Weekly Founder Brief: "Proximity, Panic & Progress

You don’t need to be in the room—but you do need a system to get there.

Author

Apryl Syed
June 20, 2025

Hey Founder,

Let’s catch up on what has been happening from a funding perspective - along with some tips on how to take your company to the next level.

💰 Who Got Funded (Early June 2025)

Company

Stage

Amount Raised

Sector / Focus

Notable Investors

Fastino

Seed

$17.5M

Rewards Mastercard for employees

Khosla Ventures, Insight, Valor

Glide

Series A

$15M

HR enablement and pay transparency

Acrew Capital, Pear VC

CueZen

Seed

$5M

Healthcare engagement platform

Point72 Ventures

Ravio

Series A

$12M

Compensation management software

Spark Capital, Blackbird

Operand

Seed

$3.1M

AI project management assistant

Felicis, Y Combinator

Sett

Series A

$15M

Remote team operations stack

Bessemer Venture Partners

Bedrock Energy

Series A

$12M

Geothermal energy infrastructure

Energy Impact Partners, Titanium Ventures

Blacksmith

Seed

$3.5M

Developer tools & AI models

Google Ventures, YC, Eli Brown

Here’s what’s hot right now at the early stage:

  • AI + Infrastructure: Tools that combine automation and back-end performance are seeing continued investment. Examples: Operand, Blacksmith.

  • Compensation + HR: VCs are betting that the future of work requires smarter comp and team tools. Glide and Ravio fit this theme.

  • Healthcare & Wellness Tech: CueZen’s raise signals strong demand for personalized engagement across the care lifecycle.

  • Energy + Climate Tech: Bedrock Energy’s Series A shows momentum behind clean, physical infrastructure again. More geothermal and battery plays are expected this quarter.

Bottom line:
Investors want automation. They want systems. And they’re doubling down on categories that scale with minimal headcount.

🧠 BIG TIP of the Week: Track Access Like Revenue

You don’t need to be “in the room.” But you do need a structured way to get invited in.

Most founders don’t fail from lack of talent. They fail from lack of access structure.

Here’s how to shift that:

✅ Create a Target Access List (think: top 10 VCs, customers, operators).
✅ Track weekly progress: Who made intros? What’s in motion?
✅ Use public wins to manufacture visibility. Make it easy to say “You should meet…”

If you don’t measure your network-building like pipeline, don’t be surprised when momentum stalls.

⚠️ Founder Panic Is a Pattern. Here’s How to Manage It.

Whether it's cash pressure, customer churn, or a ghosting investor—panic is part of the job.

The founders who survive aren’t the ones who avoid fear. They’re the ones who build a response system.

Here’s what that looks like:

  1. Zoom out.
    Ask: What’s actually at risk here? Panic narrows your view.

  2. Run the process.
    Don’t react—return to your system. Who can help? What’s the next step?

  3. Don’t go quiet.
    Fear grows in isolation. Text a peer. Ask for insight. Share the moment.

📅 Need a Reset or a Push?

If you’re trying to break through a ceiling—or stop spinning your wheels—let’s fix that.

👉 Book a 30-min session with Apryl
No pressure. Just progress.

Until Next Time,

Apryl Syed

The Founders Edge