Science & Technology

Why Raising Your First Round Is Harder Than Ever l Build Mode

Published

3 months ago

July 9, 2026

Raising your first round has always been hard — but in today’s market, the rules are changing fast.
In this episode of Build Mode, our host and Startup Battlefield lead Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Charles Hudson, Founder and Managing Partner of Precursor Ventures, to talk about what early-stage founders need to know before raising their first institutional round.
Charles shares a candid look at how the venture landscape has shifted, why AI is changing what investors pay attention to, and how founders can better navigate fundraising when the old playbooks no longer apply.

They get into:
• Why raising pre-seed and seed funding feels harder right now
• How AI is reshaping venture capital
• What founders should know before choosing an investor
• Why the highest valuation is not always the best deal
• How to build momentum during a fundraise
• Why storytelling and a strong blurb matter more than ever
• What happens when a startup raises too much too soon
• Why the biggest risk may not be a down round — but no round at all
• How to think about whether venture capital is actually the right path

Whether you’re preparing to raise, currently fundraising, or just trying to understand how early-stage venture is changing, this conversation is packed with practical, honest advice for founders building in today’s market.

Subscribe to Build Mode on⁠ Apple Podcasts⁠, ⁠Spotify⁠, or⁠ wherever you like to listen⁠. And watch the full videos on⁠ YouTube⁠. New episodes of ⁠Build Mode⁠ drop every Thursday.

Chapters:
00:00 – The New Rules of Startup Fundraising
02:00 – What VCs Look for in First-Time Founders
08:50 – The Biggest Fundraising Mistakes Startup Founders Make
13:20 – Why Startup Valuations Are So Unpredictable in 2026
18:20 – Why Raising Too Much Money Can Hurt Your Startup
25:55 – Should Every Startup Raise Venture Capital?
29:20 – How to Choose the Right VC Investor
33:55 – Why Silicon Valley Still Gives Founders an Advantage
36:40 – How to Build Momentum During a Startup Fundraise

Hosted by Isabelle Johannessen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.

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Read more about OpenAI on CNET.com:
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0:22 Introducing AI Agents: Dots
1:18 How Dots Delegate & Automate Work
1:37 ChatGPT Space: Team & Agent Collaboration
3:06 Live Demo: Dots in Action
4:15 Hands-Free Catchup & Voice Features
4:53 Live Demo: Working inside ChatGPT Space
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7:56 Specialist Dots & Enterprise Availability
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10:55 Codex in the Cloud & 3D Interactive World Demo
12:23 Refreshed Codex CLI & Real-time App Building
13:38 Autonomous Browser Control & Robotics Demo
13:51 OpenAI Marketplace Launch & Wrap-up

Video Credits:
Host: OpenAI
Scripted by: OpenAI
Producer: OpenAI & Jonathan Gomez
Camera: OpenAI
Video Editor: Jonathan Gomez
Thumbnail Designer: Tharon Green

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#openai #samaltman #ai #artificialintelligence #superintelligence #chatgpt #aiagents #aiagent #dots

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AI Romance Scams: How to Tell If Someone Is Scamming You Online

Online scams hit us from every angle: financial fraud, phishing, and fake shopping sites. But the most devastating scams are the ones that hit the heart. This is the truth about romance scams—and how to avoid them. Read more about AI romance scams on CNET.com Look for These Red Flags to Avoid Falling Prey to…

Published

23 hours ago

September 29, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

Read more about AI romance scams on CNET.com
Look for These Red Flags to Avoid Falling Prey to AI Scams

Timecode Chapters:
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0:27 The Dark Side of Online Scams
1:07 How Scammers Build Fake Personas
2:18 The Long Game: Chatbots and Pig Butchering
3:52 A Real $1.3 Million Scam Case
4:55 Red Flags and How to Protect Yourself
7:12 What to Do If You’ve Been Scammed

Video Credits:
Host: Kara Tsuboi
Scripted by: Kara Tsuboi
Producer: Celso Bulgatti
Camera: Celso Bulgatti
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Unboxing the $399 Nothing Headphone (1) Pro

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September 28, 2026

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At $399, Nothing’s new Headphone (1) Pro are its most expensive headphones to date, and its most advanced.

Not only do the over-ear headphones feature new transducers with triple-driver configuration, but improved noise-cancelling and a more premium design with upgraded machined metal, as well as shatter- and scratch-resistant Panda glass on both earcups instead of translucent plastic.

Unbox it with us in white. #unboxing #nothing #headphone1pro #nothingheadphone #headphones #allthingsmobile