Episode
The New Growth Metrics That Matter Most to Investors
- Podcast
- The Tech Leader's Playbook
- Published
- Nov 27, 2025
- Duration seconds
- 3765
- Processing state
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Summary
For more thoughts, clips, and updates, follow Avetis Antaplyan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avetisantaplyan In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Melanie Nabar, Vice President at Volition Capital, to uncover what truly makes a company fundable—and what silently kills deals. With a background in growth-stage investing, Melanie brings sharp insight into founder dynamics, product-market fit, and the capital efficiency required to scale in today’s AI-driven market. They dive deep into the evolving expectations of Series A investors, the dangers of inflated valuations, and why product obsession without go-to-market focus can quietly drain a startup’s future. Melanie breaks down how founders should assess investor psychology, decode fund structures, and strategically use secondary offerings to de-risk personal financials without sacrificing long-term upside. This episode is packed with insights on revenue quality, building moats in the AI age, and how bootstrapped founders can shift their mindset to deploy capital more effectively. Whether you're preparing to raise capital or already navigating the growth phase, Melanie delivers actionable advice with clarity and candor. TakeawaysFounders often focus too much on historical data when investors are more interested in future growth and market potential.Series A investors prioritize product-market fit, retention, and scalable go-to-market motion—not just ARR.High valuations without the fundamentals to back them can kill deals and erode trust.Revenue quality (repeatability, margin, and retention) plays a bigger role in valuation than founders often realize.Many founders burn too much capital on product without clear customer validation or ROI.Bootstrapped companies often hesit…