Founder | Startup Consultant | One Exit | Angel Investor | Fundraising

I am an expert in my field with 18+ years of diverse business experience, from startups to established enterprises with one exit under my belt!

My business journey is not linear and has been a blend of creativity, strategy and hustle!

I have guided and collaborated with hundreds of startups from Pre-seed to Series D. My expertise is helping startups tell their story to get funded and accelerate growth!

I am very good at preparing:

✔Pitch Decks: a compelling story to setup investor meetings 
✔Executive Summaries: a comprehensive but concise overview of startups condensed to 1-page 
✔Sales Presentations: a winning deck to land more clients and/or strike partnerships.
✔Business Plans: a detailed plan covering your operation from A to Z 
✔Branding: brand guidelines including visual identity, logo, color palette, and typeface.
✔Financial Projections: an editable and dynamic model with 3-5 year projections, balance sheet, and cash flow statement

My experience spans many sectors: Technology, Education, Real Estate, Fintech, Fashion, Health and Wellness, SaaS, Consumer Goods, Life Sciences, Adtech, Media and entertainment, Legal, Hospitality, Tourism, Financial Services, and Aerospace.

Why Work With Me?

✔Proven Success: $1M+ sales generated on Upwork and an approach that's helped startups raise $2B+
✔Customized Strategy: Each project is tailored to peak investor interest and secure capital
✔Efficienct: Ensured maximum productivity within the agreed timeline
✔Credibility: Endorsed by clients as professional, approachable, and exceeding expectations

I'm excited to be part of your success with a proven process and a passion for seeing startup ideas come to life.

✉️ Send me a message and let’s discuss

Peter Korbel

Most startups fail for a reason no one wants to admit.

The co-founder relationship!

Everyone obsesses over the idea.

But here’s what actually breaks most startups.

The founders don’t really know each other.

I see it all the time.

Two people meet for the first time, think they “vibe,”
and decide to start a company together.

The only thing holding them together is the startup itself.

And that works fine,
until the moment all startups eventually hit:

The moment it looks doomed.
Worthless. Hopeless.

The point where it feels easier to walk away than to keep going.

And if the relationship isn’t real,
if there’s no trust, no shared history, no real connection
then the partnership collapses right there.

They quit. They split.
They move on.

But founders who have known each other for years,
built things together,
seen each other under pressure . . .

They don’t walk away.
They keep going, even when it feels pointless.

And funny enough,
that “misplaced loyalty” often saves the company.
Because what looked doomed wasn’t actually doomed.
It was just a rough chapter.

A strong co-founder relationship outlasts the hard days.
And the hard days are the ones that matter.

So before you choose your co-founder, ask yourself:

Are we building a company together,
or are we just building a moment?

---

For more of my content, check out my newsletter Startup Anatomy.
https://lnkd.in/gCcWi-iw

We break down founders like you who built something real online — how they did it, what worked, and what they’d do differently.

---

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Startup Strategist | Founder | One Exit | Angel

Some startups explode while others stall.

The trick is surprisingly simple:

Anti-trend.

Most people chase what’s trending.

It feels safe.

Everyone is running in the same direction.

But when everyone copies the same playbook,
everything starts to look identical.

That’s where real opportunity opens up.

Sometimes the smartest move is choosing the opposite.

If people want louder, make it quieter.

If everyone builds bigger, try smaller.

If the whole market speeds up, go slow.

Anti-trend ideas work because they give people what’s missing.

Stability. Simplicity.
A breather.

Look around your niche.

Notice what everyone is doing.

Then flip the pattern.

The next breakout idea might not be “the next big trend.”

It might be the thing that moves against it.

What’s the opposite move in your space?

---

For more of my content, check out my newsletter Startup Anatomy.
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We break down founders like you who built something real online — how they did it, what worked, and what they’d do differently.

---

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 Opportunity Is in the Opposite

Think you need funding to scale?

Try this instead:

Turn creators into your new growth engine.

Building is easy now.

A few AI tools can do what teams and millions once did.

The real struggle is getting noticed.

And that’s exactly what creators solve.

Give them ownership, not payment.
And now they care like a founder.

One real mention = months of paid ads.
No VC pressure.
Traction from day one.

Take a look at Stanley.

They didn’t blow millions on marketing.
They built a movement through the community.

Viral posts turned their tumbler into a status symbol.
Each creator mentioned became free distribution.

That’s the new model.

Creators aren’t just promoters. They’re partners.

You keep building.
They bring culture and audience.

The result:

You grow faster.
You scale smarter.
You disrupt before others even notice.

In this game, influence is your real investor.

Because attention moves faster than money.

---

For more of my content, check out my newsletter Startup Anatomy.
https://lnkd.in/gCcWi-iw

We break down founders like you who built something real online — how they did it, what worked, and what they’d do differently.

---

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Influence is the Investor

Why do some problems keep repeating?

They’re pointing you toward:

Opportunity!

Most people chase ideas that sound exciting.

You don’t need excitement.

You need evidence.

Real ideas live in the moments when you think,
“Why is this still so complicated?”

That’s the signal most people skip.

Because the best startup ideas rarely appear shiny.
They show up as small frustrations you face again and again.

A slow workflow.
A tool that never does what you need.
A messy process everyone secretly hates.

Start where the friction is loud.
Start where the annoyance is real.
Start where you feel it yourself.

Because if it irritates you daily,
it probably irritates thousands of others too.

And that’s the place worth building from.

---

For more of my content, check out my newsletter Startup Anatomy.
https://lnkd.in/gCcWi-iw

We break down founders like you who built something real online — how they did it, what worked, and what they’d do differently.

---

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 Broken Markets    Build Winners

Think starting a business is about ideas?

It is actually about:

How much uncertainty you can survive.

Starting a business off the ground feels simple on paper.

In reality, it is months or years of slow progress.

You keep building while asking yourself, 
Is this ever going to work?

That is the real price of freedom.
You pay it with fear.
And you pay it over time.

Fear when you hire your first employee.
Fear when you land your first customer.
Fear when people judge or underestimate what you are building.

The founders who win are the ones who can sit with uncertainty the longest.

They keep moving when nothing is guaranteed.
They build while scared.
They show up anyway.

If you can hold the fear, you give your business room to become something real.

---

For more of my content, check out my newsletter Startup Anatomy.
https://lnkd.in/gCcWi-iw

We break down founders like you who built something real online — how they did it, what worked, and what they’d do differently.

---

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Founders skip updates all the time.

Here’s why it’s a mistake:

Investors notice!

Teams feel the gaps.

Alignment slips quietly.

A consistent monthly update fixes that fast.

The best updates follow a simple, 
structured format:

1️⃣ Highlights
Celebrate wins first.
What moved the needle this month?
New customers, product breakthroughs,
or key milestones.
Set the tone with clear achievements.

2️⃣ Lowlights
Acknowledge what didn’t go as planned.
Transparency builds trust.
Call out the challenges without defensiveness.
It shows you’re in control, not hiding issues.

3️⃣ Key Metrics
Numbers give clarity.
Cash balance, runway, MRR, and total customers.
Month-over-month growth adds crucial context.
Metrics are the real scoreboard of the company.

4️⃣ Help & Requests
Ask for the support needed.
Intros, advice, or resources. Specificity matters.
Investors can only help when you tell them how.
Clarity here creates actionable collaboration.

Structured updates save time, 
build trust, and accelerate growth.

Which section could transform your investor updates today?

---

For more of my content, check out my newsletter Startup Anatomy.
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We break down founders like you who built something real online — how they did it, what worked, and what they’d do differently.

---

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The Perfect Investor Update

Startup Anatomy // Newsletter Edition 6

A founder who built a SaaS, scaled it to $55K a month, and sold it in just two years.

Arvid Kahl

No funding. No team.
No Silicon Valley story arc.

Just a real problem, a tiny niche, and the courage to build fast.

In 2017, Arvid Kahl watched his partner Danielle spend hours writing repetitive student feedback after every online class.

Same structure, same details, same pain.

So they built a tool for it.
A simple web app called FeedbackPanda.

Teachers loved it.
Communities spread it.
MRR climbed to $55K/month.
Two years later, they sold it and bought their freedom.

Arvid didn’t disappear after the exit.

He turned his lessons into The Bootstrapped Founder, wrote Zero to Sold, built Podscan, and kept teaching founders what most playbooks ignore:

You don’t need to build big to build well.

Arvid reminds us that focus is a superpower.

You can build lean, stay small, and still create something life-changing.

You can work quietly and still build a business loud enough to change your future.

That’s the story I unpack in this week’s edition of Startup Anatomy.

How a bootstrapped founder turned a tiny pain point into financial freedom — and why writing in public might be the most underrated growth engine on the internet.

Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/g38rG88D

Let’s go.

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Security Verification | LinkedIn

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Sales Navigator

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Talks about #startups, #pitchdecks, #fundraising, #inspiration, and #businessmodels

Investors often test your conviction.

They ask: 

Can you survive a big player?

Most founders freeze when a giant enters their space.

It feels impossible to compete.

Yet some startups still thrive despite the giants.

How? 

They focus on what big competitors won’t touch.

And they prove their startup isn’t a blind bet.

Here’s the strategy: 

✅ Acknowledge The Reality:
Yes, big companies have massive resources.
Yes, if they wanted to, they could copy you.
But that doesn’t mean they will.

✅ Show Why It’s Unlikely:
Big companies only pursue massive markets.
If your audience is small or niche, 
you’re invisible to them.
Explain this clearly.

✅ Highlight Their Focus:
Big companies rarely build outside their core strengths.
They stick to what they know.
You stick to what you do best.

✅ Identify Proven Patterns:
Notice how big companies handle gaps in their products.
They often partner, license, 
or adopt instead of building themselves.

If you move fast and execute well,
you can become the obvious solution they rely on.

Worrying about big players is natural.

But showing logic and strategy builds investor confidence.

Are you ready to turn competition into opportunity?

---

For more of my content, check out my newsletter Startup Anatomy.
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We break down founders like you who built something real online — how they did it, what worked, and what they’d do differently.

---

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Outsmart The Titans

You don’t need to fear AI. 

AI isn’t hitting every job the same way.

Some roles are shrinking fast.

Others are growing quietly on the side.

White collar isn’t automatically “safe” anymore,
and blue collar isn’t automatically “replaceable."

The gap between the two keeps widening.

Tasks that live on a screen get automated first.

Tasks that live in the real world take longer to copy.

That’s why plumbers are rising.

And why junior analysts are shrinking.

Not because one job is “better”, 
but because one job is harder to automate.

While full replacement takes time,
task-by-task replacement is already here.

A slice disappears, then another, 
until the role looks nothing like it used to.

The real question becomes:
Are you betting your career on the right side of change?

---

For more of my content, check out my newsletter Startup Anatomy.
https://lnkd.in/gCcWi-iw

We break down founders like you who built something real online — how they did it, what worked, and what they’d do differently.

---

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The Great AI Job Shift

How do top founders stay resilient?

The secret is . . .

Operating in two modes!

Building a startup means living in two worlds at once.

You’re patching what broke this morning.
You’re designing what could change your whole category.

You’re reviewing a contract that’s due in an hour.
You’re outlining a roadmap that might take three years.

You’re sending late-night emails to keep things moving.
You’re sketching a product that only exists in your head.

It’s chaotic.

It’s unglamorous.

It feels like you’re switching gears every five minutes.

But that’s the real work.

The best founders don’t chase perfect plans.

They move cleanly between now and next.

They zoom in when something needs them.

They zoom out when direction matters.

They shift modes without losing pace.

Scrappy today.
Audacious tomorrow.
Always both.

Because resilience isn’t just endurance.
It’s knowing which mode to be in, and when.

Which mode are you in right now?
---

For more of my content, check out my newsletter Startup Anatomy.
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We break down founders like you who built something real online — how they did it, what worked, and what they’d do differently.

---

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Two Timelines, One Goal

Do you need to nail the idea first?

No! 

Ideas don’t start perfectly.

They evolve.

Most people stall.

They think an idea must be airtight.

But that’s not how real ideas work.

The first version is just a draft.

Not the final design.

The real shape is discovered when it collides with users.

When someone tries it.
Questions it. 
Misuses it.

Pushes it in a direction you never planned.

And that’s when the idea changes. 

Every great product looked different at the beginning.

None of them started polished.

Builders don’t chase “the perfect version.”

They chase the next version.

Small tests. 
Tiny adjustments.
Fast feedback loops.

That’s the real competitive advantage.

Because while everyone else debates, 
you’re learning from real signals.

And every signal pulls your idea forward.

So if your idea feels messy or incomplete right now,
that’s good. That means it’s alive.

The only real mistake is waiting for the perfect moment.

That moment never comes.

What tiny step can you launch today?
---

For more of my content, check out my newsletter Startup Anatomy.
https://lnkd.in/gCcWi-iw

We break down founders like you who built something real online — how they did it, what worked, and what they’d do differently.

---

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Evolving Ideas Win

How do early founders land big-name investors?

They follow one simple rule:

Find the rooms where capital already flows.

Most founders look everywhere.

But rarely in the spots that actually move fast.

The twist?

There are three channels that quietly work.

1️⃣ Twitter

Investors think out loud there.
You see what excites them in real time.
Reply. Engage. Send short DMs.
Simple messages start real conversations.

2️⃣ Other Founders

Skip random outreach.
Talk to builders in your space.
They know who’s active right now.
Their notes beat any list you could scrape.

3️⃣ Sector Signals

Watch launches in your industry.
Partnerships, hires, 
and updates reveal who’s moving money.
Reach out with clarity, not copy-paste.

Most investors are open to listening.

They just want effort, not templates.

Show them focus, and the door opens faster.

Show them depth, 
and they remember your name.

Are you ready to land your first investor?

---

For more of my content, check out my newsletter Startup Anatomy.
https://lnkd.in/gCcWi-iw

We break down founders like you who built something real online — how they did it, what worked, and what they’d do differently.

---

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 Investor Access Unlocked

Do you think innovation means inventing something new?

It doesn’t.

Here’s the part nobody talks about:

Most ideas are tiny evolutions of something that already existed.

Nothing crazy.
Nothing groundbreaking.
Just a small twist that makes it better.

The best founders don’t wait for “original.”
They study what already works.
Then improve it by one percent.

That’s it.

Look at the biggest platforms today.

They didn’t create everything they’re known for.

They spotted what people loved.
They rebuilt it.
They did it better.

That’s the real game.

You don’t need a brand-new idea.
You need a sharper version of an existing one.

A small upgrade can become a huge advantage.
Real growth comes from improving, not inventing.

---

For more of my content, check out my newsletter Startup Anatomy.
https://lnkd.in/gCcWi-iw

We break down founders like you who built something real online — how they did it, what worked, and what they’d do differently.

---

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You don’t need to live in Silicon Valley.

You just need one thing:

International reach.

Most founders get stuck on the same question:
“How do I get customers outside my country?”

The good news is:

You don’t need to relocate, nor do you need investor circles and a network.

You just need smarter launch channels.

Because even if you’re building from a small town,
with zero connections, you can still gain global visibility for your product.

Two platforms to launch a tech startup:

1️⃣ BetaList

A perfect place for early traction.
Simple to submit.
Consistent for quality signups.
And often leads to more exposure than you expect.

2️⃣ Product Hunt

Early adopters scroll it daily.
They’re actively looking for new tools.
A single launch can open global demand.

Your location doesn’t decide your access.

Your launch channels do.

Pick the right platforms and the world becomes your market.

Where are you planning to launch next?

---

For more of my content, check out my newsletter Startup Anatomy.
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We break down founders like you who built something real online — how they did it, what worked, and what they’d do differently.

---

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Startup Anatomy // Newsletter Edition 5

You don’t need fame or a huge following to build a meaningful life.

Sometimes, all you need is two quiet hours a day and the courage to write what you actually think.

Dan Koe was earning fifty-five thousand a year at a corporate desk when he realized something:

He was building someone else’s future, not his own.

So he walked away.

No team.
No office.
No “big break.”

Just writing, thinking, and sharing ideas with people who didn’t want to live life on autopilot.

He didn’t go viral overnight.
He didn’t skip the failures.

He built slowly.
Tweet by tweet.
Thread by thread.
Idea by idea.

Every experiment, even the ones that flopped, sharpened his skills.

And when his audience finally formed, he turned clarity into products that actually helped people:

A planner he needed.
A system he wished he had years ago.
Courses built from his own mistakes.
A business designed on purpose, not pressure.

Dan proves you don’t need a 50-person team to make real money or real impact.

You can build lean.
You can build honestly.
You can build quietly and still move millions of people.

That’s the story I unpack in this week’s edition of Startup Anatomy.

How one creator built a multi-million-dollar business . . .
with a laptop, discipline, and two hours of writing a day.

Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/g8XhvrVP

Let’s go!

---

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“Follow your passion” is nice advice.

It’s just not enough to build a real business.

Passion is how most founders start.

It’s exciting. It feels good.
It gives you energy in the beginning.

But passion fades the moment things get boring, hard, or repetitive.

That’s where obsession comes in.

Obsession is what keeps you thinking about the problem when everyone else has moved on.

It’s when you keep tweaking, testing, improving, even when there’s no applause or even no traction.

But obsession alone still isn’t enough.

Endurance is the quiet skill nobody talks about.

It’s showing up when progress is slow.

It’s staying in the game after the first launch flops, the second offer underperforms, and the third pivot still isn’t perfect.

Endurance is choosing to keep going longer than most people are willing to.

Passion gets you started.
Obsession gets you improved.

Endurance is what actually gets you across the finish line.

---

For more of my content, check out my newsletter Startup Anatomy.
https://lnkd.in/gCcWi-iw

We break down founders like you who built something real online — how they did it, what worked, and what they’d do differently.

---

Let’s go!

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If you’re in Manhattan and looking for a beautiful venue for your company’s holiday party, check out Blender Space at 31st & Madison in NoMad — home of 135 Madison.

They offer:

• Signature cocktails
• Fun entertainment add-ons
• They handle everything, so you don’t have to stress

Link to explore the packages: https://hubs.ly/Q03WR-jD0

Holiday planning mode: ON🎄
If your team group chat is one message away from chaos… we’ve got you.

Blender’s Holiday Reception Packages
🍸 Signature cocktails
🎶 Entertainment options
🙌 Zero stress for you

✨ Explore packages: https://hubs.ly/Q03WR-jD0 

#HolidaySeason #BlenderWorkSpace #EventAtBlender #EventPlanning #NYCEvents

R. Adam Smith

Empowering private companies and their owners since 1993: single family offices, financing, direct investing, investment banking, boards, strategy. 

Veteran in private capital, M&A and investment banking, corporate dev, strategy, governance.  

Proud alumni of Columbia Business School.  

Founder of Family Business Audiocast c2022
https://bit.ly/FBA_linkedin 

Proven change agent:
Backer of tens of founders, CEOs, family offices, operating partners; mentor to many entrepreneurs. Since ‘02, founder of three successful management firms - Circle Peak Capital LLC, Big Sky Partners LLC, Family Office Private Advisors LLC. Investor in, buyer of, advisor to, tens of companies in consumer brands, digital, e-commerce, and financial services.

Governance expert: 
Board member / advisor to 12 investor-backed private companies since ‘98. Chairman of several. Board member of several non-profit entities since 2002, including founder or founding board member of three.  

Veteran investor:
Privileged to serve in lead roles in 20 + principal investments in several investment partnerships I have been a part of (or founded). Since 2002, we led deals, collectively, involving $300M+ of private equity, @ a billion of total capital, and $2B+ sales.  

Founder, 2002, Circle Peak Capital - LBOs w/ entrepreneurs; invest w/ private equity + family offices.  Control investments. Sourced, negotiated, structured, financed, closed 9 control-stake buyouts - backers included sophisticated general partners, hedge funds, + family offices, PE funds, sophisticated investors.

Salomon Brothers:
(Salomon Brothers Strategic Advisors)
Founding member, Mergers & Acquisitions division. 
Founding member, advisory board. 
Formerly led private equity and global family offices. 
Provided support to securities arm. 

Corporate Development expert:
Expert in capital, strategic ideas, business development, valuations, analysis, planning, budgeting, governance metrics, boards. 

Media presence:
Frequent event speaker, host, guest, author - Columbia Business School, OPAL, Buyouts Insider, ACG, FamilyBusiness.org, IBERA, Family Business Center, Unibz Business School, Inštitút Rodinného Businessu

Additional roles and positions:
RAS Capital Partners (2002) - founder 
Wisdom Board (2020) - founder 
Caring Capitalism (2020) - founder 
Bain & Co (2020) - advisor 

Philanthropist: (education, art, music, cancer)
Co-Founder, Leukemia Fighters. 
Board member, Musicians Treatment Foundation.  
Founding advisor, Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University. 

Happily married w/ three children.

Founder

A multi-faceted holding platform for providing strategic counsel to select private companies, family offices, and direct investments.

www.rascapitalpartners.com

Through various partnerships, we have provided clients with unique, valuable, holistic, actionable counsel across the capital structure, direct investments, strategy, governance, and mergers and acquisitions.  

Over the years, I have gained extensive experience in corporate strategy, board governance, and all matters related to doing deals - sourcing, assessment, diligence, team building, negotiations, financing, syndication, documentation and governance. 

For over 20 years, clients, boards, investors, and partners have tapped our resources to enhance their corporate journeys through leveraging our unique experience, judgment and robust network across a wide range of corporate conditions, financing challenges, and industry segments. 

Extensive experiences across both principal and consulting roles - in the process, strengthening our relationships, raising hundreds of millions for their companies, building boards, enhancing strategic planning, and empowering corporate development success. 

Work closely with highly seasoned third-party vendor relations (lawyers, bankers, investors, financiers, private bankers, agencies, and boards). 

Innovative, thoughtful, solutions-based thinking. 

——-

Note: 

RAS Capital Partners does not have external investors.The firm has operated mostly buyside principal projects (or on the sell-side, retainer-based activities with clients or partners). 

Capital raising projects may be executed via third-party qualified platforms unaffiliated with RAS Capital Partners.

The firm does not make direct investments itself at this time; rather, in collaboration with sophisticated limited partners and general partners.   

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