Gust Founder David Rose’s Tips for Fundraising Startups
Aug 12, 2025David S. Rose is a serial entrepreneur, founder of Gust, New York Angels, and USREM, with over four decades of investing in more than 120 startups. He’s famously known as “New York’s Archangel” and authored bestselling guides like Angel Investing and The Startup Checklist.
Here are four quick tips on fundraising for your startup, from his Fundraising 101 lesson:
- You Must Be Your First Investor: “If you don’t risk your personal money on your personal venture, nobody else will ever invest a penny.”
- Raise Money Only If You Must: “Don’t take my money! If there’s any way you can avoid taking investor money then you should do so.”
- Articulation Wins Capital: “Be as clear as you can about what you’re doing because the business will live or die on its own.”
- Integrity over Everything: “You’re making decisions every minute, every hour, and if I can’t trust you to make decisions for the good of the company, I’m not going to invest.”
