Best My First Million Episodes for Fundraising: Shaan Puri’s Playbook for Founders

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Every founder wants to know: which Shaan Puri My First Million episodes offer the best fundraising tips and capital raising tactics? If you’re navigating startup fundraising or just starting up, I’ll break down the most actionable episodes and share a direct, founder-focused playbook inspired by Shaan Puri’s candid insights.

In this article, I’m diving into Shaan Puri’s top episodes, distilling practical fundraising lessons, and highlighting takeaways every founder needs. You’ll find direct advice, episode highlights, proven frameworks, and links to deeper dives, all tailored for founders committed to raising capital efficiently.

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Best My First Million Episodes for Fundraising: Shaan Puri’s Playbook for Founders

1. Why Listen to Shaan Puri’s My First Million for Fundraising?

When I think fundraising, Shaan Puri’s “My First Million” immediately comes to mind. Why? He keeps it real, shares raw stories, invites guests who’ve done it before, and focuses on practical, repeatable strategies—not just theory. His episodes go far beyond generic advice, giving founders:

Behind-the-scenes fundraising stories
Direct Q&As with VC-backed founders
Honest takes on what’s working now

With an investor's mindset and a founder’s hustle, Shaan pulls out answers every founder is asking—whether you’re pre-seed, seed, or scaling up.

2. What Makes A My First Million Episode Great for Fundraising?

Let’s be honest: not every business podcast digs deep into capital raising. The best My First Million episodes for fundraising check these boxes:

Actionable fundraising frameworks
Step-by-step personal stories (the messier, the better!)
Clear lessons from both successes and failures
Insights on adapting to today’s investment climate

I’ve selected episodes that deliver these essentials and more. (For a deep dive into modern fundraising, see our Founder’s Guide to Fundraising.)

3. Shaan Puri’s Top Episodes for Fundraising Tactics

These episodes deliver some of the best fundraising tips and capital-raising frameworks out there:

Episode #200: “How to Raise Your First $1M” — A no-nonsense tutorial on building your pitch, finding angels, and speed-running the early rounds.
Episode #107: “Bootstrapping vs. Raising Money” — A real talk comparison between holding equity and leveraging investor capital.
Episode #182: “How Top Founders Build and Sell” — Guest founders share what’s working in their seed and Series A raises today.

4. Shaan Puri’s Fundraising Playbook: Core Principles

I’ve distilled Shaan’s repeat advice into a simple playbook founders can follow:

Momentum over perfection: Get your pitch out fast, iterate with feedback, and adjust after every investor call.
Network early, not just when you’re raising: Build relationships with investors and other founders before you need capital.
Narrative wins rounds: Develop a compelling “why now” story for your startup.

For more on honing your pitch narrative, check out how to use storytelling in your first round.

5. Best Founder Lessons From My First Million Guests

Each guest adds another practical layer to Shaan’s playbook. Some of the strongest founder lessons include:

“Raise before you need to, so you can negotiate from strength.” (Episode #142, Sam Corcos, Levels)
“Treat every pitch like an email campaign: test subject lines, track open rates, iterate fast.” (Episode #119, Julian Shapiro)

6. How to Pitch Like a Pro: Takeaways from Shaan Puri

Shaan emphasizes simplicity and momentum. Here’s what works:

Nail your one-liner—make sure anyone can repeat it.
Use numbers, not buzzwords—show actual traction or a believable market.
Practice with friends, not just cofounders. Brutal honesty helps.

(Learn how to perfect your elevator pitch here.)

7. Common Fundraising Mistakes Revealed on the Podcast

Shaan and his guests don’t sugarcoat. Here are frequent mistakes discussed on My First Million:

Waiting too long to reach out to potential investors
Overcomplicating the pitch—confuse them, you lose them
Not understanding investor incentives and timing
Neglecting your pipeline—fundraising is always a numbers game

8. Favorite Capital Raising Hacks Shared by Shaan Puri

Some creative angles from the best episodes:

Building a public-facing pitch deck (share progress on Twitter/LinkedIn for FOMO)
Leverage your cap table: ask current angels for intro “missions”
Use micro-commitments: “Soft circled” investors bring more in

For more advanced tactics, read this post on winning over angel investors.

9. What VCs Want to Hear: Insights From the Podcast

Through conversations with investors, Shaan uncovers what really matters:

A clear, outrageous vision with a credible roadmap
Strong founder-market fit: Why you?
Early indicators of room to 10x

10. Raising in Tough Markets: Actionable Advice From Guests

Listeners get transparent, in-the-trenches advice for fundraising during slow economies:

“If you don’t have hard traction, show momentum in learning and iterating quickly.” (Episode #210)
Diversify who you raise from—consider strategic angels, syndicates, and funds
Focus on what’s unique about your business, not just market size

11. How Shaan Puri Helps Founders Build Investor Pipelines

Shaan encourages founders to approach investor lists like CRM pipelines:

Generate a big initial list (100+ investors if possible)
Use personalized outreach—increase reply rate with warm intros
Track status with a lightweight tool or spreadsheet

Check out step-by-step guides for building your pipeline here.

12. The Power of Warm Intros: How to Get Them (Episode Highlights)

One big takeaway? Warm intros always outperform cold emails. Guests often share:

Strategies for mapping your 2nd-degree connections
Templates for asking mutuals to make the intro
How to stay top of mind with “checking in” updates

13. How to Position Your Startup to Attract Investors—Podcast Case Studies

Practical case studies from founders include:

Framing your business as “picks and shovels” to ride bigger trends
Why “This solves my own pain point” is a winning narrative
How to use benchmarks from data-driven startup positioning

14. Shaan Puri’s Mistakes and What He’d Do Differently

Shaan often shares personal stories and hard-learned lessons:

Don’t rely on one investor—always have 5+ in play at the same stage
Be “over-prepared” for diligence, but don’t hold up outreach waiting on perfection
Embrace “no”—use feedback from passes to sharpen your deck

15. Utilizing Social Proof: Building FOMO the Shaan Puri Way

Shaan and his guests are big on using social proof. This means:

Announce new investors on Twitter/LinkedIn to build urgency
Gather and display testimonials from customers, even beta users
Share forward momentum, e.g., “We just hit 100 users in our pilot week!”

16. How to Keep Your Round Hot (And Avoid Cooling Off)

Fundraising requires momentum. Key podcast highlights:

Status updates: “We have two new soft commits this week”
Create time pressure—“We’re aiming to close by X date”
Stack meetings in a short window (the “shotgun approach”)

This keeps interest high, minimizing investor drop-off.

17. What Data Points Actually Move the Needle?

Episodes emphasize using real metrics over vanity stats:

MRR/ARR growth, even if early
Engagement rate, retention curves
Customer waitlist sizes with conversion context

For more on traction metrics for startup fundraising, check our in-depth guide.

18. Fundraising FAQs Covered on My First Million

My First Million is a hotbed for rapid-fire fundraising questions. Examples:

When is it too early to raise?
How much dilution is normal?
What if I have no “warm intros”?
Should I take money from micro-VCs?

(See full FAQ section below for practical answers!)

19. How Founders Optimize for Capital Efficiency (Podcast Insights)

Raising less, doing more. Founders share:

How to stretch every dollar (early team, low-burn tactics)
When and why to consider SAFE/Convertible notes
Pitfalls of over-raising too early

See our guide to capital-efficient startups for deeper insights.

20. Where to Go Next: Capitaly.vc’s Extended Fundraising Playbook

You now have a tactical rundown of Shaan Puri My First Million best episodes for capital raising. To dig even deeper, explore related blogs and resources at Capitaly.vc for:

Fundraising pipeline setup
Investor deck templates
How to use AI for faster outreach

These tools combined with Shaan’s playbook will get you fundraising like the pros.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best Shaan Puri My First Million episodes for fundraising?
Episodes #200, #107, #182, and #210 are highly rated for fundraising tactics, mindset, and founder stories.
What’s Shaan Puri’s #1 fundraising tip?
Build a big pipeline and focus on gathering momentum with concise, repeatable storytelling.
How should founders start building an investor list?
Start with friendly angels, expand to networks, and use CRM-style tracking. See our post on pipelines.
Do I need traction to raise seed money?
Some traction helps, but a strong narrative and founder-market fit can get you a “pre-seed” check.
How can I stand out with my pitch deck?
Clear, “so simple it repeats itself” slides, real numbers, and a bold vision make decks memorable.
What are common fundraising mistakes?
Over-complicating the pitch, poor follow-up, and waiting too long to start outreach.
What if I don’t have any warm intros?
Start by emailing thoughtful cold requests, share traction publicly, and ask “friend-of-friend” connections for intros.
Should I raise with SAFEs or equity rounds?
SAFEs are fast and founder-friendly for early rounds; equity is for later or larger rounds.
How do I keep investors engaged?
Weekly progress updates with specific traction and upcoming milestones.
Where can I find more expert fundraising guides?
Check Capitaly.vc’s blog and subscribe to their Substack for ongoing playbooks.

Conclusion

Shaan Puri My First Million has become the go-to resource for founders looking to master fundraising. With direct playbooks, candid founder stories, and practical capital-raising advice, these episodes deliver real-world value. Tap into the learnings, stay relentless, and remember—speed matters. For more in-depth tips and startup funding wisdom, subscribe to Capitaly.vc Substack (https://capitaly.substack.com/) to raise capital at the speed of AI.