🧠 Founders, Play Your Own Game

💥 "Raising capital is like a favor from the mafia—once you shake hands, you’re in the game."

That’s one of the many sharp insights from my recent conversation with Brice Scheschuk.

Brice has seen it all: founder, operator, investor, LP in 50+ funds, direct investor in 130+ startups. And now? He’s sounding the alarm—and offering a playbook.

🔑 His message is simple but radical: most startups shouldn’t raise venture capital.
Not because VC is bad—but because it’s misapplied. It's the wrong tool for the wrong business at the wrong time.

In our interview, we dig into:

• Why VC is often a poor fit for 99% of companies
• The irreversible consequences of raising too early
• How to reverse-engineer success from humility and focus
• Why lean, quiet growth might be the most Canadian—and most effective—strategy of all

We also talk about founder resilience, mindset training, and the mental toll of conventional wisdom.

You can find Brice's presentation of "Founders, Play Your Own Game" here

🧠 TL;DR: More capital ≠ better outcomes. More control, more clarity, and more self-awareness often do.

👇 Read the full newsletter here and let me know:
 What’s your version of “playing your own game”?

#startups #venturecapital #founders #entrepreneurship #valuecreation #resilience #capitalstrategy #canadianinnovation #foundermindset

Peggy Van de Plassche is a value creation strategist and senior advisor with over 20 years of experience in private equity, financial services, healthcare, and technology. She works with investment firms, boards, and C-suite leaders to accelerate portfolio company performance, drive operational transformation, and unlock long-term value. Peggy specializes in the execution of complex value creation plans—spanning capital allocation, digital enablement, transaction advisory, and leadership alignment. Her work consistently bridges strategy and implementation, helping investors and operators maximize EBITDA and enterprise value. A founding board member of Invest in Canada, she also brings deep expertise in public-private partnerships and institutional capital deployment—critical levers for competitive advantage in today’s global landscape. Her clients have included BMO, CI Financial, HOOPP, OMERS, GreenShield Canada, Nicola Wealth, and Power Financial. Learn more at peggyvandeplassche.com.

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