Max and Mike offer a practical, accessible take on raising money learned from their own experiences in building their businesses. They are straightforward about their businesses, their goals, what they learned, and how it can apply to your own business. Everyone's advice is tempered by their own experiences, and rather than run from that, Max and Mike are upfront about what their businesses, their goals, their pitch decks, and their experiences, so you can judge how their advice fits with your own goals. I got to see the early stages of their businesses up close - and they reference my materials on financials - so I'm not an impartial observer, but that's enabled me to see how they processed their experiences, and I enjoyed reading their take on topic that's been covered widely, but rarely deeply. Instead of getting lost in the abundant advice available on the web about how to raise money, start with this.
If you're considering raising money or have already started this is a must read. The clearly organized chapters provide the guidance you'll need for each stage of the fundraising journey and the founder anecdotes provide real world examples of how to apply what you're reading.
If you are considering raising seed money I recommend reading this guide from those who have done it before. Additionally I always recommend reading Brad and Jason's Venture Deals.
I read a pre-release version and found it invaluable in understanding the journey a CEO takes when raising a seed round for their company. Hoping to put it to use myself one day!
I posted a comment already, so I'll keep it short: this is a must-read for first-time founders.
Oversubscribed will greatly benefit anyone in the startup world - or thinking about getting into it. It explains everything from the key differences between angels and VCs, to why founders need multiple versions of a pitch deck, to how to manage a swift and successful raise. Max and Mike lean into their own experiences as first-time founders and aren't shy about sharing what they've learned, both good and bad.
As the founder of a seed venture capital firm, we often meet young, ambitious founders, who have everything they need to go out and build a great business, except for some of the basic guidelines and inside information and vocabulary that older, repeat founders and vcs have learned through experience.
Oversubscribed is perfect for when we come across those founders; it undoubtedly will help them get a leg-up in fundraising. In addition, this is now required reading for all of Chaac Ventures portfolio companies.
