--- title: 5 Things These Founders Wish They Had Known Before They Started Raising Capital description: Four founders share what they wish they had known before raising capital—from building early momentum to staying resilient through rejection. Real talk, no fluff. image: https://blog.netcapital.com/hubfs/what%20they%20wish%20they%20had%20known.png --- [Skip to content](https://blog.netcapital.com/5-things-these-founders-wish-they-had-known-before-they-started-raising-capital#main-content) [![Netcapital](https://blog.netcapital.com/hubfs/Netcapital-logo-purple.svg)](https://netcapital.com/) - [Home](https://netcapital.com/) - About Show submenu for About - Resources Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Home](https://netcapital.com/) - About Show submenu for About - Resources - [Contact Us](https://blog.netcapital.com/5-things-these-founders-wish-they-had-known-before-they-started-raising-capital#contact) [Contact Us](https://blog.netcapital.com/5-things-these-founders-wish-they-had-known-before-they-started-raising-capital#contact) Jul 23, 2025 12:51:34 PM # 5 Things These Founders Wish They Had Known Before They Started Raising Capital ![Picture of Kathy Kraysler](https://blog.netcapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/profile%20pic.jpeg?width=50&name=profile%20pic.jpeg) [Kathy Kraysler](https://blog.netcapital.com/author/kathy-kraysler) ![what they wish they had known](https://blog.netcapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/what%20they%20wish%20they%20had%20known.png?width=1191&height=449&name=what%20they%20wish%20they%20had%20known.png) We asked four founders who’ve successfully raised on Netcapital: **“What do you wish you had known before you started?”** Their answers? *Honest, direct, and full of insights you don’t usually hear* until you’re knee-deep in the process. Whether you’re planning your first Reg CF raise or in the middle of one now, here’s what they want you to know. --- ### 1. **Crowdfunding Isn’t Magic—It’s Muscle** ![John Fanning, Jr.](https://blog.netcapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/John%20Fanning%20Jr..png?width=200&height=216&name=John%20Fanning%20Jr..png) John Fanning Jr., Founder and CEO of **Zelgor**, said it best: > “Equity crowdfunding isn't a place where money rains from the clouds and all your dreams come true. It's a lot of hard work. > There’s no shortcut for calling people and meeting with them in person. > It’s going to be very emotional and painful—even if things go perfectly. > It’s up to you as the company founder to raise excitement for your business. > If you put in the work, generate activity and excitement, and go in with the attitude that you need to generate every dollar of investment yourself, then potential investors will see your activity and momentum and get excited.” --- ### 2. **Expect to Hear ‘No’—A Lot** **![jit basak profile](https://blog.netcapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/jit%20basak%20profile.png?width=200&height=218&name=jit%20basak%20profile.png)**According to Jit Basak, CEO of **Catailyst**: “Be ready to hear NO a thousand times. No one will believe you in the beginning that you can change the norm.” “Among many things we try to achieve every day wearing ten different hats, in my view, the most important thing should be—being able to communicate about the problem we are trying to solve. Ultimately, the vision and solution will attract investors.” --- ### 3. **The Platform Doesn’t Do the Work for You** Bev Jedynak of **Phoenix PharmaLabs** offered this reality check: > “Really do the work it takes to make it work. If you think you're just going to go up on a platform and you're just going to put some tweets out—it’s not going to work. There's a lot of work involved. > > “And once you do it, you need to maintain the content with your investors so they realize that they’ve invested in a real company that really cares and is keeping them apprised.” --- ### 4. **Line Up Momentum Before You Launch** ![jack kloeber profile](https://blog.netcapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/jack%20kloeber%20profile.png?width=200&height=201&name=jack%20kloeber%20profile.png) Jack Kloeber, CEO of **MicroMGx**, shared this foundational advice: > “Before you do a Reg CF raise, have a couple of big investors lined up to show some momentum. During the raise, communicate regularly—almost like a blog—to show activity and growth, and to generate excitement.” > > “Even just saying, ‘I’m traveling here,’ or ‘We’ve seen this much growth’ helps people feel like they’re part of something real and active.” --- ### 5. **If You Believe in It, Keep Going** Behind every successful raise is a founder who refused to quit. Jit Basak of **Catailyst** put it simply: > “It takes a village to build a company. If you start it, commit to it and believe in it—don’t give up. Things will fall in place if you keep going.” Raising capital is hard. But when you show conviction—real, relentless belief—others start to believe too. As John Fanning Jr. added: > “It’s up to you to raise the excitement. If you show up every day and generate momentum, people will follow that energy.” This isn’t just about raising money. It’s about building something that matters—and inspiring others to join you. ---   Raising capital isn’t easy—and it’s not supposed to be. But if you put in the effort, tell your story clearly, and keep showing up, you *can* build the momentum you need. **No magic. Just muscle.** --- ### Subscribe to our blog for more funding tips   [raising capital](https://blog.netcapital.com/tag/raising-capital) ## Related posts [![Farah Hussain](https://blog.netcapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Farah%20Hussain.jpeg?height=200&name=Farah%20Hussain.jpeg)](https://blog.netcapital.com/we-asked-3-experts-their-best-advice-for-founders-their-answers-might-surprise-you) [raising capital](https://blog.netcapital.com/tag/raising-capital) ## [We Asked 3 Experts Their Best Advice For Founders —Their Answers Might Surprise You](https://blog.netcapital.com/we-asked-3-experts-their-best-advice-for-founders-their-answers-might-surprise-you) ![Picture of Kathy Kraysler](https://blog.netcapital.com/hs-fs/hubfs/profile%20pic.jpeg?width=50&name=profile%20pic.jpeg) [Kathy Kraysler](https://blog.netcapital.com/author/kathy-kraysler) Sep 30, 2025 3:29:11 PM Raising capital can feel like a full-time job in itself. It requires persistence and a whole lot of... 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[Read more](https://blog.netcapital.com/why-summer-might-be-the-best-time-to-raise-capital) Copyright © 2026, Netcapital ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Kathy Kraysler", "url" : "https://blog.netcapital.com/author/kathy-kraysler" }, "dateModified" : "2025-07-30T19:40:29.727Z", "datePublished" : "2025-07-23T16:51:34.000Z", "headline" : "5 Things These Founders Wish They Had Known Before They Started Raising Capital", "image" : [ "https://blog.netcapital.com/hubfs/what%20they%20wish%20they%20had%20known.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.netcapital.com/5-things-these-founders-wish-they-had-known-before-they-started-raising-capital", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.netcapital.com/hubfs/Imported%20images/logo-netcapital.svg" }, "name" : "The Netcapital Team" } } ```