What founders need to unlearn about fundraising and the one question no one thinks to ask investors

Tuesday 14 July 2026 8:00 am

| Updated:

Thursday 09 July 2026 2:57 pm

At SCALE Summit on 22 April, a panel of EIS and SEIS investors came together to share exactly what they look for, and where founders are missing a trick. Here are the takeaways for your next raise.Fundraising is usually talked about as something you do when you need money, as if it’s a phase with a start and an end. But the investors assembled by the EISA on stage at SCALE Summit 2026 say founders need to unlearn that concept completely.From the first conversation to the closing of a deal, from the speed networking session to an exchange email three years later, the investor relationship is always live. It’s the founders who treat it that way who get backed.What investors really look for in foundersJeffrey Faustin, managing partner of Jenson Ventures, explained what separates the founders his fund backs from the ones they don’t. Domain expertise matters, but it is not the deciding factor.

We really want to back founders that can listen,