He introduced his buyers to VCs instead of pitching them—then closed 20 deals in a row and a $20M Series A | Jonathan Awad, Co-Founder & CEO of Baselayer

Jonathan quit his job in early 2023 with no idea and no co-founder. Tim agreed to join only if he raised $3M. He lined up 75 investor meetings a month in advance. SVB crashed on day four and 40% of his meetings canceled. He closed the round anyway, then won 20 deals in a row, one of them a seven-figure deal with FIS. Baselayer just raised a $20M Series A.

In this episode, Jonathan breaks down the 20-minute reply rule he holds every employee to, why he asks buyers if they have ever wanted to be a founder and then introduces them to VCs, and what a 100-hour week actually looks like when your calendar shows 40 to 60 hours of meetings.

Why You Should Listen

• Why replying in two minutes lets you get away with saying almost nothing.
• How introducing 40 buyers to VCs turned into 40 customers.
• Why he pitched 15 banks at once so nobody had to go first.
• How to reach out to everyone you have ever met without it feeling cold.

Keywords startup podcast, startup podcast for founders, product market fit, finding pmf, Baselayer, Jonathan Awad, business identity verification, KYB, fraud consortium, fintech sales, enterprise sales, top of funnel, customer support, founder-led sales, seed fundraising, SVB collapse

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:03:46 20 Deals in a Row
• 00:06:39 The 20-Minute SLA
• 00:11:15 Banker, Founder, First-Time CEO
• 00:16:07 Quitting With No Idea
• 00:26:26 SVB Crashed in Week One
• 00:33:08 What a 100-Hour Week Looks Like
• 00:44:56 Introducing Buyers to VCs
• 00:53:21 Getting 15 Banks to Go First
• 00:59:29 Swag Selling and Post-It Notes