"In the beginning, you don't want to waste your time trying to raise money of any kind from investors that are not inherently, organically interested in either you or your industry vertical. You are not going to convert those people to you. You want to go out and find the people that are already excited either about you or about the problem space that you're in. It's like starting with a warm audience." ~ Melissa Withers, Managing Partner, RevUp Capital

Melissa Withers is an experienced fund manager and business builder who has overseen investments in over 100 companies.

She is currently a Founding Partner of RevUp Capital, a fund focused on B2B and B2C companies moving fast up a revenue-fueled growth curve.

She’s a mentor in residence at TechStars Boston and she’s a strong advocate for closing the diversity gap in early stage investing. Hooray!

Melissa's career began at Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at MIT, where she worked at the intersection of basic research, communications and public policy.

She was also co-founder and executive director of the Business Innovation Factory, an organization dedicated to the design and testing of new business models.

I had my first Melissa Withers experience several years ago when she was a featured speaker at a Startup Grind Boston Firechat… I ate up every delicious morsel she served, and I’ve been a devoted fan ever since.

Melissa has a unique ability to quickly cut through the startup BS and get down to the nitty gritty details of what’s really going on for a business.

I love her fierce advocacy for startup founders everywhere… and she is a pioneer role model for women in tech and for female funders.

Melissa shares candid stories from her early days as a woman in technology, advice for customer discovery, raising capital, and much more insights for the startup founder.

Please connect with Melissa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwithers/ and Twitter: https://twitter.com/MizWithers, and hop onto RevUp Capital to learn more about this innovative funding resource: https://www.revupfund.com/.

Are you ready for startup mentoring or some delicious DIY advice for your new business? Then please visit my website, http://andelyons.com where you’ll find all the ways I can add value to your startup journey: strategy calls, pitch deck and one page business snapshot coaching, WBENC application support for women business owners - I’d be honored to mentor you through whatever you’re going through – so please don’t hesitate to reach out.

If you’d like to receive an alert whenever I post a new episode, please follow me on Spreaker, Stitcher, iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts… and let’s connect on social media!

Listeners - thank you so much for tuning in - I am genuinely grateful for your time and presence. Stay strong, stay focused – and please remember – you’ve got this – Cheers!

Ande ♥