The Modern CFO Fundraising, AI, and Starting Smart in 2025, with Jeffrey Fidelman

In this episode of The Growth-Minded CFO, we sit down with Jeff Fidelman—Founder and Managing Partner at Fidelman & Co.—to talk about how startup fundraising has shifted, what VCs actually want to hear, and why today’s CFOs need more than spreadsheets to lead. Chapters 02:00 - Why Fidelman & Co. Was Born from a Market Gap 06:00 - Broken Incentives in Startup Fundraising 09:00 - How the Fundraising Game Changed Since 2021 13:00 - Why Founders Must Talk Like Operators 16:00 - The Role of Financial Models (and How to Build Them Right) 21:00 - Why Top-Down Models Alone Don’t Cut It 25:00 - AI: Useful Tool, Not Magic Bullet 29:00 - AI Use Case: Building an Internal CRM for $300 34:30 - Fundraising Tips for Finance Leaders 37:00 - CFOs as Process Owners During a Raise 38:00 - The Two Types of CFOs (and Why It Matters) 41:00 - Final Reflections on Strategic Thinking and Belief 📌 Key takeaways: Fundraising now takes 6–9 months—build relationships early VCs invest in operators, not just visions The best financial models are built with founders, not for them AI is best used to get hands-on, not to replace human thinking Strategic CFOs do more than books—they pitch, plan, and believe 📺 Subscribe for more episodes with founders, CFOs, and finance leaders. LINKS & RESOURCES • Try Upflow FRM (Financial Relationship Management) – get paid faster and keep customers happy: https://upflow.io • Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/embed/episod... 👉 LIKE this video if it helped you level-up your finance game. 👉 SUBSCRIBE for more real-talk with modern finance leaders. 👉 SHARE it with a CFO or operator who needs to hear this. The Growth-Minded CFO podcast aims to challenge the status-quo and explore how the best CFOs approach their work and lives. Hosts Lauren Pearl (Fractional CFO, 3-time Founder and Startup Finance Instructor at NYU) and Alex Louisy (FinTech CEO and Y Combinator graduate) speak with inspiring finance and business leaders who’ll share what great CFOs are doing to support high-performing organizations. This podcast is powered by Upflow - a Financial Relationship Management platform enabling faster payments, stronger customer relationships and efficient growth for your business. Join thousands of next-level finance leaders and go from chasing invoices to engaging customers. Find out more at ⁠⁠upflow.io For the full episode summary and key takeaways, visit: https://growthmindedcfo.com/podcast/j... 📬 Got a question or want to get in touch? Reach us at [email protected]