice as hard: a higher bar on quality, and an access gap.

No warm network on this side, and cold outreach that rarely lands
Whether you need a US or Canadian entity, and in what order to change things
Traction, credentials and a pitch style that investors here read differently

How we see it

Fundraising is simple. Become investable, then get in front of the right investors, the right way.

Become investable

A business model and evidence investors in your space fund
A round sized to a milestone, at a valuation you can defend
A story, deck, model and data room that hold up

GTM Strategy · deck and narrative · data room

Get in front of the right people, the right way

The investors who back your stage, sector and geography
Warm ways in, in the right order
A process that keeps momentum through the raise

Fundraising Partnership · Sprint · Accelerator Sprint

That's exactly what we help with. The diagnostic shows you where you are on that path, and the next step.

If something would cost you the round

A business model investors can't underwrite, or a story that undersells the company, sinks a raise before it starts. We build the fundable foundation and the story with you, and make possible a raise that otherwise wouldn't happen.

If the foundation is there

Founders we coach close 2 to 4 months faster on average than peers in the same space, with far less of their own time and effort, and on better terms: the right story, told to the right investors, starting with the ones most likely to close.

Who you'll talk to

We were founders without the network. Now we sit on the other side of the table.

Why we're confident we can help: every engagement gets three perspectives.

Investor side6 fundson investment committees and as deal partners, in decision-making and diligence
Founder sideBuilt and scaledcompanies of our own, so the advice holds up in practice
Coaching side600+ companies coachedon growth, strategy, governance and execution

You'll speak with Alex and Yvonne directly in the diagnostic.

Alex Chen

Deal Partner at a leading Silicon Valley venture fund; sat on the investment committee as a Venture Partner at a Boston early-stage VC
Serial founder: QuantWave, ALCLE

Yvonne Wang

Deal Partner at Boardy Ventures; sources for a Silicon Valley early-stage fund and corporate and angel investors
Has worked inside the investment and diligence process at three funds

Our story and full bios →

Select case studies

Rounds planned from the start, stalled raises restarted, businesses made fundable.

No two raises look the same. We shape the work around your company, sector, timing and the market as it is today.

$20M Series A

Capital-intensive deep-tech company

Deep Tech · Pre-seed → Series A

Tier 1 Silicon Valley fund in the round
3 rounds, the same partners
$3M+ in matching funds unlocked

A long technical road, with each round judged on different evidence. We went deep on the technology's markets and economics to set the narrative for each stage, sequenced grants alongside equity, and kept a steady rhythm through every round, with exposure to investors in our network and beyond. Pre-seed closed at about $1M, the seed unlocked more than $3M in matching funds, and the Series A raised $20M.

How we worked togetherFundraising Partnership × 3

~$1M raised in 3 months

B2B AI software company

AI & Software · Seed

Stalled raise restarted
A rhythm the round could keep

A fundable company whose raise kept slipping while the founder ran everything else. We reset the sequencing and set a rhythm the round could keep: clear next steps, regular check-ins, preparation before key meetings and a debrief after, with exposure to investors in our network and beyond. About $1M closed within the three-month engagement.

How we worked together30-minute diagnostic → Fundraising Partnership

~$3M raised after the pivot

Hardware engineering team

Deep Tech · Early stage

Every serious investor had passed
Pivot to an industrial use case

A strong team building a consumer service with no moat, and every serious investor passed. Through monthly coaching, we dug into the industry to find where their hardware and deployment skills faced the least competition, and rebuilt the business model around an industrial use case. Then we coached them through the raise: a round of about $3M.

How we worked together1-hour focused session → Monthly Execution Coaching → Fundraising Partnership

“We got the support and accountability we needed to run the round, and could shift our focus to the things that mattered for the company instead of letting fundraising drag us. I really don't like raising, so it's great to have Ventera take the toughest parts of that off our plate and execute it well.”
Founder & CEO, B2B AI software

“I've been confused about our growth and our team had been in a tough spot going into the engagement. I didn't expect to get so much value out of it, and it gave me the clarity I needed to act.”
Co-founder, Consumer travel platform

Anonymized to protect clients. Ask us about relevant cases during or after your diagnostic for a walk-through.

Book your 30-minute diagnostic All case studies →

What you get

The 30-minute diagnostic. Every partnership starts here.

How investable you are today: the round, story, evidence and business model
What investors in your space need to see before they say yes
Which investors to approach, and the right way in
The round size and a reasonable valuation range
A written summary within 24 hours, with dated next steps

$199Refundable if it isn't useful by minute 15. Credited in full toward the GTM Strategy, Sprint or Partnership within 30 days.

Book your 30-minute diagnostic

Read two full samples of the written summary →

1
Book
Two minutes. Tell us where you are at checkout. We schedule within 48 hours, in your time zone.
2
The call
Thirty minutes with Alex and Yvonne. This is where you get the answers and our judgment. Not a sales call.
3
Your plan
A written summary within 24 hours. If you want help with what's next, most founders continue with the Fundraising Partnership.

After the diagnostic

If you're ready to raise, we'll invite you into the Fundraising Partnership.

It builds on the strategy from your diagnostic, whether you're starting a raise or halfway through one that has stalled, and the $199 is credited in full. If you're not ready yet, we'll tell you straight and point you to what will get you there. And if the diagnostic answers your questions, that's a good outcome too.

If you're ready to raise Fundraising Partnership Whether you're starting a raise or stuck halfway through one. Customized to your company, timing and market reality, and built on the strategy from your diagnostic, we're in it with you through every step of the raise, working closely and hands-on in the key deliverables.

Hands-on in the narrative, and available to be hands-on in the deck, model and data room, with turnarounds in days
Weekly meetings for the first two months, then every two weeks
Preparation and debriefs for key investor meetings
Exposure to investors in our network and beyond, where you fit
Coaching through diligence and terms

This gives you everything you need to run the raise. Fixed fee ($2,000 to $9,000 USD) + bonus See how the Partnership works →

Something specific first, or lighter support

Lighter-weight support: you run the raise, we coach6-Week Fundraising Sprint$1,800 The business model or evidence needs work firstGTM Strategy or Monthly Execution Coaching$1,800 or $300/month Only the deck, pitch or data room needs workDeck & pitchfrom $500 You're applying to an acceleratorAccelerator Sprint$1,099

One hard question instead? The 1-hour focused session, $500 →

Questions

Before you book.

Is this a sales call in disguise?

No. The thirty minutes are about your raise, and you get our read and the written summary either way. Plenty of founders stop there.

What if it isn't useful?

Say so before the 15-minute mark and we stop and refund you in full.

What happens after the diagnostic?

You get the written summary within 24 hours. If we believe you're ready to raise, we'll invite you to consider the Fundraising Partnership, built on the strategy from the diagnostic, with the $199 credited in full. If you're not ready yet, we'll tell you straight and point you in the right direction, whether that's the GTM Strategy, deck and pitch work, or something you can do on your own. And if the diagnostic answers your questions, that's a good outcome too.

We're early. Is it too soon?

Often the best time. We'll tell you what investors in your space need to see before you raise, and if the honest answer is “not yet”, we'll say so.

We're outside North America. Do we need a US or Canadian company?

Not always. Some funds invest directly; many expect a US or Canadian parent before they wire. We'll tell you what investors in your space expect and in what order to change things. Remote, in your time zone, in English or Mandarin.

We're raising a Series A. Is a 30-minute call enough?

It's where we start. Pre-seed to Series A is the work we do. On the call we tell you what this round needs, and if you want us on it, we scope the work and give you the price.

How do you get paid if we keep working together?

The $199 is credited in full toward the GTM Strategy, the Sprint or the Partnership. The Partnership is a fixed fee of $2,000 to $9,000 USD plus a bonus; the Sprint and GTM Strategy are fixed fees. You get your exact numbers in writing after the diagnostic, before you commit.

Is what I share confidential?

Yes. It stays with us, and we'll sign your NDA if you need one.

Walk into your next investor conversation knowing what they'll look for.

Book your 30-minute diagnosticRemote, in your time zone, in English or Mandarin

Not raising yet? Short notes on how early-stage rounds actually get decided, from both sides of the table. Book when it's time. Or check your readiness in 3 minutes →