The Dealmaker’s Secrets: Steve McLaughlin on Crafting a Fundraising Story Worth $33B, CEO of FT Partners

In this conversation, Sasha Orloff sits down with Steve McLaughlin, CEO and Managing Partner of FT Partners. Steve provides an insider’s look into the high-stakes world of capital raising and dealmaking for high-growth private companies.

From being Goldman Sachs’ Former Head of Fintech to founding FT Partners, a global fintech investment firm, McLaughlin shares his strategies for crafting compelling narratives that unlock massive fundraising rounds - like the $33 billion valuation for Revolut and a $100 million plus raise for Sam Altman’s Worldcoin. They dive deep into storytelling, the importance of product over marketing spend, founder red flags, and much more.

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⏲️ Timestamps:

(00:00:00) The art of storytelling in high-growth company valuations

(00:01:31) A capital whisperer's journey

(00:02:26) Inside FTPartners: Shaping the fintech universe

(00:04:33) The intricacies of capital raising and M&A

(00:07:39) Crafting the perfect capital raise story

(00:14:13) The complex world of investor networks

(00:16:41) Maximizing value beyond valuation

(00:19:05) A deep dive into successful storytelling and strategic selling

(00:22:57) The philosophy of business growth and valuation

(00:23:33) Understanding the founder's journey and ambitions

(00:24:32) The role of investment bankers in raising capital

(00:25:46) The importance of choosing the right banker

(00:28:17) Revolut's success story: A case study

(00:36:07) Strategic advice on growth vs. profitability

(00:39:01) Reflecting on capital-raising experiences and red flags

(00:41:06) The evolution of FT Partners

(00:46:12) Closing thoughts and acknowledgments

Subscribe to this season of Turpentine Finance, where our guests speak candidly about big business inflections, market curveballs, and how they approach decision-making to tease out tactics and mental models you can use when the pressure is on.

You’ll hear stories from Instacart, Mercury, OpenAI, Andreessen Horowitz, Netflix, Runway, and more. Topics frequently touched upon M&A, Market Downturn, Macro, PMF, Fundraising, Financial Forecasting, Headcount, Equity.

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Turpentine Finance is a part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co

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