Francois Mazoudier: Process beats charisma – fundraising in 2025
About This Episode
In this episode of Nothing Ventured, I’m joined by Francois Mazoudier, serial entrepreneur and seasoned investor, to tackle one of the biggest myths in fundraising: that charisma alone wins capital. As we enter 2025, the truth is clearer than ever — process beats charisma.
François shares candid insights on:
Why founders must master process-driven fundraising (and how to build one)
The common mistakes startups still make when pitching to VCs
How investors are thinking differently in 2025
The future of fundraising in a world that’s more competitive than ever
Whether you’re raising your first round or scaling globally, this episode is packed with practical wisdom to help you secure the capital you need — without relying on charm alone.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro & guest: Francois Mazoudier, Fundraising Bootcamp
00:45 – Preview: why 94% of pitches fail & myths around decks
02:02 – About the host Ari Shah & Nothing Ventured
03:27 – The hard truths about fundraising today
04:09 – Stop following bad online advice (6% of pitches work)
07:11 – The Sequoia pitch deck trap (250k founders copy-pasting)
08:33 – Finding “perfect match” investors & cold email success
10:42 – Fundraising as a repeatable process, not a performance
13:18 – 3 signs founders get funded vs. 3 signs they won’t
15:38 – Traction vs. revenue: what really matters early stage
18:44 – Numbers or story — which wins a pitch?
23:36 – VC money vs. corporate VC money (pros & cons)
27:10 – Why even Series A/B founders need a clear process
31:21 – European founder mistakes: humility, tone & pace
37:00 – Contrarian view: bigger isn’t always better for founders
41:18 – What moves François: piano & seeing mindset shifts
44:48 – Closing: where to find François online
Find Francois Mazoudier online at:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francoismazoudier/
Twitter: https://x.com/franco1s
Fundraising Bootcamp: https://fundraising-bootcamp.com/
This episode is sponsored by EmergeOne, fractional CFOs for venture backed tech startups from Seed to Series B.
Get in touch at https://emergeone.co.uk/contact-us/ or join the CFO team at https://emergeone.co.uk/join-the-cfo-team/
Sign up for EmergeOne’s weekly newsletter, Off Balance at https://off-balance.beehiiv.com/subscribe
Watch on YouTube: Francois Mazoudier: Process beats charisma – fundraising in 2025