Capital
Capital. Get investable before you raise.
Investors pay for what the company is worth, and what it could be worth with their money in it. We help founders build the numbers, the plan and the story that show both, so you're ready when you raise.
Capital follows enterprise value.
And enterprise value starts with revenue. Most companies, when they raise, start building out their teams before their engines. So ask yourself: what if you couldn't raise any money? The company would have to pay for itself. Start there.
It's for founders planning a raise in the next 6 to 18 months, founders who'd rather grow on revenue first and raise later, and investors who want the founders they back to be ready for the next round.
Growth by Design
Investors pay for an engine that runs without the founder. See how we find what's stuck
We get you ready,
The biggest gap we see is founders who don't understand the commercials of their own business, let alone their investors'. Investors read a company across five things: market opportunity, traction, team, business model and investor readiness. Know exactly what to fix before you pitch.
sharpen the plan and the story,
We measure CAC payback, LTV and retention, so you walk into the partner meeting with numbers that hold up. Investors back people who can name their weaknesses.
and work alongside you through the process.
When you do raise, we work alongside you through the process, on your timeline.
What we do
Capital strategy
A capital plan tied to the growth plan: how much, when, from which kind of investor, and what it has to buy.
Investor readiness
Metrics, model, data room, board narrative and pitch, built on the business as it really runs.
After the raise
Board reporting and investor updates that keep trust high.
Public funding
hypergrowth.ca, coming soon, will help BC founders find grants and programs. Eligible Canadian companies can also access funded advisory programs.
Read this before you pitch.
Practice and programs
- Raise ReadinessGet revenue and unit economics working first, then raise when you choose to.
Capital essays
- These Are Not the VCs You're Looking ForA founder's cheatsheet for reading the capital room
- Canadian Founder’s Cheatsheet to Securing and Getting More IRAP FundingThe Definitive Growth by Design Guide for Canadian startups ready to leverage public funding into scalable growth - and not lose your mind in the process.
- Why Investors Don’t Give Feedback (And What to Do Instead)A founder's cheatsheet to decoding investor silence and extracting signal without losing your mind
- If You Can’t Raise, Leapfrog Into Capital InsteadSolving "Hole in the Head" Problems for Scaling Companies That Are Too Sophisticated for Cheap Tools, and Too Cheap for Sophisticated Ones
- Fundraising for Your Crazy Wild Idea - A Growth by Design CheatsheetFrom Dream to Dollars: How to Fund Your Wild Idea When You've Got Nothing but Passion
From the platform
- GetReady.vcComing soon. Being rebuilt to show founders where they stand, with a diagnostic of their growth engines and a roadmap for what to fix.
- hypergrowth.caComing soon. Will help BC founders find the funding programs they qualify for.
Inside the climb
Headed by an operator who helped take WebCT, the university e-learning pioneer, from startup to a $180M sale to Blackboard.
How it works
If revenue doubled over the next 12 months, what would break first?
Map → Model 2× → Find the first limit → Size the gain → Build.
Common questions.
When should a founder raise?
Raise when the revenue is waiting, you need the money to go get it, and you can show what the money buys.
How do I raise money?
As Diraj Goel writes in our essays: "Every founder who's ever sat in my office has asked some version of the same question: how do I raise money? Almost none of them should have been asking that first." Capital follows revenue, so engineer the revenue first.
How do you help with a raise?
We get you ready, sharpen the plan and the story, and work alongside you through the process. You lead the raise.
How can I tell if my company is ready to raise?
Investors read a company across five things: market opportunity, traction, team, business model and investor readiness. Know exactly what to fix before you pitch.
Who can help a B2B founder prepare for a raise?
GetFresh Ventures partners with post-revenue B2B SaaS and tech-enabled service founders. You should have validated product-market fit and a desire to scale capital-efficiently.
Why don't investors give feedback after a pitch?
Most founders don't spiral because of rejection. They spiral because of ambiguity. Investor criteria stay hidden. Every fund has its own scoring rubric — and they don't share it. Founders pitch into the dark, learn nothing from the no, and repeat the same mistakes deck after deck. Our cheatsheet on investor silence shows what to do instead.
What if I can't raise venture capital?
Grow on revenue first. Capital follows enterprise value, and enterprise value starts with revenue. Our essay "If You Can't Raise, Leapfrog Into Capital Instead" walks through it.
Can government programs help?
hypergrowth.ca, coming soon, will help BC founders find programs they qualify for. Some Canadian companies also qualify for funded advisory programs.
Know what to fix before you pitch.
WebCT, the university e-learning pioneer, from startup to a $180M sale to Blackboard.