Don't just teach a man to fish—give him a fishing rod.

Welcome to the 1st edition of The Good News Newsletter—proudly serving over 2,937 founders! Here, we break down the latest insights from our weekly VC Office Hours sessions and equip you with tools to help you secure the capital and spread ‘The Good News’.

Missed this session? Listen to the recording here.
Want to join the next session? Check out the full list of past and upcoming VCs here.

1. Overview:

This week, we hosted two insightful sessions with our fantastic guest investors:

Session #1: Andrew Berg, Investor at Companyon Ventures

Companyon Ventures invests $1M - $3M in category-leading seed-funded B2B software startups that have found product-market fit and are ready to scale.

Session #2: Martin Tobias, Managing Partner at Incisive Ventures

​Incisive Ventures is a Pre-Seed venture fund that invests $250K into technology companies that reduce friction at scale.

2. Office Hours Recap:

• Session #1 - Andrew Berg, Investor at Companyon Ventures

  Stage: Seed & Series A

  Industry: B2B SaaS, Enterprise Software

  Check Size: $1M - $3M

  How to Apply: Follow instructions on Companyon Ventures’ Website or contact Andrew directly on Linkedin.

  Key Takeaways from Session:

  • Go-to-Market Maturity is Critical: Investors look for companies beyond early product-market fit, focusing on those ready for expansion with solid revenue and customer traction.

  • Fundraising is a Numbers Game: Meeting investor metrics is just the baseline—companies should aim to exceed expectations to stand out in a competitive landscape.

  • Investors Want to Be Hands-On Partners: At Companyon, investment decisions are based on where they can provide operational support, from hiring to financial modeling and fundraising strategy.

• Session #2 - Martin Tobias, Managing Partner at Incisive Ventures

  Stage: Pre-Seed

  Industry: B2B Software

  Check Size: $250K - $500K

  How to Apply: Submit a pitch here or visit his AI-powered assistant here to get questions answered before submitting.

  Key Takeaways from Session:

  • Investor Fit is Critical – Founders often waste time pitching to the wrong investors. Martin emphasized the importance of researching investors’ theses before reaching out, as 99% of rejections are due to lack of alignment rather than the idea itself.

  • Distribution Over Product – A great product isn’t enough; go-to-market strategy is everything. Martin looks for a unique distribution advantage rather than just a strong product idea, as most ideas have been pitched multiple times before.

  • Pre-Seed Success Requires a Clear Next Round Path – Martin focuses on ensuring his pre-seed investments can secure follow-on funding. His diligence process includes pre-identifying at least three investors who would likely invest in the next round if the company meets its milestones, resulting in a 74% follow-on rate for his portfolio companies.

3. Funding Resources:

Resources of the Week:

• Neo Accelerator 2025

  Receive a $600K investment and join a cohort of 20 awesome tech startups.

  Deadline: 3/14/2025

• Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures Lab

  Accepted founders receive an equity investment of $250K, a five-month curated program, mentorship, networking, office space for the duration of the program and access to certain external advisors.

  Deadline: 3/14/2025

• Money Moves Summit Pitch Competition

  Compete for a share of the $10K prize pool during the Money Move’s Summit.

  Deadline: 3/14/2025

• TitletownTech $1M Startup Draft

  Hosted in partnership with the Green Bay Packers and Microsoft, TitletownTech is investing $1 million dollars in a startup harnessing emerging technologies. Deadline: 3/16/2025

• Headstream Accelerator

  The Headstream Accelerator provides $30K in support to entrepreneurs to scale the most promising digital solutions that positively impact youth mental well-being.

  Deadline: 3/16/2025

• W.E. Build Accelerator

  The W.E. Build accelerator empowers 8-10 innovative and diverse early-stage entrepreneurs with programing and a $25K non-dilutive grant to create and launch a scalable venture in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

  Deadline: 3/21/2025

• OHUB’s Climate Tech Bootcamp

  A 10-week pre-accelerator program for climate tech and new energy entrepreneurs from around the country that have an interest in building in or expanding to South Louisiana; opportunity to receive a $100K investment.

  Deadline: 3/28/2025

• The MSP Equity Accelerator

  The MSP Equity Accelerator sponsored by Allianz invests $100K each into five high-growth startups founded by undervalued entrepreneurs.

  Deadline: 4/25/2025

• The 2025 Black Ambition Prize Competition
  The Black Ambition Prize competition provides a platform for underrepresented founders across the nation to access $15K - $1M in growth capital, coaching, and a curated community of innovators and mentors.

  Deadline: 5/2/2025

Podcast of the Week:

Fintech Leaders: Ryan Graciano, Credit Karma Co-Founder - Scaling to 140 Million Users, Turning Crisis into Opportunity, Leading Product Innovation From CTO to CPO

Ryan Graciano shares the journey of building Credit Karma into one of the most successful fintech companies, serving over 140 million users. He discusses key technical decisions, navigating the 2008 financial crisis, and how AI is shaping the future of personal finance. He also explains how Credit Karma built consumer trust in an industry known for deceptive practices and the surprising ways user psychology impacts fintech adoption.

Why I recommend it: This episode provides invaluable insights on scaling a fintech company, making bold technical bets, and turning economic downturns into opportunities. Ryan’s lessons on company culture, decision-making velocity, and AI-driven financial tools offer practical takeaways for any founder looking to build a trusted and resilient business. 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.

Access up to $50K in AWS & Google Cloud credits and other perks from our friends at J.P. Morgan. 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. Tweet 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 next Friday for two more amazing guests joining us for Office Hours.

For session #1 we have James Massaquoi, Senior Associate at Glasswing Ventures.

​Glasswing Ventures invest $500K - $3M in visionary founders who push the boundaries of possibility to reinvent enterprise and security markets using the power of AI and frontier technology at the Pre-Seed and Seed stage.

​For session #2 we have Ashley Ryder, Partner at VamosVentures.

​VamosVentures is a Los Angeles-based venture capital fund investing $250K - $3M in the earliest stages across Health & Wellness, FinTech, Future of Work, and Sustainability.

If interested in joining and/or pitching, please feel free to 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.