Anabela Correia: What Every Founder Needs to Know Before Raising Capital

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Raising capital is one of the most daunting and misunderstood parts of the founder journey-especially in the health tech space. In this episode of the #CriticalFewActions™ to Improve Your Business podcast, I speak with Anabela Correia, a health tech capital raising expert with deep experience guiding both investors and innovators.

This conversation is essential listening for any founder considering a capital raise. We explore the steps, the mindset, and the missteps that can make or break your growth journey.

What You’ll Learn:

= How to Validate Your Market: Why it’s the starting point for any serious investor conversation.

= Avoidable Mistakes Founders Make: Especially around timing, valuation, and investor readiness.

= Team Dynamics Matter: Why who you bring to the table is as critical as what you're selling.

= Valuation Strategy: How to strike the right balance between ambition and realism.

= Governance and Execution: What happens after the money lands in your account, and how to avoid post-funding drift.

Highlights:

00:00 – Anabela’s Health Tech journey

03:23 – What investors look for in health tech

07:16 – How to approach a capital raise

09:10 – Validating your market early

12:47 – Commercialisation hurdles

14:40 – Knowing your customer

18:57 – Valuation and funding rounds

23:32 – Founder roles and team structure

29:03 – Moving from innovation to market

30:15 – Challenges of the founder path

33:35 – Top capital raising pitfalls

35:36 – Valuation and investor expectations

43:26 – Life after funding: execution

45:45 – Governance done right

51:19 – Supporting founders to thrive

57:16 – Resources founders should know

59:21 – #CriticalFewActions™ you should take now

Where to Take Action?

% Revisit your market validation strategy. Are you genuinely solving a pain point?

% Review your team composition. Can you show investors you’ve got the right mix?

% Start early. Build investor relationships long before your raise.

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Episode Sponsor:

The CEO Masterclass in Strategic Planning & Implementation – helping founders and CEOs of mid-sized businesses turn ambition into action. https://www.criticalfewactions.com.au/ceo-masterclass/

Final Thought:

Anabela’s insights serve as a reminder: capital doesn’t solve your business problems; it amplifies whatever’s already working or broken. Get your foundations right before you hit “raise.”

#criticalfewactions #CEOMasterclass #startupfunding #HealthTech #CapitalRaising #FounderAdvice #ScaleUp #StrategyExecution #Governance #BusinessGrowth #Valuation #MarketValidation