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Written By: Marc Halpin 

I ordered pancakes. It never seemed to matter what I ordered; I hardly ate anything when I was pitching investors over breakfast. 

It was late 2010 and Jeff was one of the most well-known and well-respected angel investors in Chicago. He was knowledgeable and engaging; I liked him instantly.  

We had a two-hour breakfast that day and Jeff did not pull any punches. I asked him at one point, “Is this a tough time to raise venture capital?” I learned this was a bad question! 

Jeff went on to explain to me (in no uncertain terms) that it didn’t matter whether it was a good time or a bad time, as far as I was concerned it was a GREAT time to raise venture capital. Why? Because that’s when I needed it. We talked about attitude, mindset and confidence. 

Jeff invested in my company 60 days later, but the attitude lesson he taught me over eggs was way more valuable than the cash he invested. 

Fast forward to 2020 and I think we can all agree the world is a little crazy right now. As I help great founders raise venture capital, the question I get asked more than any other is the exact question I asked Jeff 10 years ago. 

Now you know what Jeff would tell you… but it’s not all about attitude, right? The facts do matter.  

So, let’s talk facts… 

When I met Jeff back in 2010 across 365 days, $27B was deployed in venture capital across the USA. Pretty strong, right? 

The numbers just came out for Q3 2020. Over just 90 days, $37B was deployed. That’s right: $37Bn in 90 days! Q3 2020 just became the second highest quarter of deployment in venture capital history.  

As Jeff probably said over eggs today, “This is a GREAT time to raise venture capital.” 

Kerosene Ventures – Helping Great Founders Raise Capital