John Kim, former chief development officer at General Catalyst and author of The Tao of Fundraising, joins us to explain the psychology, strategy, and human dynamics behind raising capital. John argues that money moves at the speed of trust—and that the best fundraisers understand how to increase desire, reduce fear, simplify their story, and build genuine conviction. He shares the three laws of fundraising, explains how General Catalyst built consensus across its investor base, and breaks down why logic alone rarely persuades someone to say yes. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 4:07 Starting a Fundraise 10:40 How General Catalyst Built Consensus 16:56 The Three Laws of Fundraising 27:01 The Psychology of Every Sales Meeting 36:49 The Secretary of State Model 46:12 The Inner Game of Fundraising Presented by Ramp: https://ramp.com/invest Sponsored by Vanta, WorkOS, Rogo, and Ridgeline: https://www.vanta.com/invest https://workos.com/ https://rogo.ai/invest https://www.ridgelineapps.com/ ****** Patrick O'Shaughnessy is the CEO of Positive Sum. All opinions expressed by Patrick and podcast guests are solely their own and do not reflect the opinion of Positive Sum. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions. Clients of Positive Sum may maintain positions in the securities discussed in this podcast. To learn more, visit psum.vc