I'm a serial entrepreneur who has raised $145M+ and has had multiple exits. I'm now on a mission to support founders with their capital strategy and acquire the capital they need to grow their businesses. Thunder.vc is a tech-enabled investment bank for founders, by founders. 

When it comes to supporting the founders in our Thunder.vc community, here are some free resources that can help you with your capital-raising efforts. 
- $100M Exits newsletter & Podcast 
- Sign up at http://blog.thunder.vc 
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Securities are offered through Finalis Securities LLC Member FINRA / SIPC. Thunder X Capital, LLC is not a registered broker-dealer, and Finalis Securities LLC and Thunder X Capital, LLC are separate, unaffiliated entities.

Jason Kirby

This is the story most founders never post on LinkedIn. Most founders only focus on the upside.
 
Very few imagine the moment they stop being CEO.

James Rose scaled his first business to millions in revenue rapidly. Everything was going up and to the right...until it wasn't anymore.

Then the market turned.
The business collapsed.

And suddenly, he had to do the unthinkable: become an employee again.
Not because he wanted to. Because he had to. Family to support, lifestyle to maintain, and unsure of what the next big idea would be. 

That transition of losing the company and the identity was harder than the failure itself.

I chose to have James on because he had some amazing insights around this transition. It took him over a decade to get back in the saddle as a founder again, but he's managed just fine. His life wasn't over. 

But he was practically unemployable outside of sales. He was "over qualified"

So he dropped his ego and aspiration for a VP role and took a mid level sales job and grinded. It was tough, but it worked for him.

In this episode of $100M Exits, James breaks down:

- The emotional toll founders don’t talk about
- Why identity gets dangerously tied to the title
- How this moment reshaped how he builds today

I felt this was an important story to share as most founder don't know what's next after a failure. James's story is a ray of hope for the hopeless founder wondering what to do next. 

See the full episode in the article.

4x Exits, $100M+ Raised. Helping founders raise/exit with clarity, control, and conviction.

Watch the full video here This is not a story we discuss often on this podcast, but I felt Jame's story of having to "get a job" after scaling a multi

Open article: From CEO to employee, the pivot no one prepares for by Jason Kirby • 2 min read

From CEO to employee, the pivot no one prepares for

Yesterday I spoke my partner Oliver Low about a founder who just lost 2/3rds of their revenue right before making an acquisition. 

It was a total death to the founder. In their mind, how could they, in good faith (and legally) acquire a company with their stock if they just had a massive hit like that. 

This roll up acquisition strategy was designed by my partner and I to help them clear their pref stack and ensure the founders had a solid paid day for their efforts.

No one expected their anchor client to change management and drop the contract 🤯 

We empathized with the founder, and they ultimately just want to throw in the towel, wind down the company and return the $0.25 on the dollar back to their investors. 

I honestly respected them for that. They've had it hard enough on their journey, to reboot after a hit like that and all their plans crumble before their eyes...could they really put in another 5+ years to turn it around and clear their pref stack...is it even worth it?

Sometimes it's just better to quit...yes...the nasty Q word. We're often don't as founders "never give up" "never quit"

But sometimes, it's economically illogical to keep going from their perspective. 

The company needs a recap to ditch their toxic cap table that's holding them back, raise more cash or sell to someone who has cash to perform the AI roll up strategy. But the founders don't the energy or the desire to put up that fight.

It's a great business otherwise, just the prefstack makes it not worth it. 

It's a reality that more and more founders are running into when they can't grow fast enough to exceed their past valuations or pref stacks. 

If you know founders facing these issues, tag them in the comments and let them know they're not alone. 

I spend my days helping founders navigate these situations. 

For this particular founder, I might acquire the business myself and put in a CEO to execute the roll up strategy. There's always a creative way to solve every problem, but the incentive has to be there to make the juice worth the squeeze...never forget that part.

If your CAC is rising, your only defense is LTV.
Brian Ree built one of the highest-LTV businesses in fashion & sold for $700M

Here’s the playbook that led to a ~$700M outcome:

- Make LTV your North Star (not revenue).
- Improve gross profit per order before scaling traffic.
- Control supply chain via private label.
- Track 52-week cohort spend religiously.
- Use AI to predict product-level expected value.
- Optimize retention before increasing paid spend.

My takeaway from Brian, especially in the world of DTC today, growth doesn’t fix broken unit economics. It magnifies them.

While competitors chased top-line revenue, DailyLook engineered durability.
The result? Stronger margins, better retention, strategic leverage in M&A.

Watch the full episode below.

Watch the full video here Brian Ree’s journey with DailyLook is a reminder that survival precedes scale. When growth stalled and capital dried up, he 

Open article: How Brian Ree Turned a DTC Crisis Into a $700M Exit to Victoria's Secret by Jason Kirby • 2 min read

How Brian Ree Turned a DTC Crisis Into a $700M Exit to Victoria's Secret

When Kris Rudeegraap raised $100M from SoftBank for Sendoso, it didn’t start with a term sheet.

It started with a coffee.

SoftBank came inbound in late 2021.

Within days, that coffee turned into partner pitches.

Two weeks later, he was told:

“Block your entire calendar. We’ll tell you the day before Masa is ready.”
No private jet to Japan, like he was told, just a Zoom grid with a dozen SoftBank partners and Masa Son at the center.

Masa wasn’t casual.

He knew the numbers.

He asked pointed questions about growth velocity.
He grilled the US partners about how big this could get.

Then: silence.

A couple weeks later, Kris got the term sheet.

But the wire? Delayed for months...MONTHS because of international transfer reviews.

But once that $100M was real, expectations changed overnight.

Not subtly. Overnight.
At the time, Sendoso was around ~$50M ARR.

They had already raised roughly $65M prior.

With $165M+ in preferred capital stacked, the thinking wasn’t defensive.
It was:

“How fast can we double again?”

So what did they do?
They hired. Aggressively.

Kris said they ramped up to roughly 30 recruiters just to fuel hiring across go-to-market.
SDRs. AEs. Marketing. Post-sales support.

Because in 2021, the math felt simple:
More heads = more revenue.

Top-down target said “double.” Bottoms-up math didn’t get them there. So they changed the inputs. Turn on the hiring flywheel.

In hindsight, that wasn’t irrational, but tt was consistent with the rest of the market raising stacks of cash.

But then 2022 hit.

And the same company, with the same strategy, suddenly had to pivot. Growth at all costs pivoted to conserve and generate profit. He hired all those people and before they could generate a dollar of revenue, he had to lay them all off 😬 

The board conversations change when capital isn’t cheap anymore.
Which leads to two uncomfortable truths:

1️⃣ Mega-rounds distort decision-making
When you have $100M in the bank, the pressure to justify it shapes behavior. You optimize for scale, not resilience.

2️⃣ Capital amplifies strategy, it doesn’t fix it. If your go-to-market motion works, capital accelerates it. If it’s fragile, capital magnifies the fragility.

I talk to founders everyday wanting to raise capital, but they often don't realize the burden that comes with it. 

But kudos to Kris, he took the medicine, built an advisory board of over 100 experts, and navigated the storm to acheive amazing results being a leader in his category. 

If you want to hear the full story, check out my latest podcast on $100M Exits.

Watch the full video here Raising $100M doesn’t solve your problems; it magnifies them. Kris shares what founders rarely talk about: the operational w

Open article: How Sendoso Raised $100M From SoftBank by Jason Kirby • 2 min read

What color box are you in? 

If you're not in the green at the very least...I don't think we can be friends. 

I'm in the redbox  🦞 

This also explains the mega valuations we're seeing in AI. Real revenue is being generated at a scale and speed never seen before, and we're barely scratching the surface.

Launching startups🚀 without breaking their Piggy Bank. With SaaS, GenAI & fractional CTO services clients save up to 69% on development costs & secure $2.3M to $15.5M➕ within 1 year of funding through product consulting

Hey there, I’m Mohit – the guy who decided that tech headaches for startups were a thing of the past. 

Are you tired of wrestling with overpriced and unclear software development partnerships? 

I get it. 

That frustration is precisely why I founded SolutionValley.

Every day, founders reach out, fed up with their current software partners—overcharging, delays, and lackluster results. 

But what if you could experience top-notch quality, on-time delivery, stellar customer service, and transparency at a reasonable cost?

SolutionValley is the answer.

From the first day of my corporate job 13 years ago to this successful venture.

I've assisted over 40 U.S. companies in Mortgage, Healthcare, FinTech, and Education to build cutting-edge custom software, fostering growth and productivity.

Why Choose SolutionValley?

✅  Reliability
✅  On-Time Delivery
✅  Uncompromising Quality
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✅  Dedicated Development Team Focused on Your Success

Let's Talk Software Solutions

If you're ready to elevate your business through high-quality software, let's connect. 

Book a call here or drop me a DM / email at mohitsrivastava@solutionvalley.com.

For meeting booking: https://calendly.com/mohitsrivastava/15min

My Expertise:

✓ Leadership/Team Building:
Global tech leader adept at scaling diverse teams in IT operations, Engineering, and Cybersecurity.

✓ Digital Transformation:
Crafted strategic IT roadmaps, optimizing processes across multiple industries.

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Developed comprehensive cybersecurity programs, ensuring business continuity.

✓ Crisis Management:
Enabled seamless remote work during COVID-19 with zero downtime.

Let's shape the future of your business together.

Mohit Srivastava

The ‘I smell promo’ tax is real.

AI makes it worse.
And most people earn it.

If your AI marketing sounds like a press release, people smell it fast.

They do not hate AI.
They hate being sold to by a faceless voice.

Market AI without getting called a bot with these 9 moves:

1. Lead with the human problem
↳ Start with the pain, not the product.

Bad:
“We built an AI agent for sales.”

Good:
“Follow-ups were eating 2 hours a day. We fixed that.”

Why it works:
People buy relief, not features.

2. Say what you did, not what you are
↳ Replace labels with actions.

Skip:
“AI-powered, next-gen, revolutionary.”

Use:
“It drafts the first reply. You edit. It sends.”

Why it works:
Specific actions feel real.

3. Show the tradeoff
↳ Every real tool has a downside.

Example:
“It saves time, but you still need a human to approve tone.”

Why it works:
Perfect claims sound fake.
Tradeoffs sound honest.

4. Use one clear proof
↳ One believable proof beats ten vague claims.

Use:
- A short before and after
- A screenshot of a workflow
- A 10-second demo clip
- A single customer quote with context

Why it works:
Proof kills suspicion.

5. Stop hiding the AI
↳ Say where AI is used and where it is not.

Example:
“AI suggests options.
Humans choose the final answer.”

Why it works:
Clarity builds trust.
Mystery triggers doubt.

6. Write like a person talks
↳ Short lines. Plain words. No corporate tone.

Swap:
“Leverage our solution to optimize outcomes.”

For:
“Use it to get replies out faster.”

Why it works:
Bots sound polished.
Humans sound clear.

7. Give away the playbook
↳ Teach the method you use.

Example:
“Here is our 3-step prompt for support replies:
1. Restate the issue
2. Offer 2 fixes
3. Ask for one detail”

Why it works:
Real help feels generous.
Promo feels needy.

8. Make the call to action quiet
↳ No hard pitch. No pressure.

Use:
“I can share the template.”
“I can show the workflow.”

Why it works:
Low pressure keeps defenses down.

9. Put a name and face on it
↳ Sign it. Own it. Be reachable.

Add:
- Your name
- Your role
- One line on why you care

Why it works:
People trust people.
They ignore “brands.”

AI marketing wins when it feels human.

Not louder.
Not smarter.

Just more real.

--

♻️ Repost if you believe startups can create billion-dollar products without a big team or budget. 

✚ Follow Mohit Srivastava for entrepreneurial insights and execution tips. 

My goal is to inspire one founder each day to use AI profitably, helping them save money along the way.

My pitch was weak.

It sounded smart.

It still lost.

I used to sell features like a menu.

More buttons.
More dashboards.
More integrations.

I thought the build was the product.

Then I watched a friend raise $1.2M with 9 slides and a plain demo.

He did one thing I did not.

He sold the bet.

People buy the bet, not the build.

Here is the framework that fixed my pitch.

It has 3 parts:

Why-you proof
Why-now trigger
Why-market math

1. Why-you proof

This answers one thing.

You can win this.

Not because you want it.

Because you have unfair leverage.

In my last pitch, I said.

I have 10 years in the space.

Nobody cared.

In the next pitch, I said.

I ran ops for 42 clinics.
I saw 1,300 no-shows a month.
I built the workaround in spreadsheets for 3 years.
I already have 18 buyers waiting.

That is why-you proof.

2. Why-now trigger

This makes the buyer feel the clock.

Not hype.
Not fear.

A real shift.

In our case it was simple.

Labor costs jumped.
Margins got thin.
Teams stopped tolerating manual work.

The old way became too expensive.

That is why-now.

3. Why-market math

This makes the bet feel inevitable.

Not big words.

Clean numbers.

We showed this:

There are 11,000 target clinics.
Average value is $6,000 a year.
That is a $66M reachable market.

Then we went smaller.

We only need 120 clinics to hit $720K ARR.

That is market math.

One more thing.

Every pitch has a fuzzy part.

The part you avoid.

The part you hope nobody notices.

For me it was distribution.

So I named it.

Our bet is that partners drive 60% of signups.
We already have 4 partners.
They reach 2,800 clinics.
We convert 3% in 12 months.

When you say the fuzzy part out loud.

You stop sounding like a builder.

You start sounding like a founder.

Sell the bet.

Then build the proof.

--

♻️ Repost if you believe startups can create billion-dollar products without a big team or budget. 

✚ Follow Mohit Srivastava for entrepreneurial insights and execution tips. 

My goal is to inspire one founder each day to use AI profitably, helping them save money along the way.

You’re not early.

You’re finally able.

And that changes everything.

I learned this the hard way while building a product for my client :( that “launched too soon.”

We kept saying the same line.

“We’re early.”

It sounded smart.

It was also lazy.

Because timing is not a calendar story.

Timing is a capability story.

The market does not move when people agree with you.

It moves when something new becomes possible.

New behavior.
New tech.
New distribution.

One new capability can turn a “nice idea” into a must-have.

Here is the shift that fixed our messaging in 14 days.

We stopped pitching the future.

We named the new capability users just gained.

This is the simple framework I now use:

1. New behavior
↳ People started doing the thing without being forced.
↳ Example: Teams now work async by default, not as a backup.
↳ In our onboarding, completion jumped from 38% to 61% when we wrote for that reality.

2. New tech
↳ The cost dropped, the speed improved, or the setup became simple.
↳ Example: AI turned a 2-hour task into a 6-minute workflow.
↳ When the time-to-value fell under 10 minutes, trials converted 1.7x better.

3. New distribution
↳ The path to users changed.
↳ Example: One app store listing, one template gallery, one creator channel.
↳ One partner email drove 23% of our monthly signups because the channel finally fit the product.

Then we asked one brutal internal line.

What can our users do today that they could not do last year.

We wrote that sentence everywhere.

Homepage.
Demo.
Sales deck.
First email.

Not “we are early.”

But “you can now.”

That is what makes people lean in.

Remember:

If you sound early, you sound optional.

If you sound like a new capability, you sound inevitable.

--

♻️ Repost if you believe startups can create billion-dollar products without a big team or budget. 

✚ Follow Mohit Srivastava for entrepreneurial insights and execution tips. 

My goal is to inspire one founder each day to use AI profitably, helping them save money along the way.

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The Battle

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Jason Kirby's LinkedIn Performance

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