Seed Money

Welcome to Seed Money, this is the podcast for early-stage CPG founders who are looking to raise your first round of funding from angel investors, even with no experience and no connections.If you are at the pre-seed or seed stage and need $100K to $500K to finally go all in on your company, this show is for you. Especially if you feel stuck, under-connected, unsure who to trust, or frustrated by investors who ghost you. Seed Money gives you clarity, confidence, and practical next steps so fundraising stops feeling mysterious and starts feeling doable.Before going on Shark Tank and securing a deal with Mark Cuban, I raised $450K in angel funding as a first-time, pre-revenue, CPG founder. No industry experience. No network. No safety net. All during a recession. If I could do it, I know you can too. The tools and buzzwords may change, but the fundamentals of raising as a first-time founder have not.For the past 15 years, I have helped founders prepare pitch decks, master investor Q&A

Seed Money is a business podcast hosted by Jayla Siciliano, with 95 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Jayla Siciliano hosts Seed Money, a business show with 95 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #95

  95 | Build Your Angel Investor List Before Fall & Stop Wasting Time On The Wrong Investors

  Jul 23, 202616 min

  Finding investors can feel like the most intimidating part of raising your first round, especially if you were not born into a wealthy, well-connected network. But the answer is not to pitch everyone with "angel investor" in their LinkedIn bio or assume anyone with money could write you a check. That spray-and-pray approach wastes valuable time, leads to more rejection, and leaves many founders exhausted before they reach the investors who might actually be a fit. In this episode, I break down how to build a focused angel investor strategy so you can stop chasing random leads and start developing relationships with people who have a real reason to care about what you are building. Summer is the perfect time to do this work. Investor responses may be slower, but that gives you an opportunity to research, prepare, and create warm paths to the right people before fundraising activity picks up again in the fall. Have questions specific to your situation? Join Jayla's FREE monthly Seed Money Office Hours call to ask your real funding questions and get more clarity on funding strategy, investor materials, pitching, finding investors, and how to close. Save your spot : https://seedmoney.mysamcart.com/office-hours About Your Host Jayla Siciliano is an entrepreneur with 25+ years in consumer brands, product, and marketing. After raising her first angel round against all odds and later appearing on Shark Tank, where she closed a deal with Mark Cuban, she now helps founders become fundable, confident, and ready to attract the right investors. Entrepreneurship changed her life, and she's on a mission to help first-time founders raise their first round of angel funding and change theirs too. Disclaimer The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #94

  94 | 10 Must-Dos Before Asking for Investor Introductions

  Jul 10, 202612 min

  Warm introductions can open doors, but only if you use them the right way. Too many early-stage founders ask for investor intros before they know whether that investor is actually a fit, which can lead to awkward asks, weak pitches, and getting ghosted. In this episode, Jayla breaks down the research you need to do before asking for an introduction to an angel investor, so you can protect your relationships, show up prepared, and increase the chances that the intro actually leads somewhere. You'll learn: Why warm introductions are valuable social capital, and why you should not waste them Why paying for investor introductions is usually a red flag How to figure out whether an angel investor actually invests at your stage What to look for in their industry, business model, and check-size preferences Why you need to research their existing investments and potential competitors How to identify the strongest introduction path, not just the most obvious one What to say when asking for the intro so the person making it feels confident saying yes Before you ask someone to open up their network, make sure you've done the work. A thoughtful, well-researched ask will always be more effective than a random "Can you introduce me?" message. Have questions specific to your situation? Join Jayla's FREE monthly Seed Money Office Hours call to ask your real funding questions and get more clarity on funding strategy, investor materials, pitching, finding investors, and how to close. Save your spot : https://seedmoney.mysamcart.com/office-hours About Your Host Jayla Siciliano is an entrepreneur with 25+ years in consumer brands, product, and marketing. After raising her first angel round against all odds and later appearing on Shark Tank, where she closed a deal with Mark Cuban, she now helps founders become fundable, confident, and ready to attract the right investors. Entrepreneurship changed her life, and she's on a mission to help first-time founders raise their first round of angel funding and change theirs too. Disclaimer The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #93

  93 | 5 Things to Do This Summer So Investors Take You Seriously This Fall

  Jun 9, 202620 minS0

  <p>If your fundraising momentum stalled this winter or spring, summer is not the time to disappear. It is the time to fix the gaps before investors start paying attention again in the fall. In this episode, Jayla shares a simple 5-part summer reset plan to help early-stage founders turn customer conversations, traction, numbers, and investor research into a stronger, more fundable opportunity.</p> <h2 >You'll learn:</h2> <p >Why summer can be the best time to regroup before your next fundraising push</p> <p >How to turn customer conversations into real investor-ready evidence</p> <p >What traction investors actually...

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #92

  92 | Announcing Office Hours- Join us monthly

  Jun 2, 202612 minS0

  <p >Summer is slow for investors. Don't waste it.</p> <p >Fall fundraising starts now.</p> <p >Use the summer to tighten your deck, build your investor list, fix the gaps, and get clear on your funding strategy—so when investors are ready to talk, you're ready too. Listen for what to do this summer to be ready for fall. </p> <p >To help you get dialed in this summer:</p> <p >Join Jayla's FREE monthly Seed Money Office Hours call to ask your real funding questions and get more clarity on funding strategy, investor materials, pitching, finding investors, and how...

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #91

  91 | You Don't Need "Founder Skills" to Raise Capital—You Need Reps

  May 26, 202614 minS0

  <p >If you are holding off on raising capital because you think you need to become more confident, better at pitching, stronger at sales, or more "founder-like" first—think again.</p> <p >That advice sounds responsible. Strategic, even. But for many early-stage founders, it becomes a permission slip to delay the exact thing that would make them better.</p> <p >In this episode of Seed Money, Jayla breaks down one of the most dangerous myths first-time entrepreneurs hear online: that you need to master leadership, sales, confidence, persuasion, storytelling, and fundraising before you start building or raising.</p> <p >Have que...

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on Seed Money. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.