INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Nathan BeckordContributorMore posts by this contributorAs the world grows increasingly digital, the craving for face-to-face connections is
Squad, an invite-only community and app, is trying to fill the need for offline connections by curating tight-knit events for Gen Z and
backing: Squad closed a $3.5 million seed round and plans to raise its Series A in early 2020, but the road to securing that round was
During a conversation on the How I Raised It podcast, Watson shared the ups and downs of her unique path to fundraising.Establish
credibility for a few years before fundraisingShe started by putting some of the earliest capital into the business herself with support
sometimes have the perception that being an alumni at a top U.S
Aldrich, who at the time was working as chief product officer at GoDaddy
plenty of calls while expanding her network, as well
tease future funding rounds or send off vague meeting requests.In trying to build out her network, she first researched a couple of key
things: who did she need to know in order to build a really strong product, and who did she need to know in order to have solid distribution
or growth marketing? Once she identified those folks, she would reach out to them individually and ask them for specific advice in their
If they volunteer a few names, ask if you can send an email that they could forward on to introduce you to those individuals.Following the
Hudson from Precursor Ventures
align.Hudson had already invested a small amount of money in Squad at the time, but he quickly became the person Watson went to for feedback
partner meetings in the three other meetings, a sign that VCs were seriously considering Squad.Based on that feedback, Hudson introduced
the people that I had felt most comfortable with, the people who I felt I could trust based on my interactions with them, and who were just
