Ep. 316 How I Raised It with Sam Lessin of Slow Ventures

Ep. 316 How I Raised It with Sam Lessin of Slow Ventures

Author: Foundersuite.com - software for raising capital January 16, 2026 Duration: 47:46
Produced by Foundersuite (for startups: www.foundersuite.com) and Fundingstack (for emerging manager VCs: www.fundingstack.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with with Sam Lessin of Slow Ventures, a a generalist early stage venture capital firm based in San Francisco, Boston, and New York that has invested ~$1B in startups building in the security, fintech, buyouts/rollups, SaaS, crypto, consumer, healthcare, and the creator economy. Slow's portfolio includes companies like Airtable, Brightside, Gusto, Metropolis, OpenPhone, PillPack, Ro, Solana, Teamshares and more. In this episode we discuss what Slow invests in across its 5 funds, why Slow is a "generalist fund," how Sam and Kevin raised capital for their first fund from ex-Facebook employees, why Slow decided to launch a dedicated fund focused on the creator economy, his advice for emerging VC managers and much more. How I Raised It is produced by Foundersuite, makers of software to raise capital and manage investor relations. Foundersuite's customers have raised over $21 Billion since 2016. If you are a startup, create a free account at www.foundersuite.com. If you are a VC, venture studio or investment banker, check out our new platform, www.fundingstack.com

Behind every funded startup is a story, often untold, of how the money actually came together. How I Raised It pulls back the curtain on that exact process. Each episode is a direct conversation with a founder who has successfully navigated the capital raise, digging into the granular details that most post-mortems gloss over. You’ll hear about the specific strategies that worked, the unexpected hurdles, and the moments that nearly derailed the entire effort. This isn't about generic advice; it's a replay of real negotiations, investor rejections turned into commitments, and the personal resilience required to close a round. Produced by Foundersuite.com, a company that builds software used by startups to raise capital, the podcast benefits from an insider's view of the fundraising landscape. The discussions are grounded in the messy reality of building a business with other people's money, offering a tangible sense of what to expect when you're in the thick of it. For any entrepreneur on the journey from idea to funded venture, this podcast serves as a valuable companion, full of hard-won insights and practical takeaways from those who have just been through the fire. Tune in to hear how pressure shapes a pitch, how relationships translate into checks, and how founders just like you managed to get it done.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

How I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.
Podcast Episodes
Ep. 258 How I Raised It with Max Aniort of Le Collectionist [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:20
Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Max Aniort of Le Collectionist (www.LeCollection…
Ep. 257 How I Raised It with Joe Vrankin of Puttshack [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:30
Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Joe Vrankin of Puttshack.com, a technology enabl…
Ep. 255 How I Raised It with Mir Hwang of GigFinesse [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:32
Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Mir Hwang of GigFinesse, a startup that connects…
Ep. 254 How I Raised It with Sebastian Baier of Buynomics [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:13
Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Sebastian Baier of Buynomics, a revenue optimiza…
Ep. 253 How I Raised It with Hubert Palan of Productboard [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:58
Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Hubert Palan of Productboard.com, a software pla…
Ep. 252 How I Raised It with Jennifer Smith of Scribe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:07
Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Jennifer Smith of Scribe (https://scribehow.com/…
Ep. 251 How I Raised It with Dan Shapiro of Glowforge [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:57
Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Dan Shapiro of Glowforge (www.glowforge.com), ma…
Ep. 250 How I Raised It with Abhishek Nayak of Appsmith [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:04
Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Abhishek Nayak of Appsmith, an open source workb…
Ep. 249 How I Raised It with Celeste Ford of Stellar Ventures [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:47
Produced by Foundersuite (www.foundersuite.com), "How I Raised It" goes behind the scenes with startup founders and investors who have raised capital. This episode is with Celeste Ford of Stellar Ventures. a woman-led ve…