I opened this podcast conversation with an observation I hear from founders all the time about money and services from venture firms. Capital is table stakes, but what entrepreneurs want is a partner who can help them win.
Scott Sage, co-founder of Crane Venture Partners, did not hesitate. Platform isn’t a perk anymore. It’s a “have to have,” he said. Founders expect partners who understand their market, can coach early go-to-market and open the right first doors.
Designed for First Customers
Crane was designed around that promise.
The firm invests in seed-stage companies in data, AI, infrastructure and developer-facing software across Europe and the U.S. The companies they back share a common challenge: turning strong technical products into the first customers, first renewals and the first million in ARR.
Day one, Scott’s team works on positioning. Not a prettier deck. Positioning that frames the problem next to the tools buyers already use, so customers understand why this solution matters now. Most first-time founders want to lead with features. Customers, as Scott puts it, “just don’t care.” The job is to earn permission to advance the sale.
The Machete Phase
Scott’s metaphor for those early wins is vivid. The first handful of customers is a jungle. Progress looks like a person with a machete. It is founder-led, sweaty, repetitive and it does not scale.
That’s the point. Once you know the buyer, AI-assisted GTM tools can amplify a playbook you already trust. Teams will be leaner, and they will do more. But there is no skipping the machete phase.
If you are raising, Scott’s most practical advice is to treat your process like customer development. Qualify the firm. Ask about their last few investments, size and stage, how they met those founders, and request introductions. Do not overlook your first point of contact.
Make the Associate Your Ally
“Use the associate.” Done right, they become your internal champion, the person who preps you on what a partner wants to hear and how to navigate IC, Scott said in the podcast.
One more note that stuck with me from Episode 32 of The Venture Variety Show, even seasoned repeat founders are asking for hands-on GTM help. After years on the fundraising treadmill, they want a partner who will sit in the trenches on positioning, discovery and the first renewals. That is the product Crane believes it is building.
The through-line in this episode is simple. Great platform isn’t a menu of events and intros. It is the discipline to help a technical team tell a sharper story, earn early trust, and sell a real problem to a real buyer. From there, the tools can scale what the team has already learned to do well.
If this podcast resonated with you, share it with a founder or investor who is navigating early GTM. Subscribe to get future conversations and other content in your inbox when they publish.
