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Ariana Pareja
Founder-turned-investor; raised $48M at a $150M valuation
In this powerful conversation, successful founder-turned-investor Ariana Pareja shares raw insights about her journey from bootstrapping businesses to raising $48M at a $150M valuation.
Never pick a co-founder for their checkbook. Ariana once partnered with someone because they brought a million dollars, not because they were qualified; the expensive lesson shaped how she vets founding teams today.
Cover your lifestyle before you raise. She and her co-founders paid themselves nothing from $11M raised, funding life through their real estate business, which made the Series A an easy yes for VCs.
The dream team is three personas. An outgoing salesperson CEO, a brilliant CTO, and a rockstar controller or CFO so investors know exactly where every dollar goes.
Emotion and decisions don't mix. Her biggest investing mistakes came from gut feelings and skipped due diligence; logic, references, and real financial analysis are what protect capital.
