Coffee N° 5 with Lara Schmoisman

Funding the Right Way: Venture Capital, Marketing & Founder Strategy with Laurel Mintz

Lara Schmoisman Episode 43

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Laurel Mintz, Founder & GP of Fabric VC and CEO of Elevate My Brand, joins Lara Schmoisman on Coffee Nº5 to demystify venture capital for founders. From bootstrapping vs. raising money and what VCs really look for in pitch decks, to the truth about AI hype and why communication trumps clever branding—this episode breaks down how real funding decisions are made in today’s market.


We'll talk about:

  • Why most founders say they’ll bootstrap… until they realize you can’t scale without marketing—or money.
  • What VCs see in thousands of pitch decks — and why short, simple decks win.
  • Why founders must know their numbers — and why clever storytelling can’t replace financial clarity.
  • The truth about the AI gold rush — most startups don’t actually have data or defensible AI.
  • Why communication quality often determines whether she’ll write a check more than branding does.



For more information, visit Laurel Mintz's LinkedIn and Instagram.

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Instagram: @laraschmoisman

Facebook: @LaraSchmoisman


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