Friendraising: Angel Academy Conference Keynote by Cody Barbo

In this special recorded event episode, Neal Bloom sits down with Trust & Will co-founder and CEO Cody Barbo in front of a live audience at SDSU’s Angel Academy. It’s an honest, behind-the-scenes conversation on what it really takes to back founders at the earliest of stages especially when they are bouncing back from tragedy.

Cody and Neal reflect on startup missteps, co-founder breakups, raising from friends and angels, and how real trust (and real checks) get built over breakfast, not pitch decks. From being fired from his last venture to scaling Trust & Will to tens of millions in ARR, Cody shares a decade's worth of hard-won lessons with humor, humility, and insight.

Whether you're a first-time founder, active angel, or just startup-curious, this candid session is packed with real talk about how relationships, not just revenue, power great companies.

Key Topics Covered

• Cody’s path from SDSU student to three-time founder

• The co-founder breakup that led to Trust & Will

• Lessons from getting fired as a CEO

• Why Neal invested in Cody before a product even existed

• Raising from 26 angels with $10K–$40K checks

• What great investors do before they wire money

• The power of monthly updates and founder–investor trust

• Behind the scenes of Techstars, Series A/B, and scaling to tens of millions in ARR

• Advice for founders on protecting themselves and choosing aligned investors

• How angels can create value before, during, and after the check clears

Links & Resources

• Trust & Will

• Rising Tide Partners

• San Diego Angel Conference

Connect with Cody

• Cody Barbo on LinkedIn

Connect with Neal

• Neal Bloom on LinkedIn