All Fundraising General Life & Business Startup Advice

Fundraising

My fundraising writing pulls from real experience, real frustration, and a few hard-won lessons I picked up along the way.

In "VC-Backed Equity Crowdfunding: The New Credibility?," I wrote about how this trend has become the new way to sell credibility at scale. It is an idea I keep coming back to because it shapes so much of how I think about fundraising today.

How to Pitch Your Startup

As someone who regularly interacts with investors and founders, I have noticed a concerning pattern...
October 23, 2025

"The Fundraising Reality Nobody Tells You" hit a nerve with a lot of readers. Fundraising is brutal for early-stage founders, and writing about it helps me process the experience. Hopefully it gives someone else a useful perspective too.

Then there is "Why I Ignore Vague Meeting Requests from Founders." I stopped taking meetings with founders who do this one thing. These are the stories I love telling because they come from real moments.

I also wrote about how the fundraising world has shifted dramatically in "Your Investor List is Full of Zombies." If you have been out raising capital recently, you have probably felt it.

With 10 posts and counting, this section keeps growing. Read them in order or jump to whatever catches your eye.

Cate Diaz

Cate Diaz

Founder of Market Chemistry

I help startups raise capital, tell their story, and build investor trust.

👩🏻‍💻 Want to know more about me?

About Me

As the Founder of Market Chemistry, I lead a team that builds high-conviction investor pipelines for early and growth-stage companies.

We combine sharp positioning, compelling investor materials, and direct outreach to connect founders with the right capital partners — and get the deal done.

I’ve worked across industries including healthcare, SaaS, CPG, biotech, renewable energy, aerospace, and more. At the core of every project is a founder building a category-defining company and a need for a smarter, more intentional fundraising strategy.

My approach is grounded in four values: Extreme ownership. Compounding growth. Independent thinking. Relentless care.