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.
One of the most detailed firsthand accounts of surviving mass rejection from the founder of a $42B company; directly transferable to any founder mid-raise.
This video was created by Lenny's Podcast and features Melanie Perkins. We summarize and link with attribution; all rights belong to the creator.
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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.
58 min
Hustle Fund GP Elizabeth Yin takes live pitches from real founders and gives unfiltered feedback in real time, explaining her actual investment thought process as she reacts to each pitch.
33 min
Founders at YC's Female Founders Conference compare fundraising experiences: rejection patterns, investor bias, and tactics that worked, with disagreement between panelists on the right approach.