Mostly metrics
Run the Numbers
The Art of a Fundraising Announcement with Eric Newcomer
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The Art of a Fundraising Announcement with Eric Newcomer

In this episode, CJ sits down with Eric Newcomer, who runs “Newcomer," or newcomer.co, the largest independent media outlet focused on venture capital. They delve into the art of crafting fundraising announcements, particularly from the CFO’s angle when pitching a company’s raise to the media. The conversation explores the unique appeal of venture capitalists as a subject matter and some of the big stories and personalities that Eric has featured. The discussion also covers the fascinating trend of media companies morphing into VCs, VCs morphing into media companies, and the reasons behind this. Eric sheds light on how a good fundraising announcement should work, how this relates to a company's efforts to attract talent, and how and why to build relationships with the media when not fundraising. Drawing from Eric’s vast industry experience, hear his perspectives on what makes a story compelling and shareable, lessons from his own media business, and his insights on all things venture capital. 

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Planful is a financial performance management platform designed to streamline financial tasks for businesses. It helps with budgeting, closing the books, and financial reporting, all on a cloud-based platform. By improving the efficiency and accuracy of these processes, Planful allows businesses to make better financial decisions. Find out more at www.planful.com/metrics.

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FOLLOW US ON X:

@cjgustafson222 (CJ)

@EricNewcomer (Eric Newcomer) 

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Preview and Intro
(02:03) Sponsor – Maxio | Leapfin
(05:37) What Makes Venture Capitalists So Intriguing to Cover
(08:06) Big Stories and Personalities Covered on Newcomer
(11:21) a16z’s Moves into the Media Space
(12:37) Conflicts of Interest in the Media Space
(14:45) The Convergence of Media and Investing
(16:56) Sponsor – Planful | Mercury | NetSuite
(21:35) How Eric Gets Tips and Scoops
(23:07) How a Good Fundraising Announcement Should Work
(26:17) Fundraising Announcements and Attracting Talent
(29:33) “Off the Record” Relationships with the Media
(36:05) Eric’s Database of Investor Profiles and the Value of Lists
(42:12) Differentiated Competitive Moats for Companies versus VCs
(43:31) Eric’s Decision to Monetize via Subscriptions
(49:42) Regrets from the First Year of Eric’s Business
(51:30) Building Newcomer’s Subscriber Base
(52:25) The Next Big Thing versus Evergreen Content
(56:15) Whether VC Is Bigger or Smaller Than Eric Expected
(58:50) Wrap

Discussion about this podcast

Mostly metrics
Run the Numbers
Run the Numbers is a twice-weekly podcast about financial metrics and business models, designed for ambitious people operating tech startups. It's a collection of things host CJ Gustafson (CFO at Partstech and writer of Mostly Metrics) has learned and thought about in the trenches as a tech CFO.
This show is meant to serve as a playbook of sorts for the stuff CJ wishes he knew earlier in his career, both from experience and from copying people smarter than himself.
Topics frequently touch upon Startup SaaS Metrics, Annual Budgeting, Financial Forecasting, Headcount, Equity, Dilution, and Fundraising – and how all of these drive business performance and growth.