Maria Wang-Faulkner

AI Product Partnerships @stripe. Led Simone Health (acq by @MyHealthTeam). Prev @Google @Adobe @strategyand @hsfkramer.

[Henry Shi @henrythe9ths]

I got rejected by 144 investors before raising $150M for my $200M+ rev/year startup.

After 144 rejections, I started questioning our approach.

Were we solving the right problem?

What were we doing wrong?

Why weren’t investors seeing what we were seeing?

Were we the right team to build this?

We tried everything: different pitch angles, new deck structures, and reframing the problem.

Then came the 145th meeting, where we closed our first growth round.

That yes made everything worth it. But getting there took years of mistakes and hard work.

We went through a lot of trial and error just to figure out what resonates with investors.

We tried dozens of approaches to figure out what made investors engage.

Some landed, most didn't. But each iteration taught us something about what builds conviction versus what just sounds good on paper.

And once we cracked that code, our Series C closed faster than expected.

And today, I see so many founders in the exact same position I was in 10 years ago: grinding through rejections, questioning everything, and trying to figure out what works.

So today I want to give you the resource I wish I had back then:

Something that shows you exactly how to structure these conversations and navigate the entire process

(because the fundraising cycle can be a big distraction and take a toll on you as a founder).

So I've partnered with Notion's Startups Team to create the essential fundraising resource that helps you avoid the mistakes that cost me years.

Here's what you are getting:

• The actual decks I used to raise $150M for Super[.]com (Series B, C)

• 50 real examples from funded startups like Eleven Labs and Artisan AI

• A searchable database of 10,000+ investors - angels, VCs, and accelerators you can reach out to immediately (this alone would take months to build manually)

• An AI-powered fundraising agent built into Notion with step-by-step prompts (no separate ChatGPT needed)

Want access?

• Like and share this post

• Comment "FUNDRAISE"

• Follow me so I can DM you the link

I'll send it over ASAP.

P.S.: If you are serious about fundraising (now or in the future), you should grab it right away.

[Maria Wang-Faulkner @mwangfaulkner]

@henrythe9ths Fundraise

[Elpha @elpha]

"I recently ended my 3-year journey as a start-up founder, not with a whimper but a bang, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve made."

@mwangfaulkner shares how she implemented the decision to shut down her company in this Spotlight post. https://t.co/xZL90oPP5L

[Maria Wang-Faulkner @mwangfaulkner]

@gaganbiyani Thrilled to be part of this and launching a @MavenHQ cohort-based course in the fall.

As an instructor/coach, it's motivating to actually see my students have those 'a-ha' moments and to get to witness their transformation. It makes us accountable for their success.

[Maria Wang-Faulkner @mwangfaulkner]

@TonyW And what an incredible support base you and the @500GlobalVC team have been. Hats off to you!

[Maria Wang-Faulkner @mwangfaulkner]

Thrilled to share that my company, Simone Health, has been backed by @500GlobalVC and has joined the latest batch of its SF Flagship Accelerator (<1% acceptance rate).

#funding #womenshealth #femalefounder #500FlagshipAccelerator

[500 Global @500GlobalVC]

PCOS is a chronic, incurable condition impacting 1 in 5 women, & increases diabetes & infertility risk. #SimoneHealth is a psychology-based digital therapeutic & monitoring platform making evidence-based PCOS care inclusive for all. https://t.co/ovWgpohtV3 #500FlagshipAccelerator

[Maria Wang-Faulkner @mwangfaulkner]

We're in healthtech and have a #yc interview coming up. Anyone want to take us for a mock interview? Would love to jump on a 10 min call.

[Maria Wang-Faulkner @mwangfaulkner]

@hello_edo Would love to take you up on this!

[Maria Wang-Faulkner @mwangfaulkner]

@iamkushtaneja Have S21 interview. Still offering mock interviews?

[Ashley @ashley_quan]

.@AOC's answer to "what does defund the police look like?" was "a suburb" and that is totally gonna be my answer from now on

[Maria Wang-Faulkner @mwangfaulkner]

I/O 2019 Keynote just kicked off #io19

[Maria Wang-Faulkner @mwangfaulkner]

Swift, concrete action delivered with conviction and compassion. This is the kind of leadership every country needs. #JacindaArdern https://t.co/I3SCOkkxv9

[Maria Wang-Faulkner @mwangfaulkner]

Really pleased to see this kind of foresight and interdisciplinary collaboration by @Stanford to nurture AI for good.

[Stanford HAI @StanfordHAI]

Today, we're setting out to fundamentally change the field of AI by integrating a wide range of disciplines and prioritizing true diversity of thought. Co-Directors @drfeifei and John Etchemendy share the story of #StanfordHumanAI in their own words: https://t.co/x7Cc3KOaAN

[Adam Grant @AdamMGrant]

The mark of a lifelong learner is recognizing that you can learn something from everyone you meet.

Knowledge is best sought from experts. Wisdom can come from anywhere.

#SaturdayThoughts

[Maria Wang-Faulkner @mwangfaulkner]

I changed my handle to my married name. Please direct future mentions/DMs to this handle. @mariaywang is a reminder page now.

[Yext @yext]

Why #voice interfaces? With language, the opportunities are unlimited — you aren’t limited to the buttons already on a smartphone, says @mariaywang. #ONWARD18

[Maria Wang-Faulkner @mwangfaulkner]

Altman called it last year. Way to turn an error into an opportunity. #startupschool https://t.co/YKGhNiS01j

[Maria Wang-Faulkner @mwangfaulkner]

Go @nyuniversity! https://t.co/ddcfRjUFB2

[Hillary Clinton @HillaryClinton]

Mourning the loss today of @ArethaFranklin who shared her spirit and talent with the world. She deserves not only our RESPECT but also our lasting gratitude for opening our eyes, ears and hearts. Rest in eternal peace, my friend.

[veronika harbick @helloitsnikka]

Kicking off #ycffc with @GetTacklebox crew. 7 companies from Tacklebox represented!! 💪🏻👯‍♀️🤗