Ep #84: Why Most Founders Get Their Angel Round Wrong. With Vadim Gordin.

Vadim Gordin has looked at more early cap tables than most of us have had coffees. He built a data set most founders never see: hundreds of first-person fundraising accounts, cross-referenced against years running accelerators at NYU. His numbers say the friends and family round is not a formality. It is where the mistakes that surface at Series A actually start. We walk through what a healthy angel funnel looks like stage by stage, why the shape of your earliest round predicts problems two years out, and what a messy F&F cap table costs you later. The goal is not just closing the round, it is closing it in a way that does not quietly sabotage you down the line. F or anyone staring down their first raise, this is the funnel math nobody hands you. Visit Healing Healthtech - Vadim's Substack. Episode outline: Why the F&F round gets treated as an afterthought, and why that is a mistake Inside the data: what a healthy angel funnel looks like stage by stage The Mighty Middle thesis, and why $50M to $150M exits change the fundraising math Cap table mistakes that do not hurt until Series A Reducing human suffering as an investment filter What to build before you are ready to raise from anyone Listen: Apple || Spotify || YouTube Vadim Gordin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vadimgordin/ Vadim ran a venture studio inside NYU Tandon that turned under $500K in deployed capital into hundreds of millions in enterprise value, working with teams like Ataraxis, Vital Audio, and CaroRhythm. He now runs Mighty Middle Ventures, a fund and studio backing healthtech founders building toward the $50M to $150M exits traditional VC ignores. Andy Walsh 2× exited founder and host of Startups Decoded (750,000 downloads + Top 2% globally). https://www.linkedin.com/in/anwalsh/ Access All Areas. Listen: Apple || Spotify || YouTube Subscribe: Substack Connect: LinkedIn Web: startupsdecoded.com Socials: TikTok || Instagram || X Music Credit. “Neptuno” – Phondupe (Album: Onykia) https://phondupe.bandcamp.com/album/air-conditioning-vol-2 Disclaimer. The views and opinions shared on Startups Decoded are for informational purposes only and do not constitute investment or legal advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making any financial or legal decisions.