How Starting Line Helps Founders Address Their Mental Health with Ezra Galston

Matt Preuss
Marketing Manager
About Ezra What You Can Expect to Learn from Ezra Related Resources
Unlock your investor relationships. Try Visible for free for 14 days.
Start your free trial

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

Related Resources

You may also enjoy:
Customer Stories
Building Trust and Vulnerability in Business with Max Yoder
On the fourth episode of the Thrive Through Connection Podcast, we welcome Max Yoder, the Founder of Lessonly and author of Do Better Work. Lessonly was an Indianapolis-based company that grew to over 300 employees and $30 million in annual recurring revenue before being acquired by Seismic in 2021. Max joins us to share the lessons he learned from scaling Lessonly and writing Do Better Work. About Max In addition to growing Lessonly to 300+ employees and leading it through a successful exit, Max became known for his thoughtful approach to leadership, insights he captured in his book, Do Better Work. He’s had a front-row seat to the highs, lows, and daily challenges that startup founders and leaders face. In this episode, Max breaks down the countless relationships that shaped both Lessonly and Do Better Work. Mike, the CEO and Founder of Visible, had an opportunity to sit down and chat with Max. You can give the full episode a listen below: Spotify Link Apple Link What You Can Expect to Learn from Max How the mission and vision for Lessonly came to life How mentors helped shape decision-making and strategy in the early days The advantages of having a strong network What it means to lead with vulnerability The importance of aligning with investors and partners Stay up to date with the Thrive Through Connection Podcast by subscribing wherever you listen to your podcast. You can find links to your favorite podcast hosts below: YouTube Spotify Apple
Fundraising
Finding the Right Investors with Laurel Hess
Reporting
Navigating Investor Relationships with Brett Brohl
Fundraising
Going From Operator to Funder with Leo Polovets