Transparency•April 29, 2026•Written by Ryan Persad
Inside My Call With StartEngine's VP of Fundraising, Akil Matthews: Fees, Fit, and Fundraising
I sent our pitch deck to StartEngine, spoke with Akil Matthews (VP of Fundraising), and got a candid breakdown of what founders miss: B2B SaaS fit on retail crowdfunding platforms, launch fees, rebate structures, and why fundraising readiness starts before you ever go live.
#startengine#startengine crowdfunding#b2b saas crowdfunding#regulation crowdfunding#equity crowdfunding#crowdfunding platform fees#crowdfunding launch fee#fundraising strategy#startup fundraising#pre-seed fundraising
Read More →Transparency•April 29, 2026•Written by Ryan Persad
Inside My WeFunder Call With Sam Alswang: Community, Reserve Mechanics, and What Actually Drives a Raise
I met with Sam Alswang from WeFunder to pressure-test our fundraising strategy. Key takeaways: community drives outcomes, ~40% can come from platform investors, founder network still does the heavy lifting, and reserve mechanics matter more than most first-time founders realize.
#wefunder#wefunder fundraising#wefunder reserve#crowdfunding reserve#equity crowdfunding#regulation crowdfunding#startup fundraising#first-time founder fundraising#founder network#investor network
Read More →Transparency•April 29, 2026•Written by Ryan Persad
What I Learned From Startups.com About Platform Fit as a Growing Startup
After speaking with Ryan Graham at Startups.com, I learned a key fundraising lesson: platform fit matters as much as product quality. This founder update breaks down pricing vs value, startup stage fit, and how to evaluate founder tools before spending.
#startups.com#ryan graham#startup fundraising#founder update#platform fit#startup tools#startups.com review#startups.com pricing#pitch deck feedback#investor outreach
Read More →Transparency•April 26, 2026•Written by Ryan Persad
From Pitch Deck to Reality Check: Week One on WeFunder
Week-one WeFunder fundraising lessons: how we structured our pre-seed campaign, what Form C and the ~$124k crowdfunding threshold changed, why an A/R-C 90 CPA review mattered, and what we learned from the 50k reserve gate before going fully live.
#wefunder#wefunder campaign#wefunder pre-seed#equity crowdfunding#regulation crowdfunding#startup crowdfunding#pre-seed fundraising#startup fundraising#form c#form c filing
Read More →Founder's Journal•April 5, 2026•Written by Ryan Persad
Show Them the Money: What I Learned After Enough Accelerator Rejections (Nobody's Fault But Mine)
After years of accelerator rejections, one lesson cut through: I had conviction and a product I believe can change real estate—but I didn't have the one thing selectors optimize for: proof. Revenue, users, traction. Why the Regret List isn't about villains, how I stopped blaming programs and started owning the gap, and why our focus is money first—investors and accelerators later.
#accelerator rejection#startup rejection#founder accountability#revenue first#traction#SaaS traction#startup lessons#founder journey#proptech#real estate technology
Read More →Founder's Journal•March 26, 2026•Written by Ryan Persad
To Be a Founder, You Have to Be a Little Delusional
Founder mindset: you have to reframe rejection to survive. How I read a 'no' as 'not right now,' why that delusion is fuel not denial, and when optimism crosses the line. Investler Solutions founder journal.
#founder mindset#delusional optimism#founder psychology#startup rejection#not right now#resilience#founder journey#entrepreneurship#accelerator rejection#founder motivation
Read More →Founder's Journal•March 23, 2026•Written by Ryan Persad
Our First Conversion in 1 Hour: How a Simple Webinar Turned Education Into Revenue
SaaS conversion story: after a long road, we converted within one hour of launching a webinar. Why product education beats feature lists, how visual demos increase conversion rate, and the automated webinar funnel we're using to scale.
#first conversion#webinar funnel#SaaS conversion rate#product education#visual learners#sales funnel#B2B SaaS#founder journey#startup growth#lead conversion
Read More →Lessons Learned•March 11, 2026•Written by Ryan Persad
Stage Mismatch on Sales Calls: Why Your Lead Calls Feel Messy (And the Funnel Fix That Works)
Stage mismatch on sales calls: lead was top-of-funnel curious, we sold like late-stage. How to fix your SaaS sales funnel and lead qualification so calls convert. Founder lesson.
#stage mismatch#stage mismatch sales#sales call#lead call#why sales calls feel messy#SaaS sales#SaaS sales funnel#lead qualification#top of funnel#bottom of funnel
Read More →Founder's Journal•February 21, 2026•Written by Ryan Persad
8 Inquiries, 1 Reply: The Email Deliverability Problem Killing Your Lead Conversion (And the Exact Fix)
Email deliverability fix: stop losing leads to spam. Domain warmup + VMC for BIMI, SPF DKIM DMARC. How to land in Gmail inbox and fix lead conversion. Founder guide.
#email deliverability#email spam#BIMI#VMC#Verified Mark Certificate#DMARC#SPF#DKIM#domain warmup#email warmup
Read More →Behind the Scenes•December 24, 2025•Written by Ryan Persad
Why I Applied to NAR REACH: My Experience With the National Association of Realtors Startup Accelerator
NAR REACH accelerator application experience: National Association of Realtors, Second Century Ventures. Proptech startup applying to REACH.
#NAR REACH#NAR REACH accelerator#National Association of Realtors#Second Century Ventures#SCV#real estate accelerator#proptech accelerator#startup accelerator#real estate technology#proptech
Read More →Lessons Learned•December 23, 2025•Written by Ryan Persad
I Hate to Admit It, But Jayson Myers Was Right: Why We Pivoted to Brokurz.com
Why we pivoted to Brokurz: white-label virtual brokerage software. Jayson Myers advice, InvestlerRealty to Brokurz. Real estate brokerage platform.
#pivot#startup pivot#business pivot#jayson myers#jayson myers synergy billing#jayson myers synergy#jayson myers founder#synergy billing founder#jayson myers synergy billing founder#synergy billing
Read More →Lessons Learned•December 23, 2025•Written by Ryan Persad
Advice Is Worth More Than Money: What I Learned From Jayson Myers Synergy Billing Founder
Jayson Myers Synergy Billing: why founder advice beats investment. What we learned from Jayson Myers. Startup wisdom over capital.
#advice#investor advice#founder advice#jayson myers#jayson myers synergy billing#jayson myers synergy#jayson myers founder#synergy billing founder#jayson myers synergy billing founder#synergy billing
Read More →Founder's Journal•December 21, 2025•Written by Ryan Persad
The Neurodivergent Founder: How ADHD Became My Superpower in Building Three Companies
ADHD founder: how neurodivergent entrepreneurship became my advantage. Hyperfocus, real estate, building three companies. Investler Solutions.
#neurodivergent founder#ADHD entrepreneur#ADHD founder#neurodivergent entrepreneur#ADHD superpower#ADHD and entrepreneurship#ADHD success story#neurodivergent business#ADHD hyperfocus#ADHD hyperfixation
Read More →Founder's Journal•December 20, 2025•Written by Ryan Persad
Building in Public: Why I Write for Anyone Who Wants to Listen
Building in public as a founder: who I write for, ADHD as superpower, real estate to three companies. Investler Solutions founder journal.
#founder journey#passion#building publicly#radical transparency#real estate passion#non-formal education#self-taught developer#startup founder#entrepreneurship#real estate technology
Read More →Founder's Journal•December 19, 2025•Written by Ryan Persad
Why We've Turned Away Dozens of Agents: The Hidden Cost of Scaling a Real Estate Brokerage
MLS and board fees blocking real estate brokerage growth in Florida. $2K-$6K per board, why we turned away agents. Scaling a virtual brokerage.
#real estate brokerage#MLS fees#board fees#Florida real estate#virtual brokerage#real estate growth#brokerage scaling#real estate barriers#proptech#real estate transparency
Read More →Behind the Scenes•December 2, 2025•Written by Ryan Persad
The $100 Bill Pitch: How We Got Jayson Myers' Attention and Asked for $1 Million
Jayson Myers Synergy Billing: $1M investor pitch at Fountainhead, Holly Hill FL. Jim Cameron intro, $100 bill pitch, Volusia County. Proptech founder story.
#investors#funding#jayson myers#jayson myers synergy#jayson myers synergy billing#jayson meyer#m jayson meyer#synergy billing#synergy billing llc#fountainhead
Read More →Transparency•December 1, 2025•Written by Ryan Persad
Why We Built The Regret List
Why we publicly share every rejection and accelerator application. The Regret List, radical transparency, and building regardless. Investler Solutions.
#transparency#rejection#startup journey#radical transparency#founder journey#startup transparency#rejection transparency#building regardless#regret list#accelerator rejection
Read More →