Episode 125

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Published on:

5th Dec 2024

Ep. 125: Ray Tsao, CEO at Probitas Partners

Topics:

  • Hurdles for Emerging Managers
  • Role of Team Continuity in Fundraising
  • How to Time Global Outreach 

...and so much more.

Top Takeaways

  • Invert the problem to build a stronger story. Ray mentions Charlie Munger’s inversion technique as a powerful tool to reveal blind spots in your storytelling. It works by flipping the question you’re trying to solve: instead of asking, "How do I raise the fund?" ask, "What would make investors say no?" The answers might include unclear data, a strategy that’s not unique, or a lack of trust in the presenter.


  • Cultivate a growth-oriented mindset in your team. Ray and Jordan discuss how the dynamic nature of the equity market demands agility. For a team, this means always seeking new knowledge and being prepared to pivot with shifts in investor preferences, sector trends, and economic conditions. This adaptability can give emerging managers a competitive edge over established competitors.


  • Invest in preparation to make a strong first impression. As Ray points out, initial pitch meetings can often feel like cold business transactions, but charisma and persuasiveness help turn these interactions into real connections. Investors commit to ventures based on trust in the person presenting—not just the numbers.

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About the Podcast

Investors & Operators
A Podcast by 51 Labs
The M&A market can be boring, but everyone has a story. The Investors & Operators podcast is about discovering the stories people were holding back, didn’t know how to tell, or forgot about. The goal is simple: fresh, authentic storytelling to bring people together in the M&A community.

With over 1M organic views and counting on LinkedIn, 51 Labs is disrupting the M&A market through the use of videography and content creation. In a market that longs for authenticity, 51 Labs helps strengthen your brand and tell your story. From concept to distribution, we strategize and produce thoughtful content to be used across a multitude of channels, to help you stand out in an otherwise traditionally boring market.

New episodes every other Thursday at 6:00am Eastern.

About your host

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Jordan Selleck

Founder. Recovering Investment Banker. 3x Entrepreneur. Philz Coffee Enthusiast.

Jordan Selleck is a recovering investment banker turned 3x entrepreneur. While teaching English in China, Jordan met an investment banker in a bar and before he knew it he’d spent six years in cross-border investment banking advising global corporates and private equity firms on M&A deals up to $250 million.

As much as Jordan loved investment banking, he always knew he was meant to do something more. In 2016, Jordan founded Debtmaven, a deal management platform for debt financing in the lower middle market. It was while he was marketing Debtmaven on LinkedIn that Jordan found his true passion: building meaningful relationships in the lower middle market.

Seeing over 50% of Debtmaven’s $450million+ in deals come from LinkedIn, he realized he’d found an untapped market and began his journey with LinkedIn consulting. Dozens of clients and a handful of extraordinarily talented employees later, 51 Labs is a thriving marketing agency for the lower middle market that produces captivating content and generates organic traffic across LinkedIn.

Jordan was born in San Diego, grew up in North Carolina and attended UNC-Chapel Hill. He has traveled to 32 countries, lived in China for 18 months, trains Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, is a fourth-generation private pilot, SCUBA dives, speaks Mandarin Chinese, and is a husband and father of 2.