Do You Believe What You’re Saying?: Marc Cohen’s Fundraising Truths from Angel Club’s Founders Virtual Lunch

At Angel Club’s most recent Founders Virtual Lunch, we were joined by Marc Cohen—two-time AI founder turned VC at unbundled.vc—for a candid session on how founders can build clarity, conviction, and momentum in their fundraising process. He didn’t hold back.

In this session, founders learned:

• What early-stage investors really look for in a first meeting

• How to pitch with certainty, not just energy

Why ambiguity kills deals—and how to eliminate it

Lunch Feature: Marc Cohen on Investor Psychology and Founder Readiness

Hosted by Angel Gambino, this session brought Marc’s direct, deeply experienced perspective to the table. Drawing from years as both operator and investor, Marc unpacked what separates fundable founders from everyone else and here's our takeaways.

The best founders are the ones who remove ambiguity. They create clarity. You don’t need a 40-page deck. But you do need to show: who are you for, what problem are you solving, and why now?

He and Angel emphasized that how you show up matters as much as what you say. Investors can tell when a founder believes their own story—and when they’re still unsure.

Do you believe what you’re saying? I can feel it if you don’t. You can’t fake conviction.

Angel Gambino, Angel Club’s founder, reflected on the moment:

“Marc’s ability to cut through the noise and speak directly to what matters was a wake-up call for many. You could feel the shift amongst the founders when he talked about not being able to fake conviction. These are the kinds of conversations that push founders to elevate—not just their pitch, but their mindset.”

What Participants Learned

🔍 Frameworks You Can Apply Immediately

🔹 Raise to unlock milestones—not to buy time

The purpose of a fundraise is to go from one level of certainty to the next. “You’re not raising for the sake of comfort.”

🔹 Track your investor pipeline like a sales funnel

If you’re not measuring conversion—if you’re not looking at the ratio between conversations and term sheets—you won’t know where you’re losing people.

🔹 Speak clearly about what happens after the raise

I need to know what’s going to be true post-raise that isn’t true today. What do I get if I bet on you?

💡 Key Mindset Shifts

The bar is higher now. The deck is the first pitch. Founders need to treat their materials as standalone assets—especially in the era of async reviews.

You don’t have to impress every investor. You just need to resonate with the right one. Marc stressed that you’re not aiming for consensus—you’re looking for alignment.

You’re not building a deck for your ego. You’re building it for clarity.

Too many decks are dense with vision and thin on specifics. Investors can’t engage without a clear path forward.

Jon-David Hague, who leads the mentorship program at Angel Club, added:

“What stood out is how Marc doesn’t overcomplicate things. He gave founders a clearer way to think—and speak—about their raise. That alone can change outcomes.”

Real-Time Impact

“I wrote down: ‘Do you believe what you’re saying?’ I’ll be coming back to that before every investor call.” 

— Angel Club Founder Member

“This changed how I think about structuring our raise. I’ve been focused on the wrong milestone.” — Healthtech CEO

“I didn’t realize how much ambiguity was baked into our current story. We’re fixing that now.” 

— SaaS Founder

The Angel Club Difference: Real Conversations, Real Shifts

Founders don’t come to Angel Club for a lecture. They come for insights that move the needle. These Virtual Lunches are intimate, founder-first sessions where honest stories and practical frameworks meet. No slides. No fluff. Just clarity and momentum.

💼 Powering Founders Behind the Scenes: Meet Mercury, Our Banking Partner

Behind every sharp pitch and pivotal raise is a solid operational backbone—and that includes banking built for startups. That’s why we’re proud to partner with Mercury to support the founders in our community.

Mercury isn’t your average bank. It’s a modern financial stack built for startups—whether you’re pre-seed or Series A. Here’s what you get:

✅ Fee-free checking and savings

✅ Physical and virtual debit + credit cards

✅ $5M in FDIC insurance coverage

✅ Fee-free domestic and international USD wires

✅ Currency exchange for global teams

✅ No minimum balances or monthly fees

Founders who apply through Angel Club get expedited access and ongoing support from a team that knows what it takes to scale.

🔗 Learn more and apply here

📩 Talk to our dedicated Angel Club support team at Mercury: help@mercury.com

Your capital stack should be as founder-friendly as your cap table. Mercury gets it.

Don’t Miss the Next Lunch

🎟 Sign up for upcoming events → www.angelclub.com/events

📚 Learn more about membership → www.angelclub.com/membership

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