Stephanie Curcio from NLPatent

Raising Capital

Stephanie Curcio shares the challenges she faced while raising venture capital for NLPatent, especially as a female founder in the AI space. She describes the difficulty of balancing personal and professional responsibilities, particularly after having a baby, and the self-doubt that arose during the process. Despite these hurdles, a turning point came when NLPatent gained significant attention at the Collision Pitch Competition, leading to increased interest from investors.

I started to question myself as a leader and started to question myself as whether I should be the person raising capital for the business.

--- Stephanie Curcio

This success eventually resulted in an oversubscribed funding round, providing the company with valuable resources and support 1.

   

Investor Selection

Choosing the right investors was crucial for NLPatent's growth and alignment with their vision. Stephanie emphasizes the importance of finding partners who truly understand and support their AI-first approach, as well as being capital-efficient to ensure sustainable growth. She notes that not all potential investors were a good fit, and the ability to select those who aligned with their goals was a significant advantage.

You kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince.

--- Stephanie Curcio

This strategic selection process allows NLPatent to maintain its focus on building a strong, efficient team and ensures that future fundraising efforts will be equally successful 2.