A VC’s job is to find good deals—Here’s How to Become One

Welcome to the 7th edition of The Good News Newsletter—proudly serving over 2,995 founders! Here, we break down the latest insights from our weekly Family Office Hours sessions and equip you with tools to help you secure the capital and spread ‘The Good News’.

Missed the live session? Listen to the recording here.
Want to join the next session? Check out the full list of investors here.
Help us build Plaza 210! Learn more about this exciting project here.

1. Overview:

This week, we hosted two insightful sessions with our fantastic guest investors, including our open format third session:

Session #1: Daniel Paredes, Investor at Sierra Ventures

​SIERRA Ventures is an early-stage venture firm investing in the future of Enterprise and Emerging Technologies.

Session #2: Eon Mattis, Investor at Innospark Ventures

​Innospark is an early-stage venture capital firm supporting founders who leverage AI to impact life sciences, healthcare, and business services.

Session #3: Founder Debrief & Open Discussion

A new open-format session where founders reflect on lessons from the investor conversations, share wins and testimonies, and ask for support.

Past Event: Accelerate North Tulsa Pitch Night – Cohort 5

Roselly and I presented our first project under the banner of The Frater Family Foundation, Plaza 210 & The Center For Faith & Business as participants in the Accelerate North Tulsa Accelerator.

Watch Our Pitch Here: https://youtu.be/wilFOrd8kFU?si=rxyTadzgqOVpgkJq
Donate Here: https://gofund.me/28a73156

2. Office Hours Recap:

Session #1 - Daniel Paredes, Investor at Sierra Ventures

Stage: Pre-seed to Series A

Industry: Enterprise Software, Vertical SaaS, Deep Tech (with a focus on cybersecurity, infra/AI, healthcare, fintech, space tech, and robotics)

Check Size: $1M-$5M Seed, $4M-$10M Series A (Typically leads or co-leads)

How to Apply: Warm intros are preferred; Sierra is highly selective with 30–40 investments per fund. Ideal to get connected through a trusted mutual VC, founder, or industry contact. Some cold outreach is considered, but targeted warm intros yield the best results.

Key Takeaways from Session:

1. Legacy + Operator-Led Model: Sierra Ventures has over 40 years of experience and is deeply committed to supporting early-stage founders through a CXO advisory network made up of Fortune 100/200 executives. This unique model provides startups with early customer access and invaluable enterprise insights.

2. Clarity & Founder Insight Matter Most: At the earliest stages, Sierra is looking for a unique lens into a big market problem, paired with a founder who demonstrates clear thinking and strategic storytelling. Founders should be able to explain “why now,” their GTM strategy, and how they plan to win in a competitive space.

3. Fast, Collaborative Process: The diligence process at Sierra typically moves in 2–3 weeks and involves internal partner discussions, CXO advisory feedback, and a final team pitch. Founders are expected to have thoughtful responses around product direction, team construction, and market entry.

Session #2 - Eon Mattis, Investor at Innospark Ventures

Stage: Pre-Seed to Seed

Industry: AI-driven companies across Enterprise, Healthcare, and Life Sciences

Check Size: $250K–$3M (Typically leads or co-leads)

How to Apply: Submit on the Innospark website. Warm intros are preferred. Engaging with Innospark via community, demo days, or direct connection with team on LinkedIn or X helps. Fit is evaluated around deep technical use of AI and founder–market alignment.

Key Takeaways from Session:

1. AI-First Investment Thesis: Innospark is a Boston-based evergreen fund built around the belief that computational intelligence will transform industries. They back companies where AI is core to the product—not just an add-on. Their portfolio spans enterprise SaaS, healthcare, and life sciences.

2. High-Conviction, Hands-On Partner: Innospark is highly selective, emphasizing deep diligence before investing. Once invested, they work closely with founders on financial modeling, fundraising prep, hiring, and milestone setting. The team brings deep operational and domain-specific expertise to every board seat.

3. Mission Over Momentum: Unlike many traditional funds chasing hot rounds to impress LPs, Innospark’s evergreen model allows them to prioritize long-term value creation. Their goal isn’t to exit early—it’s to help build enduring, scalable businesses. That ethos shows up in how they evaluate deals and support founders post-investment.

Session #3 - Founder Debrief & Open Discussion

This session was a heartfelt and energizing close to the week’s conversations. Founders came together to reflect on the insights from investors, share personal wins and struggles, and offer one another encouragement, prayer, and practical feedback. From celebrating new jobs and major fundraising milestones to exploring challenges around scaling, alignment, and staying the course, the room fostered real vulnerability and authentic community. The conversation also sparked deep dialogue around Darrel’s vision for Plaza 210—a physical hub for impact-driven entrepreneurship—and generated powerful feedback from founders about the importance of accessible, mission-aligned spaces. This session exemplified what The Good News community is all about: radical honesty, spiritual grounding, and collective momentum.

3. Funding Resources:

💰 Resources of the Week:

UNICEF Venture Fund

The UNICEF Venture Fund is calling for applications from start-ups developing cutting-edge tech solutions improving access to quality health care and services, and ensuring socio-economic participation of women and girls.

Up to $100K | Deadline: 5/9/2025

The Creative Business Boost Initiative

The Creative Business Boost Initiative, presented by Hello Alice and the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN), with support from Etsy’s Uplift Fund! 100 creative entrepreneurs will be selected from eligible entrants to receive a $5,000 grant and access to an exclusive Boost Camp coaching program, helping them access capital and resources they need to foster growth and success.

$5K | Deadline: 5/9/2025

a16z Speedrun

A 12 week global startup program where founders receive up to $1M in funding and additional resources.

Up to $1M | Deadline: 5/11/2025

Blueprint: Tulsa

A 12-week program by Visible Hands and Build in Tulsa for early-stage, Tulsa and Southern-based founders. The program will support 20 idea-stage founders who are working on launching tech-enabled solutions and/or venture-backed ideas.

$10K | Deadline: 5/16/2025

HuCapital x Desmond Fontaine Foundation 'Catalyst' Grant

A $1,500 microgrant designed to empower early-stage entrepreneurs who are building innovative product-driven and community-based businesses.

$1.5K | Deadline: 5/16/2025

MassCEC Equity Workforce Planning & Capacity Grants 

Equity Workforce Planning and Capacity Grants provide up to $150,000 to start or expand a clean energy equity workforce program.

Up to $150K | Deadline: 5/19/2025

Good Soil Seed Capital Pitch Competition

As part of the Good Soil Forum presented by Wells Fargo, this competition offers significant funding and expert mentorship to fuel the entrepreneurial spirit.

Up to $200K | Deadline: 5/23/2025

Blue Ridge Labs Founder Fellowship

Over 20 weeks you’ll validate your idea, build your MVP and gain real traction with hands‑on workshops, user testing, mentorship, funding, coworking and network access.

$20K | Deadline: 6/8/2025

Pathway to Opportunity

Pathway to Opportunity is a competition designed to connect small businesses with corporations seeking to expand their supply chain with innovative products and services; providing a $5K cash prize to three winners.

$5K | Deadline: 6/9/2025

Verizon Disaster Resilience Prize

The Prize seeks exceptional solutions that strengthen disaster resilience in the United States.

$250K | Deadline: 6/12/2025

Cartier Women's Initiative

The Cartier Women's Initiative is an annual international entrepreneurship program that aims to drive change by empowering women impact entrepreneurs. Founded in 2006, the program is open to women-run and women-owned businesses from any country and sector that aim to have a strong and sustainable social and/or environmental impact.

Up to $100K | Deadline: 6/24/2025

Santander x Cultivate Small Business 

Santander’s Cultivate Small Business helps early-stage entrepreneurs build and sustain businesses in the food industry providing a 12 week food-focused curriculum, mentorship, and up to $20K in capital grants.

Up to $20K | Deadline: 7/8/2025

🎙️ Podcast of the Week:

Mayur Gupta, CMO at Kraken, shares how the company scaled to $1.5B in revenue by treating growth as a system—not a tactic. He emphasizes embedding marketing into the product experience, creating trust loops with users, and mastering CAC payback and contribution margins before pouring money into paid ads.

Why I recommend it: This episode is essential for founders who want to grow efficiently. Mayur breaks down the difference between short-term hacks and long-term growth engines, offering practical insights for building a company that scales without burning cash. You can listen here.

💸 Alternative Funding Sources:

Access up to $2M in non-dilutive debt financing. Request information here.

Raise up to $5M in equity capital through a Community Round. Request information here.

Need additional support in your fundraising journey? I will be working 1 on 1 with select founders to help. Founders interested in 1 on 1 support from me can learn more and consider submitting their company here.

4. Inspiration

   💬 Tweet of the Week

🙏🏽 Scripture of the Week

That’s all for this week’s edition of The Good News Newsletter. We hope you found these insights valuable as you continue your journey to securing funding.

What’s next?

Join us the following Friday for two more amazing guests joining us for Office Hours.

​​For session #1 we have Kevin Valentine, Managing Partner at Syntax Capital

​Syntax Capital is a multi-strategy digital asset investment firm focused on liquid strategies & early-stage venture investment.

For session #2 we have Sebastian Harris, Founder and Managing Partner of Sandbox Fund

Sandbox Fund is a premier private capital firm made for forward-thinking entrepreneurs who envision a future where business success and divine impact coexist.

If interested in joining and/or pitching, please register here.

You can see the full list of past and future VCs on this Calendar.

Be on the look out for our newsletter next week where we’ll bring you more actionable advice, resources, and success stories.

Let’s All, spread ‘The Good News’

Best,
Darrel Frater
Co-Founder
The Frater Family Foundation
Linkedin | Twitter/X | 609-804-5999

P.S. - If you enjoyed this newsletter, forward it to a founder you know who could benefit from these insights!

P.S.S. - Got ideas or suggestions for The Good News? Shoot me an email at [email protected] for us to discuss!

About TFFF: The Frater Family Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the family office of Darrel and Roselly Frater, dedicated to promoting human prosperity through giving. To learn more, reach out to Darrel Frater directly.