The VC Landscape: Navigating seed stage fundraising in a changing market. In today’s episode Judith Germain speaks to Kevin Gwynn White about the VC landscape for seed-stage startups and changes in fundraising tactics. Kevin provides an overview of his career, including his time as an accountant at Ernst & Young, his work in capital markets and M&A, and his involvement with a venture capital firm that led him to start his own company, Expo Group, which provides accounting and finance support to startups.
You can listen to Episode 483 on any of the popular podcast platforms or apps (including Spotify, and Audible). If you prefer to listen to your browser you can do that below. Enjoy!
Key Takeaways
- VC landscape has shifted from revenue growth focus to profitability and AI-centric investments
- Fundraising tactics now emphasise showing traction, path to profitability, and AI integration
- Team quality and execution ability remain crucial, especially for seed-stage funding
- CFO roles at early-stage startups require a rare blend of accounting and strategic financial modelling skills
Topics
Current VC Landscape for Seed Stage
- Shift from SaaS and revenue growth focus to profitability and burn multiples
- 41% of VC dollars concentrated in 10 companies, mostly AI-focused
- Challenging for non-AI startups, but funding still available with the right approach
- Break-even companies ($3M+ revenue) open to growth equity and PE roll-up strategies
Changing Fundraising Tactics
- Emphasis on showing significant traction upfront
- Demonstrating path to becoming self-sustaining quickly
- Social impact still relevant, but fewer new funds (existing ones still active)
- Team quality remains crucial, especially for seed rounds
- Financial projections and models more important for Series A
Key Investor Focus Areas
- Seed stage: Team quality and execution ability
- Series A: Financials, traction, and progress
- Consistent importance of team across stages
- Detailed financial models syncing with pitch deck milestones
CFO Skills for Early-Stage Startups
- Rare combination of accounting expertise and strategic financial modelling
- Challenge stems from traditional separation of accounting and finance education
- Options: Hiring two specialists, finding a unicorn CFO, or using outsourced services
- Best CFOs often have startup VP Finance experience with accounting background
What you should do
- Entrepreneurs should focus on demonstrating traction and path to profitability
- Incorporate AI authentically if relevant to the business model
- Prepare comprehensive team slides and financial projections for pitches
- Consider outsourced financial services for early-stage startups lacking CFO skills
- Stay persistent in fundraising efforts, as the market remains robust despite challenges
In this conversation Kevin advises startups to focus on demonstrating traction and a clear path to profitability when fundraising, as opposed to just emphasising rapid growth. He also highlights the importance of the founding team’s experience and capabilities, as well as having a sophisticated financial model to present to investors.
Kevin encourages startups not to be discouraged by the current fundraising environment, as there is still significant capital available for the right opportunities. He emphasises the importance of persistence, grit, and strategic positioning when going to market for funding.
Kevin Gwynn White co-funded Exbo Group in 2017. Kevin focuses on bridging the gap between investors and founders, helping CEOs build premier finance functions that appeal to investors.
Kevin’s website is here. You can find him on LinkedIn here.
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