Success Story with Scott D. Clary Gilad Uziely - Serial Entrepreneur & Startup Advisor | The Brutal Truth About Why 90% of Startups Fail
Sep 24, 2025
Gilad Uziely, a serial entrepreneur and CEO of fintech startup Sequence, discusses the harsh realities of startup life. He shares lessons learned from his initial failures, like the flawed assumptions at his neo-bank Lance. Gilad stresses the importance of letting data drive decisions and the necessity of detaching emotions from business choices. He also dives into the challenges of fundraising with a chaotic cap table and the critical mindset shifts behind Sequence's success, advocating for honesty about metrics and charging for value.
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Be Cautious Using Multiple SAFEs
- Avoid stacking SAFEs on top of priced rounds if you want clean down-round mechanics.
- SAFEs convert with preferential terms and complicate restructures and investor equity equality.
Term Sheet Pulled To Pressure Investors
- An interested lead investor pulled the term sheet to force stubborn early investors to accept new terms.
- That pressure helped close the deal but nearly ended the round entirely.
Use Price To Learn Faster
- Require payment to increase learning friction and reveal true value perception.
- No free trials force customers to reveal willingness-to-pay and drive better product-market fit.