Jeffrey Fidelman is the Founder and Managing Partner of Fidelman & Company, a leading advisory firm launched in 2015 to address the critical fundraising and growth strategy needs of early- to mid-stage companies. Under Jeffrey’s leadership, the firm has scaled to a 40+ person remote team, supporting clients across capital raises, business sales, acquisitions, and strategic initiatives.

With deep experience as an interim CFO and COO, Jeffrey has successfully guided dozens of companies through pivotal financial transactions, helping them unlock growth, secure capital, and navigate complex market dynamics.

Jeffrey’s career began in residential real estate, where he quickly expanded into commercial real estate and finance. He went on to become a Portfolio Manager at Morgan Stanley, specializing in syndicate and pre/post-market trading, and later served as Vice President at HSBC, driving revenue strategy across banking, lending, insurance, and retail for Manhattan. As a Partner at an early-stage venture fund, Jeffrey honed his expertise in supporting tech and tech-enabled startups. His advisory work with both portfolio companies and overlooked startups ultimately led to the founding of Fidelman & Company.

A graduate of Harvard University, Jeffrey earned his degree cum laude and has built a reputation as a strategic operator, investor, and trusted advisor to founders and management teams.

"Cold outreach doesn't work."

I hear this constantly from founders who sent 50 emails and gave up. That's what Matan Hazanov and discussed on the most recent episode of The Profit or Pivot Podcast (link below). 

Last year, we helped clients raise close to $45 million through cold outreach alone. Not warm intros. Not investor friends. Cold.

Here's what nobody wants to hear: there's no silver bullet.

What works is boring. Structure. Consistency. Relentless follow-up.

The system:
- Email on Monday
- Call on Tuesday
- Follow-up email Thursday
- Call again Friday
- Partner didn't respond? Go to the next person at the firm
- Exhaust LinkedIn, X, Instagram — every channel available

Most founders quit after two touches. The data says you need five to seven before someone commits.

I broke this down with @Matan Hazanov on the @Profit or Pivot podcast. He asked me point blank: does cold outreach actually work?

The answer is yes — if you refuse to stop.

One partner ignoring you is not a no from the firm. One week of silence is not rejection. One bad response rate is not proof the strategy failed.

You keep going until there's money in the bank.

Look in the mirror in the morning, say "I don't have another choice," and get back to work.

That's how rounds close.

Here's the link to the full podcast: https://lnkd.in/gNfkGzJa

#Fundraising #VentureCapital #StartupFunding #ColdOutreach #WeGetYouFunded #FidelmanAndCo

Jeffrey Fidelman

Investment Banking for Early-Stage Companies and Emerging Managers

Open video: The Fundraising Advice Founders Don’t Want to Hear on youtube.com

The Fundraising Advice Founders Don’t Want to Hear

It’s always surprising when a founder lacks conviction… and still expects to raise.

You can have a strong pipeline and solid investor conversations — and still lose the round in the follow-up.

Saw this recently. Founder sent a half-sentence, copy-paste message to a bunch of investors after meetings. No context. No personalization.

Engagement died immediately.

Fundraising isn’t “set it and forget it.”

Getting in the room is one thing.
Closing is everything that happens after.

Follow up. Personalize. Stay consistent.

That’s what gets you a check.

#Fundraising #StartupAdvice #FounderJourney #InvestorRelations #WeGetYouFunded #FidelmanAndCo

The fastest way to raise capital?

Stop trying so hard.

Founder A: Refreshes inbox obsessively. Sends 12 follow-up emails. Rewrites deck after every rejection.

Result: 8 months of silence.

Founder B: Ships product. Posts customer wins. Responds to investor emails 3 days late because they're busy.

Result: Inbound term sheet.

Desperation is a cologne. VCs can smell it from three time zones away.

The founders who close fastest aren't running the hardest. They made raising feel optional.

VCs don't fund need. They fund momentum.

And momentum doesn't come from refreshing your inbox.

#Fundraising #VentureCapital #StartupFunding #WeGetYouFunded #FidelmanAndCo

I’ll be joining the Virtual VC Conf on March 31st.

Looks like a solid group of investors and operators are participating, and it should be a good chance for founders and VCs to connect.

Always interesting to hear what people across the ecosystem are seeing right now.

If you want to join, you can register here:
https://vcconf.com/?2442

#Fundraising #VentureCapital #StartupFunding #WeGetYouFunded #FidelmanAndCo

"I need $5 million in 60 days."

I've heard this more times than I can count. And every time, I say the same thing:

That's not how this works.

Founders with that timeline are the ones we proactively turn down. Not because the business is bad — but because the expectation is.

Here's the reality after 10 years of running fundraising campaigns:

You'll know what the market thinks of you within 2-3 months. But actually closing capital? That takes 6-9 months on average.

Why?

Because raising capital is sales. And sales requires touchpoints.

• First email — maybe they respond, maybe not
• Follow-up call — now you're on their radar
• First meeting — you deliver the pitch
• Second meeting — they dig deeper
• Monthly updates — you prove you're not sitting idle

That's already five or six touchpoints. And most investors need to see a few months of progress before they commit.

The founders who fail aren't the ones with weaker businesses. They're the ones who run out of patience before the process has work.

Urgency feels productive. But in fundraising, consistency beats speed.

Give yourself the runway. Build the relationships. Let the process compound.

Listen/Watch the entire podcast with Ivory Law Group here: https://lnkd.in/eafUxeW9

#Fundraising #VentureCapital #StartupFunding #InvestorRelations #WeGetYouFunded #FidelmanAndCo

Open video: E034 | What “Deal-Ready” Really Means: Aligning Legal and Capital Strategy Before Fundraising on youtube.com

E034 | What “Deal-Ready” Really Means: Aligning Legal and Capital Strategy Before Fundraising

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