It's beneficial to raise money from investors with a track record of building large companies, as they are more likely to support your growth.

Once hard tech founders shift their mindset to focus on quick, cost-effective progress, they often find success in attracting investment.

The easiest way to fundraise is to have a good metric that's growing; when I ran a startup that wasn't growing, I spoke to 140 investors and only got two angel checks, but now that I'm working on a growing startup, it took us one week to raise our seed round.

Successful hard-tech founders focus on minimizing the size of each fundraising step, making it easier to achieve milestones necessary for raising the next round of funding.

While priced rounds are still a common method for raising funds, they typically occur later in a startup's lifecycle, often after initial fundraising through SAFEs or convertible notes.

Taking small checks from angel investors does not negatively impact your chances with venture capitalists when you seek a priced round later.

Don't approach a Series A fundraising without demonstrating that you've used early investment wisely to create a product that people love and show sustained growth.

Raising funds can take time, and it's essential to build relationships with potential investors rather than rushing the process.

Raising money from top-tier VCs, even at slightly worse terms, is beneficial due to the signaling effect it has on other investors.