Making the most of the founder/investor dynamic (w/ Liz Zalman, author of 'Founder vs Investor')

Founders and investors like to tell themselves they're on the same team, and they can be – but it takes work. In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein sits down with Liz Zalman, a veteran founder with over 20 years of startup experience, for an in-depth chat about the real dynamics of the founder-investor relationship. Liz is also co-author (alongside VC Jerry Neumann) of 'Founder Vs Investor: The Honest Truth About Venture Capital from Startup to IPO’, one of Yaniv's favorite books on startups. From re-vesting demands to acquisition offers that investors won't approve, Liz brings hard-won, unfiltered perspective to some of the most uncomfortable moments a founder will face. In this episode, you will: Understand what re-vesting actually is, and the smartest way to respond when investors ask for it. Learn why taking a single dollar of venture capital puts you on a specific, irreversible path. Discover how to negotiate a term sheet from a position of strength, even when you're exhausted and desperate to close. Find out when and how founders can take money off the table – and why most quality investors support founders to have stability in their personal finances. Learn how Liz stress-tests potential investors while negotiating terms. Understand the real difference between valuation and control. Hear why listening is the single most underrated skill in a founder's toolkit. Resources mentioned in this episode Founder vs. Investor (book) by Elizabeth Zalman & Jerry Neumann, the book discussed throughout this episode: https://www.foundervsinvestor.com Venture Deals by Brad Feld & Jason Mendelson, referenced by Yaniv as "the bible of venture capital": https://www.venturedeals.com Sandgarden, Liz's current startup: https://www.sandgarden.com Liz Zalman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethzalman The Pact Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please: Follow, rate, and review us in your listening app Subscribe to the TSP Mailing List to gain access to exclusive newsletter-only content and early access to information on upcoming episodes: https://thestartuppodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe Secure your official TSP merchandise at https://shop.tsp.show/ Follow us here on YouTube for full-video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNjm1MTdjysRRV07fSf0yGg Give us a public shout-out on LinkedIn or anywhere you have a social media following Key links This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by Vanta. Vanta helps businesses get and stay compliant by automating up to 90% of the work for the most in demand compliance frameworks. With over 200 integrations, you can easily monitor and secure the tools your business relies on. For a limited time offer of US$1,000 off, go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://⁠www.vanta.com/tsp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This episode of the Startup Podcast is sponsored by.tech domains. Forget weird prefixes and creative misspellings; the availability for.tech domains is simply way better than.com. For a clean name that highlights your tech credentials, get a.tech domain at your favourite registrar. Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/ Learn more about Chris and Yaniv Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/ Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/ Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/ Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/#Investors #Startups #TechStartups #Founder #TechBusiness #TheStartupPodcast