Most technical founders think their product will do the talking. It won't.

Shayna Rattler-Davis has spent 15+ years helping leaders at companies like IBM, L'Oréal, and dozens of STEM startups learn how to show up with credibility in high-stakes environments. She hosts The Influence Economy Podcast (top 3% globally) and works with technical founders who are brilliant at building but struggle the moment they have to represent their company externally.

In this conversation, we dig into:

The competency gap most technical founders don't realize they have

Why investors bet on leaders, not products — and what they're actually looking for

How to develop your leadership identity before you start raising

The difference between thought leadership and just reciting your feature list

Where to start if you have zero public presence and a fundraise on the horizon

The mistakes founders make when trying to project credibility they haven't built yet

A dead simple weekly exercise your whole founding team can start today

Shayna drops a story about watching 24 people on tech panels in a single day and only ONE who didn't need help. If that doesn't make you question how you're showing up externally, nothing will.

📋 Get Shayna's free insights report on leadership identity, branding, and messaging for technical leaders: https://techinfluence.us

🔗 Connect with Shayna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaynarattler/

🎬 Watch this episode on YouTube: https://ftb.bz/129V

📝 Read the full blog post: https://ftb.bz/129B

🛠️ Free Fundraising Toolkit — Investment Readiness Scorecard, Validation Blueprint, Pre-Seed Valuation Guide, and more: https://ftb.bz/raise

Former hockey enforcer Dave Burnett took punches for a living, then helped build Achievers.com (sold for $110M), watched his own business go to zero twice, and came back both times. In this episode, we dig into why founders with non-traditional backgrounds often outperform the textbook startup playbook, how to make sure AI models actually know your startup exists, and a time management system built around 1,440 minutes that will change how you think about your day.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Intro

0:32 Dave's path from hockey enforcer to serial entrepreneur

1:36 Building Achievers.com and the $110M exit

3:08 Why non-traditional founders have an edge

3:52 The enforcer mentality and entrepreneurial grit

7:05 Building for the future: swappable AI engines

8:25 AI models are commodities, not loyalties

10:30 AI is table stakes now

10:43 The dumbbell theory: where to build in the age of AI

15:53 AI visibility: does ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini know your startup exists?

19:47 What separates visible companies from invisible ones

21:00 How to use LLMTel to check your AI visibility

23:01 What early-stage founders should do now to show up in AI

25:18 GEO vs. SEO: what's different, what's the same

26:48 Mid-roll break

27:09 The 1,440-minute time management system

31:04 Color-coding your day in 10-minute blocks

32:23 Constraint-based prioritization: always work on the bottleneck

34:36 Embracing uncertainty and getting comfortable with failure

36:23 Building things nobody wants (and how to avoid it)

38:27 Why Dave went so granular on time tracking

40:51 Surviving a traumatic brain injury while running multiple companies

41:51 Notifications are other people's priorities

46:54 It's going to suck, and that's normal

47:59 When to pivot vs. when to double down

50:23 Going to zero twice: Great Recession and COVID

53:03 Business as an infinite game

55:01 Closing thoughts

🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES

Dave Burnett's AI Visibility Tool (LLMTel): https://llmtel.com

Dave's Digital Marketing Agency: https://aokmarketing.com

Dave's Book "From Bricks to Clicks": https://aokmarketing.com/book

Dave on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/davebburnett

📥 FREE FUNDRAISING TOOLKIT

Grab templates and tools I built for the founders I coach: https://feeltheboot.com/raise

🎬 Watch the video version of this episode: https://ftb.bz/128V

📖 Read the full blog post: https://ftb.bz/128B

ABOUT FEEL THE BOOT

Feel the Boot helps early-stage startup founders navigate the fundraising process. Whether you're preparing for your first pre-seed round or struggling to close a seed raise, we cover the strategies, frameworks, and mindset you need to raise capital and build a fundable company. Hosted by Lance Cottrell, angel investor and president of North Bay Angels.

Subscribe and follow Feel the Boot wherever you listen to podcasts for episodes on startup fundraising, pitch decks, investor outreach, financial modeling, and founder strategy.

Most founders think fundraising fails because of "bad luck." Usually, it fails because of simple physics.

Fundraising is a sales funnel. If you have a structural leak at the top, no amount of "slick" pitching will produce a check at the bottom. In this episode, we pop the hood on pre-seed fundraising to look at the four filters your startup must pass before you even think about building a deck.

Stop the "Fundraising Theater" and start building a machine that investors actually want to buy.

Read the full blog post: https://ftb.bz/127B

Watch the video: https://ftb.bz/127V

[FREE TOOL] THE INVESTMENT READINESS SCORECARD

Don't guess if you’re ready. Use the same diagnostic tool I use to screen startups for the North Bay Angels. Identify your gaps and fix them before you waste your one "bite at the apple."

Get the Toolkit & Scorecard: https://www.FeelTheBoot.com/raise

WHAT WE COVER:

Filter 1: The Math (Portfolio Physics): Why a "nice" business isn't always a venture-investable business. We look at the $100M revenue requirement and the "Why Now" delta.

Filter 2: The Evidence (Market Pull): The difference between "that’s a good idea" and "I need this now." We discuss unit economics and why $1 of marketing must generate $2 of net profit.

Filter 3: The Moat (Structural Defensibility): Why being a "first mover" is often a disadvantage and how to build friction that stops well-funded predators from crushing you.

Filter 4: The Machine (Founder-Market Fit): Why investors don't fund science experiments and how to prove you have the unique insight to execute your blueprint.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 The "Fundraising Theater" Trap

1:30 Why 99% of Success is Decided Before the Pitch

3:15 Filter 1: The Harsh Math of Venture Capital

5:45 The "Corpse Audit": Why Timing is Your Delta

8:10 Case Study: The "Empty Box" Pitch at North Bay Angels

11:20 Filter 2: Proving Customer Hunger

14:45 Filter 3: Defensibility & The First-Mover Fallacy

17:30 Filter 4: The Machine & Unique Insights

20:15 Is Your Startup Default Alive or Default Dead?

22:00 Your Next Step: The Readiness Scorecard

ABOUT FEEL THE BOOT

I’m Lance Cottrell. I’m a former astrophysicist and successful tech founder turned startup advisor. I view company building as an engineering problem with solvable mechanics. No fluff. No hype. Just the hard truths you need to reach escape velocity.

Subscribe for more pragmatic startup advice: [Link to your channel]

#PreSeedFundraising #StartupFunding #VentureCapital #AngelInvestors #PitchDeck #Entrepreneurship #FounderTips #FeelTheBoot