How To Raise Capital When ALL The Odds Are Against You – With Tech Startup CEO Lindsay Padilla

Got a business idea, but don’t know how to raise the funds? Listen up. 🔥 Join our next Money Making challenge: Only 3% of venture capital goes to women—Lindsay Padilla got funded anyway. In this episode, Rachel Rodgers sits down with Lindsay Padilla, CEO of Hello Audio, to break down how she built a tech startup from scratch and raised capital in an industry that rarely bets on women – let alone women of colour. Lindsay shares the unfiltered truth about navigating the tech world as a first-time founder, and pushing forward when everything seems stacked against you. This is an inspiring, no-BS guide to building the business you believe in even when no one expects you to win. If you're dreaming big and ready to defy the odds, this one’s for you. 📚Order Rachel’s new book Future Millionaire: Follow Lindsay! Lindsay’s Instagram: @drlindsaypadilla Lindsay’s TikTok: @drlindsaypadilla Check out Hello Audio: Follow Rachel! Rachel’s Instagram: @rachrodgersesq Rachel’s Threads: @rachrodgersesq Hello Seven's TikTok: @hellosevenco 00:00 – Asking for money as a woman entrepreneur 01:02 – The shocking stats on women getting funded 01:26 – How Hello Audio got its first $100K 02:34 – From prototype to first subscribers 03:15 – Deciding whether to raise capital or bootstrap 04:00 – Mentorship from tech founders on raising 05:16 – Getting the first check: why it matters 06:12 – Raising capital vs. selling to customers 07:01 – Building an inclusive cap table 07:26 – Prepping for investor conversations without a pitch deck 07:52 – Growing up with financial instability 08:53 – Overcoming money trauma and shame 09:13 – The reframe: raising money as a gift 10:16 – Why investors want to be part of your vision 11:05 – Rachel’s first startup investment experience 11:51 – What makes a great investor–CEO relationship 12:28 – Why founder diversity is critical to innovation 13:03 – The risk of building tech without representation 13:50 – How Lindsay landed her first check with courage 14:38 – The power of community-funded startups 15:30 – Crafting your fundraising narrative 16:45 – Talking to your audience before building your product 17:52 – Building a business that doesn’t burn you out 18:57 – Moving from course creator to tech CEO 20:18 – What investors really want to hear 21:01 – Pitching with vision instead of pressure 21:52 – How to use your network to raise capital 22:57 – Making space for women in tech leadership 23:46 – Managing fear around other people’s money 24:48 – Getting comfortable with scaling and systems 25:41 – Investing in companies 🌐 Stay Connected Behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and updates. 📸 Instagram Rachel's corner of the Internet for hard-hitting articles and empowerment. 💌 Risky Women Substack Watch full conversations, highlights, and additional video content. 🎥 YouTube 🚀 Ready to Go Deeper? If you’re serious about taking what you’re learning on this podcast and turning it into real results , check out The Hello Seven Mastermind . Inside the Mastermind, you’ll get: ✨ Unlimited 1:1 coaching ✨ Three in-person retreats each year ✨ A powerful network of ambitious peers committed to growth 👉 Learn more and apply: Mastermind

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How To Raise Capital When ALL The Odds Are Against You – With Tech Startup CEO Lindsay Padilla is an episode from Hello Seven Podcast by Rachel Rodgers.

This episode is 29:41 long.

This episode was published on Aug 6, 2025.

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