The {Closed} Session 4 Part Framework to Secure Startup Funding
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Feb 16, 2026 Vijay Rajendran, venture builder, executive coach, and author of The Funding Framework, helps founders navigate fundraising and AI-native product strategy. He breaks down why capital flows into AI yet fundraising feels hard. He walks through a four-part system, warns against vanity metrics, and explains how inference costs and unit economics reshape startup choices.
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Fundraise Like An Enterprise Sale
- Treat fundraising like an organized outreach process: storytelling, organization, outreach.
- Avoid wasting time on investors who are stage- or thesis-mismatched.
Shift From Doer To Enablement
- Founders must evolve from Chief Everything Officer to Chief Enablement Officer.
- Enabling others and building systems multiplies company capacity and avoids founder burnout.
Stop, Teach, Test, Vest
- Use stop, teach, test, then vest to scale people effectively.
- Hand responsibility with accountability to enable autonomy and performance.
