As a first-time founder, Nico Simko, the CEO of on-demand pay provider Clair, found that it was easy to be wooed by investors. It was simplicity and restraint that kept his head in the game through the emotional rollercoaster of fundraising during the tumultuous early stages of a global pandemic. As the stock market succumbed to volatility not seen for over a decade, Nico stayed the course, navigating his company through a seed round of $4.5 million that included heavy hitters such as Michael Vaughn, the former COO of Venmo.

Simplicity and confidence were among the most important characteristics Nico found to be of assistance during his funding journey, which also included a $500,000 pre-seed. With institutional investors inundated with pitches and paid to poke holes in business models, it’s the founder’s job to simplify their story and de-risk the business. In a delicate balancing act, they must display confidence and logical thinking without over-negotiating.

One of the things you learn as an entrepreneur, Nico says, is that you just have to keep going, “even if you feel like you’re the unluckiest person in the world.”

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