A Startup’s Money Person
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
When people think about startup success stories, they usually picture the charismatic CEO or the brilliant founder.
But behind many of those headlines, there oftentimes is another name. Sometimes this person is an unsung hero. But they fill a critical role for every startup.
I’m talking about the “money person.”
This could be the cofounder, adviser or capital expert who makes sure the startup never runs out of fuel.
AKA — Money!
These are the people building the financial strategy, talking to investors, managing burn and lining up for the next round of capital before the bank account hits zero.
And whether you realize it or not, you’ve seen this story play out before …
Everyone knows Mark Zuckerberg. But it was Eduardo Saverin — Facebook’s original CFO — who helped land Peter Thiel’s first $500,000 check.
That funding gave Facebook the runway to scale before monetizing.
In college, cofounder Dylan Smith used poker winnings to seed the business file sharing startup, Box. Later, he was the one cold-emailing Mark Cuban to land the $350,000 check that launched the business.
Jack Ma had the vision for Alibaba. But it was Joseph Tsai — a former private equity lawyer — who structured deals, wrote the business plan and convinced SoftBank to invest $20 million.
That deal helped Alibaba survive the Dot-Com Bust and build a global empire.
Lastly, Peter Thiel (yes, again) wasn’t just a founder: He was the money person. As CEO, he raised over $200 million for PayPal and negotiated the $1.5 billion acquisition by eBay.
Without that capital strategy, PayPal wouldn’t exist.
So, why am I telling you this?
Because when I evaluate startups, I don’t just look at the ideas and products …
I evaluate the teams.
Specifically, I look to see whether the team has someone who owns the money game.
These “money people” are often the difference between a startup that fizzles … and one that becomes a major win.
Because no matter how brilliant the idea, if the money runs out, the mission ends.
So, I want to challenge you as a startup investor: Next time you see a deal, don’t just ask “Is the product cool?”
I want you to also ask: “Who’s their money person?”
That answer might just tell you more than the pitch deck ever could.
Happy hunting!
Chris Graebe