Still Playing Checkers? Here’s the Mindset Shift That Changes Everything

👋 Hey Founder,

If your calendar is packed, your team is stretched, and your results aren’t compounding—it’s time for a new kind of leadership.

Because the most dangerous moment in your journey isn’t when things are hard.
It’s when what used to work… stops working.

Let’s break it down 👇

💸 Who Got Funded — Week of May 19, 2025

Here’s who made headlines in early-stage venture last week:

🎮 Blacksmith — $3.5M Seed
AI tooling for creative game developers
✅ Why they got funded: Verticalized AI with early traction and a clear GTM
✅ Investors: Google Ventures, Y Combinator, Eli Brown

🧬 Persist AI — $12M Series A
ML-powered drug formulation platform
✅ Why they got funded: AI + biotech continues to attract strategic capital
✅ Investors: Spero Ventures, Eli Lilly, Global Brain

🔐 BreachRx — $15M Series A
Real-time incident response automation
✅ Why they got funded: Every major enterprise is rethinking breach readiness
✅ Investors: Ballistic Ventures, SYN Ventures, Overline

🏡 Button Finance — $5M Series A
Debt consolidation + home equity platform
✅ Why they got funded: Targeting an underserved fintech segment
✅ Investors: Hildene Capital

⚡ GDI — $11.5M Series A (Extension)
Software for renewable infrastructure deployment
✅ Why they got funded: Big need, big TAM, and a first-mover wedge
✅ Investors: Helios Climate Ventures, Impact NY

🧠 Founders: You Can’t Scale on Tactics Alone

If your instinct when things slow down is to "work harder"—you might be stuck in checkers mode.

✅ Checkers founders solve problems as they arise
✅ Chess founders build systems to prevent problems altogether

✅ Checkers founders manage people
✅ Chess founders manage context

The shift from doer to designer isn’t optional.
It’s the only way to scale without burning out or bottlenecking your team.

The hard part? The strategies that got you to this point will sabotage your next level if you keep relying on them.

📎 Want to go deeper?
Reply to this email with CHESS MINDSET to get the private framework I use with clients to break through growth ceilings.

💰 Capital Deployment: Are You Leading or Leaking?

Let’s be real—most early-stage companies don’t fail because of bad ideas.
They fail because of bad resource allocation.

Here are 3 red flags you might be missing:

1. Hiring for roles, not outcomes
   → Every person on your team should have a measurable result they own.

2. Building long-term before validating the short-term
   → No full-time hire, no permanent tech, no locked-in agency contract until you’ve proven the problem is real.

3. Running multiple strategies with no clear measure of success
   → Motion ≠ momentum. If you're doing everything, you're doing nothing well.

📎 Want the Capital Allocation Framework?
Reply with CAPITAL and I’ll send it over.

🔄 You Don’t Need “Balance.” You Need Alignment.

Founders don’t need perfect work-life balance.
They need congruence—between their energy, values, strategy, and actions.

Because when your work reflects your purpose, it doesn’t drain you. It sustains you.

Where do you feel misaligned right now?

Until next week,
Apryl Syed
Founder’s Edge

P.S. If you want direct feedback on your business, GTM, or sales strategy, book a 30-minute session with me here:

👉 calendly.com/aprylsyed/30-minute-coaching-session-newsletter