On episode 5, season 2 of the Founders Forward Podcast, we welcome Ezra Galston. Ezra is the founder and partner at Starting Line, a consumer-focused VC fund located in Chicago.
About Ezra
As someone who has faced the ups and downs of being a founder (plus the stresses of fundraising), Ezra and the team at Starting Line has made mental health a focus. Every founder in the Starting Line portfolio receives a subsidy for “their first three sessions of therapy, executive coaching, or co-founder counseling (up to $200 each).” Ezra joins the Founders Forward to break down fundraising, founder health, and the consumer market/what excites the team at Starting Line.
Our CEO, Mike Preuss, had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Ezra. You can give the full episode a listen below:
What You Can Expect to Learn from Ezra
- How a founder and board’s focus changes from early stages to later stage
- How venture fundraising differs for the “haves” and “have nots”
- How Ezra’s experiencing raising capital has impacted how he views fundraising
- Why Starting Line has a focus on their portfolio founder’s mental health
- How Starting Line subsidizes mental health sessions
- Why fundraising is a relationship-based activity
- Why he likes plenty of context before a meeting with a founder
