Capturing the attention of investors, particularly in the venture capital community, may be harder than ever. Closing a funding round is even more challenging. So how can founders raise VC funding in the current environment? Reid Hoffman, Stacy Brown-Philpot, and Aileen Lee have a few suggestions.

Hoffman is the founder of LinkedIn and chairman of venture capital firm Village Global. Philpot is the former CEO of TaskRabbit and founder of Cherryrock Capital. And Lee is founder of seed investment firm Cowboy Ventures — and the person who coined the term “unicorn” for startups. The trio gathered recently at the 2025 Masters of Scale Summit to discuss the current funding environment and how companies can stand out when they’re trying to fundraise. READ MORE