Thiel Fellow Josh Sakhai on Funding Pre-Product, Startup Media, and Disappearing Tattoos Josh Sakhai is the cofounder and CEO of Ephemeral Tattoos and a 2018 Thiel Fellow. He joins Subversion to discuss how he’s raised millions of dollars before taking his product to market. We also discuss how to fund your company without giving up equity. Some key takeaways: Fundraising is always hard. Exhaust as many resources for free money as you can. Even consider universities that you don’t go to. Talk to mentors and friends. Warm intros will be a lot more powerful than cold outreach. Stay SUPER-organized. When did you first talk to the investor? Who introduced you? How warm are they? Do you need to follow up with them? When was the last time you spoke? Media is less important than you think. It will mostly just make you feel bad about yourself. Recommended resources: Venture Deals, by Brad Field and Jason Mendelson Blogs: Alex Dispol - Techstars NYC - https://alexiskold.net Mark Suster - Upfront Ventures - https://bothsidesofthetable.com