In this episode of Nothing Ventured, I’m joined by Francois Mazoudier, serial entrepreneur and seasoned investor, to tackle one of the biggest myths in fundraising: that charisma alone wins capital. As we enter 2025, the truth is clearer than ever — process beats charisma. François shares candid insights on: Why founders must master process-driven fundraising (and how to build one) The common mistakes startups still make when pitching to VCs How investors are thinking differently in 2025 The future of fundraising in a world that’s more competitive than ever Whether you’re raising your first round or scaling globally, this episode is packed with practical wisdom to help you secure the capital you need — without relying on charm alone. Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro & guest: Francois Mazoudier, Fundraising Bootcamp 00:45 – Preview: why 94% of pitches fail & myths around decks 02:02 – About the host Ari Shah & Nothing Ventured 03:27 – The hard truths about fundraising today 04:09 – Stop following bad online advice (6% of pitches work) 07:11 – The Sequoia pitch deck trap (250k founders copy-pasting) 08:33 – Finding “perfect match” investors & cold email success 10:42 – Fundraising as a repeatable process, not a performance 13:18 – 3 signs founders get funded vs. 3 signs they won’t 15:38 – Traction vs. revenue: what really matters early stage 18:44 – Numbers or story — which wins a pitch? 23:36 – VC money vs. corporate VC money (pros & cons) 27:10 – Why even Series A/B founders need a clear process 31:21 – European founder mistakes: humility, tone & pace 37:00 – Contrarian view: bigger isn’t always better for founders 41:18 – What moves François: piano & seeing mindset shifts 44:48 – Closing: where to find François online Find Francois Mazoudier online at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francoismazoudier/ Twitter: https://x.com/franco1s Fundraising Bootcamp: https://fundraising-bootcamp.com/ This episode is sponsored by EmergeOne, fractional CFOs for venture backed tech startups from Seed to Series B. Get in touch at https://emergeone.co.uk/contact-us/ or join the CFO team at https://emergeone.co.uk/join-the-cfo-team/ Sign up for EmergeOne’s weekly newsletter, Off Balance at https://off-balance.beehiiv.com/subscribe