Funding, press, and bias: advice for early-stage founders

Executive overview

Three founders call in for advice on their most pressing growth challenges: raising capital, getting press without a budget, and navigating gender bias in fundraising. Ariel Kaye of Parachute Home joins Guy Raz to give practical, experience-backed guidance.

The product is your best pitch — traction and data do more than a polished deck.

When to take outside capital and from whom

• A 10-year-old B2B grooming brand (King Brown Pomade) is cash-constrained despite loyal customers and international distribution.
• Non-strategic capital isn't automatically a bad option — hire strategically to fill gaps instead of waiting for a perfect investor.
• Moving into D2C and subscription (hair health line) creates recurring revenue and compounds brand equity.
• Pivoting upmarket and into adjacent categories (hair health vs. styling) can re-differentiate a mature brand.
• Raising is easier with 10 years of proof; use the data and story you've earned.

Getting press and visibility with no budget

• Affiliate programs (ShareASale + Skimlinks) get products into gift guides without upfront spend; 15–20% commission during holidays is competitive.
• Fee-per-placement freelancers exist — they come from agencies, have relationships, and cost nothing until they deliver.
• Cold outreach works when it's targeted: read the publication, find the specific byline, reference their work.
• Gifting inventory to influencers and mommy bloggers generates UGC and social proof; treat it as a marketing cost.
• Co-marketing giveaways with aligned brands build email lists and followers fast — sustainable enough to run monthly early on.
• Creating a parent-to-classroom gifting path opens a school channel without cold B2B sales.

Navigating gender bias in fundraising

• Less than 2% of venture funding goes to women — this is structural, not personal.
• Being a female founder in a male-dominated category (craft brewing) is a differentiator, not just a disadvantage.
• Investors who discount the founder based on gender are self-selecting out — they're not the right partners anyway.
• Use product traction and community love as the anchor of every pitch; data neutralises bias.
• Confidence builds as product-market fit builds — the brand starts to speak for you.
• Shake off insecurity about follower count or scale; focus on the value the product creates.

Staying true to your brand core

• Risk tolerance should oscillate with the business cycle: push when healthy, focus when under pressure.
• Parachute tried furniture, learned quickly the unit economics and logistics didn't fit, and pulled back.
• Always return to what customers love and why they came — that's the North Star from launch to exit.