Slush fireside chat on the psychology of raising money: fear, rejection resilience, and the mental game of a raise, told through the speakers' own rounds.
Early, honest treatment of the emotional side that most content skips.
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1h 6m
Canva co-founder Melanie Perkins recounts pitching for three years and being rejected by more than 100 investors before closing Canva's first round, including how she reworked the pitch around each objection. She details the kitesurfing-with-investors period in Silicon Valley and how rejection shaped the company's strategy.
1h 9m
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky talks with Jason Calacanis about the company's early days: living off credit cards, the cereal-box hustle, and the wave of investor rejections at a $1.5M valuation before YC and Sequoia came in. Strong sections on what rejection taught him about conviction.
4 min
Tovala founder David Rabie recounts the moment his Series B fell apart, what it felt like, how the company survived, and how they eventually got funded anyway.