OpenVC

Building the front door into venture capital.

Co-Founder

I advise large organizations on corporate innovation, tech entrepreneurship, and venture capital.

Innovation Advisor

Petri

Petri develops a novel method for single-cell isolation based on nanomagnetism. Key applications include gene therapies, stem cell reprogramming, antibody discovery. 

Petri is now a defunct company. RIP Petri :')

Co-Founder & CEO

FABERNOVEL

Fabernovel empowers global industry leaders to succeed in their transformation. Fabernovel is part of EY since July 2022

Senior International Business Manager

Strategy & Development Manager

Microsoft Accelerator

Microsoft Accelerator is the startup accelerator of Microsoft. We acclerate 'mature' startups through business connections, technical expertise and international reach. With 450+ Alumni, 32 exits, 3 IPOs and over $1,8bn raised, MSA is the #1 corporate accelerator in the world.

Operations Manager

PayPal

PayPal is a worldwide leader in online payment solutions.

Student Consultant

SmartGrains

SmartGrains develops groundbreaking IoT technology for detecting and guiding vehicles. Ranked amongst the 30 most innovative startups in the world by the Wall Street Journal in 2011, SmartGrains is the European leader in the market.

Marketing and Sales Intern

EMLYON Junior Conseil

EMLYON Junior Conseil is a student-run organization that offers consulting services in Marketing and Communication to large corporations, SMBs and entrepreneurs.

Project Manager

Atos Consulting

Atos is a European IT services corporation, specializing in hi-tech transactional services, unified communications, cloud, big data and cybersecurity services.

Consulting Intern

Raise from 5,000+ tech investors on OpenVC.app

Functional nerd. I work at the intersection of corporate innovation, tech entrepreneurship, and venture capital.

Founders: Before you sign, watch out for these 11 deadly VC clauses:
(Or you could lose your startup overnight)

As a founder you are 100% responsible for what you sign. Especially term sheets.
So you better understand these clauses VCs like to hide from you:

1️⃣ Full Ratchet Anti-Dilution
This clause means if a future round happens at a lower price, the investor’s entire prior investment gets repriced to that new lower price.

→ Founders take all the dilution pain, even on a small or strategic down round.

Example: VC buys in at $1 per share. Next round is $0.50 per share. Their whole stake is repriced at $0.50 meaning they double their ownership.

2️⃣ Participating Preferred with No Cap
Investors get their money back first, then share in the rest like common shareholders.

→ It’s double-dipping, and even strong exits can leave founders with scraps.

Example: $5M investment. Exit at $30M. VC takes $5M off the top, then still claims 25% of the rest.

3️⃣ Multiple Liquidation Preferences
Investors get 2x or 3x their money back before anyone else.

→ In modest exits, founders and employees get nothing.

Example: VC puts in $10M with 3x preference. The startup sells for $25M. VC demands $30M. There’s nothing left.

4️⃣ Super Pro-Rata Rights
Investors can buy more than their pro-rata share in future rounds.

→ Crowds out new investors, tightens control, and dilutes founders further.

Example: VC owns 10% at seed. At Series A, they take 30%, and suddenly they are the captain.

5️⃣ Founder Vesting Reset
Founders must “re-vest” shares they’ve already earned.

→ Years of prior work are wiped. You risk losing your company if you leave early.

Example: Raise Series A, sign a 4-year reset. Overnight, you “own” 0%. You’ll “earn” it back over the next 4 years.

6️⃣ Redemption Rights
Investors can demand the company buy back their shares after 3-5 years.

→ Turns equity into a ticking time bomb, essentially a loan you might have to repay.

Example: VC invests $5M. Five years later, they trigger redemption. You either sell fast or go broke.

7️⃣ Full Board Control
VC installs a majority of directors.

→ You lose control of major decisions and even your job.

Example: VC controls 2 out of 3 board seats. They can fire you as CEO.

8️⃣ Excessive Drag-Along Rights
Small investor group can force a sale.

→ You might have to sell at a lowball price, even if you strongly disagree.

Example: VC owns 30%, finds a buyer at $20M, and forces everyone to sign off.

9️⃣ Extensive Protective Provisions
Minor decisions require investor approval.

→ Creates gridlock: every hire, product tweak, or expense is subject to veto.

Example: You try to hire a developer; VC says no. You’re stuck.

General advice if you want to avoid any of the clauses above:

Get informed.
Watch out for your own greed.
Have a good lawyer in your corner.

Otherwise you will be the reason VCs laugh at the dinner table.

PS: 3 more deadly clauses linked in the comments.

Stephane Nasser

Raise from 5,000+ tech investors on OpenVC.app. Functional nerd. I share incredible tools and terrible insights for VCs and founders. 🫡

11 bad signals that kill your funding in seconds:

VCs invest in your startup based on whether you send good or bad signals.

Avoid these 11 at all cost if you want to get funded:

1: You’re a Forbes 30 under 30
2: You’re slow to reply to emails
3: You can’t handle rejection professionally
4: Your LinkedIn profile still shows your old job
5: Your round terms don’t match market standards
6: You can’t make educated guesses on CAC/LTV
7: Your GTM strategy is just a laundry list of channels
8: You send someone other than the CEO to pitch VCs
9: You’re building in a cold market with no unfair advantage
10: You’re raising for less than 18 months or more than 24 months of runway
11: You talk about equity/valuation at pre-seed (when it should be SAFE terms)

VCs only need a few minutes to spot these. Don’t give them reasons to pass.

PS: I put 2 examples of handling VC rejections in the comments

Want to 10x your founder productivity? Easy.

Work 22 hours a day.

Swap meals for Red Bull. (Upgrade to c0caine if you’re really serious)

Outsource sleep, time with family, and sports of any kind.

If you crash, no problem.

Just raise a “restoration round” and let AI take over while you are in the hospital.

VCs love a good comeback story.

Follow me Stephane Nasser for more productivity hacks straight from Silicon Valley.

These 3 super signals make Investors open their check book right away:

Bad signals are everywhere. Good ones are rare but they will help you raise faster.

Let’s go through these 3 super signals step-by-step.

1️⃣ Track record of the founding team

Successful investors invest in great teams.

If the team has proven themselves before, their deck goes to the top of the pile.

That means:
· Previous exits
· CxO at scale-ups
· Selective environments (FAANG, MBB, MIT, Stanford)
· Big wins in open source, major awards, or recognition

Why does it matter?

Because 60% of unicorn founders are repeat founders and 42% already had a $10M+ exit.

In venture capital, your last win is the shortcut to your next check.

2️⃣ Traction
Nothing beats proof that people want your product.

Investors zoom in on retention and growth:

· Consumer app → 40% D1, 20% D7, 10% D30, DAU/MAU above 20%
· Ecommerce → $100k+ GMV, 50% YoY revenue growth

Prove users come, stay, and bring their friends.

3️⃣ Who else is investing

The truth: most funds don’t lead. They follow lead investors.

That’s why having a strong lead (or any respected backer) changes the game.

Some firms even index entire rounds off the names Sequoia, YC, or a16z.

It's a herd mentality, but it works in your favor.

Follow me Stephane for more content like this

Raising funds is hard. And it’s 10x harder if you don’t have the right playbook.

I turned our proven fundraising process into a visual step-by-step blueprint you can copy today.

👉🏻 Comment “funding” and I’ll send you the blueprint for free.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

✅ How to understand the VC game and know if you’re fundable
✅ How to build and qualify your investor list without wasting time
✅ The 4 proven ways to access investors (without burning bridges)

And Tools, templates, and cold email scripts you can copy right away 🛠️

To get it:

1: Comment “funding” below
2: Connect with me (DMs only go to connections)

I’ll send it directly to your DMs. (Only for 24h)

♻️ Bonus: Repost this and I’ll include my pitch deck template on top.

Founders, I don’t know who needs to hear this but this is how most VCs think of you:

What VCs think of founders - Stephane Nasser

Investors will google you and it could kill your funding. Here's what you should do:

Anticipate it.

Google every cofounder's name.
Make sure there's nothing too bad on page 1.
Do the same with ChatGPT.

Audit every cofounder’s LinkedIn profile like an investor would.

Make sure it shows them as team member of your startup, with the same title as listed in your pitch deck.

Have a website for your startup, even if just a landing page saying "Something cool is coming".

Make sure your email address can receive messages.

Funny I have to say that but many founders misconfigure SPF/DKIM, and inbound emails don't reach them. Don't be one of them.

Keep your political/religious opinions out of your social profile.

Some people may disagree, but that's my honest advice.

I mean, at the end of the day, do what you want… 🤷

Just be sure about the consequences.

If fundraising feels chaotic, use this 6-step strategy founders use to raise like a pro:

1️⃣ Prepare
If you skip this, you don’t even know what you’re raising.
Assess your fundability, define round size & valuation range, pick SAFE or equity, and build your investor list.

2️⃣ Schedule
Rounds can take 3 weeks or drag for 9 months and kill your runway.
The worst months to raise are: July, August, December.
Plan for 6 months. Have enough runway.

3️⃣ Prioritize
One early “yes” can unlock ten more. Big-name VCs come later when you’re sharper and more de-risked.

First wave = get a “yes” from people you know.
Last wave = dream investors like Sequoia or a16z.

4️⃣ Create momentum
Instead of raising $1M at a flat $8M cap, break it into tranches:

· First $250K at $6M
· Next $500K at $8M
· Final $250K at $10M

Early investors get in cheaper → more equity later.
Later investors pay a higher cap → less equity for same money.

5️⃣ Access
Match each investor with the right approach.
Wrong approach = ignored pitch.

Do this instead:
1: Direct (if in your network)
2: Intro (via trusted connector)
3: Inbound (from your content)
4: Cold outreach

6️⃣ Process
Run the Fundraising Wheel:

· Secure first checks from network
· Ask each investor for 3 intros
· Rinse and repeat until 50% committed

Fundraising doesn’t have to be chaos.

Run these 6 steps and you’ll raise faster, with less stress, and better results.

Want the full breakdown? Read the guide in the comments.

Follow me Stephane for incredible tools and terrible insights for VCs and founders. 🫡

VCs decide in under 5 minutes if your startup is worth funding.

After 1,000+ founder-VC meetings at OpenVC, we know exactly what investors see:

🔥 The silent red flags that kill your pitch before they even look at your numbers
🚩 The key metrics that instantly separate fundable decks from dead ones
🧭 The fastest way to raise by learning how investors really think

Want to learn how to build a pitch deck investors can’t ignore?

 Join our live chat with Naimul Abd | Regional Director Founder Institute Nordics

🎟️ Register now → https://fi.co/e/377224

September 3rd | 1PM CEST | Online

Some advisors work for free because they have a way better idea!
(please don’t fall for this founder scam)

You're starting the conversation with an advisor.

You like them, they seem legit, they could definitely open doors for you:

· warm intros
· wealthy investors
· clients and partners

How much do they charge? $5,000/month.

Ugh, there's no way you can afford that.

But wait, today is your lucky day.

They like your project so much they won’t charge you. 
You just give them 4% equity instead.

Sounds tempting. Keep your cash, get ‘strategic help,’ win-win, right?”

Wrong. This “help” is usually overpromised and underdelivered.

You give away 2%, 5%, even 10%… and get a few calls, some intros, maybe a PDF or two.

Then the advisor vanishes with a part of your startup in his carry-on.

His name sits permanently on your cap table, scaring off future investors who wonder why a random advisor owns more than your CTO.

Here’s how to make sure that never happens to you:

· Make equity vest against specific, measurable deliverables
· Use small advisory grants (0.25–0.5%) for individuals, not big chunks for vague promises
· Ask for references and actually call them

If someone won’t invest money, make sure they’re truly investing time.

Otherwise, you’re just tipping them part of your company for showing up.

10 pitch deck mistakes costing founders millions
(And how to fix them to get funded)

Most founders lose investors before slide 3.

Not because the idea is bad but because the deck is really bad.

Here are 10 mistakes that kill your pitch deck and how to fix them:

1️⃣ Too many slides
Why it’s bad: Investors won’t read a 20+ slide deck. They’ll open and close it. 
🛠️ Fix → Keep it short. 10-16 slides is the proven framework.

2: Walls of text
Why it’s bad: Nobody reads big blocks. Be honest, not even you. 
🛠️ Fix → One key idea per slide. 4 bullet points max. Clean design.

3: Generic slide titles
Why it’s bad: A title like “Traction” tells nothing.
🛠️ Fix → Use message titles. Example: “$50k MRR growing 20% MoM.”

4: Generic cover slide
Why it’s bad: If your first impression is bland, you’ve already lost.
🛠️ Fix → Add a tagline that says explicitly what you do. 

5: Vague problem slide
Why it’s bad: “The world needs change” is not a problem.
🛠️ Fix → Be specific, undeniable, backed by data.

6: Empty team slide
Why it’s bad: Investors bet on teams first. A weak slide = no deal.
🛠️Fix → Show names, roles, and proof of achievement for each founder. 

7: Text-only product slide
Why it’s bad: Words don’t show a product.
🛠️Fix → Use screenshots, mockups, or schematics.

8: Top-down market sizing
Why it’s bad → “$20T market” signals you don’t understand your niche.
🛠️Fix → Do bottom-up TAM/SAM/SOM with $ values.

9: No “ask” slide
Why it’s bad: If you don’t say how much you raise, investors can’t engage.
🛠️Fix → State round size, committed capital, and use of funds.

10: Weak back cover
Why it’s bad: Omitting to include your email address kills follow-up.
🛠️Fix → Close with the CEO’s email, big and clear.

A pitch deck is your landing page for investors.
Small mistakes kill big opportunities.

Which mistake have you seen the most?

Follow me Stephane Nasser for incredible tools and terrible insights for VCs and founders. 🫡

Some “investors” won’t write a check but they’re happy to send you an invoice.

Welcome to Pay-to-Pitch.

They run “exclusive” events where you can pitch their network.

Sounds good but it comes with a catch: you pay a fee to pitch.

Sometimes it’s $500.
Sometimes it’s $5,000.
Always upfront.

Here’s why this is a trap:

These events rarely lead to funding.

The “investors” in the room often aren’t active, or they’ve already passed on you in their heads.

You’re paying for the ILLUSION of access.

If investors don’t want to meet you for free… paying won’t fix it.

Your issue is not access, it's fundability.

If you’ve got traction and a solid track record, real investors will want to meet you.

And if you don't, no money you pay will make you fundable.

PS: there’s a nuance to paying investors, I put it in the pinned comment

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