Committed Capital
9 Capital Raising Mistakes that Will Cost You Millions
Avoid These Critical Errors We Discovered After $590MM+ in Capital Raises
We've helped sponsors raise capital, build trust, and scale portfolios—and we've identified the exact mistakes that kill deals and destroy investor relationships.
Why We Created This Mistakes Guide
Networking that goes nowhere. Cold emails that get ghosted. Investor decks that fall flat.
Most sponsors try to "find the deal" first and figure out the capital later.
But that's backwards — and costly.
After raising over $600MM and advising hundreds of sponsors, we’ve seen the same patterns repeat:❌ Deals that fall apart at the closing table
❌ Investors who never return for your next project
❌ Millions in capital that goes to other sponsors instead
This guide breaks down the 9 most damaging capital raising mistakes — organized by stage — and gives you the frameworks to avoid them before they cost you the deal.
Here's What You'll Learn
🟢 Getting in the Game: Beginner Mistakes
Mistake #1: The "Deal-First" Death Spiral
Why investors tune out when you lead with numbers instead of building trust first.
Mistake #2: The Content Trap
Why creating content for virality (instead of credibility or strategic networking) burns time, energy, and momentum.
Mistake #3: The "Any Money Will Do" Fallacy
Why chasing capital from misaligned sources leads to burnt relationships and unmet expectations on both sides.
🟡 Systems in Motion: Intermediate Mistakes
Mistake #4: Treating All Investors Identically
How one-size-fits-all communication strategies leave some investors overwhelmed while others feel underserved.
Mistake #5: Taking Current Investors for Granted
Why neglecting existing relationships costs you your most valuable source of repeat capital.
Mistake #6: The Problem-Hiding Reflex
How fear of appearing incompetent transforms manageable issues into investor-relations crises that can sink your reputation.
🔵 Operator Mode: Advanced Mistakes
Mistake #7: Overbuilding Your Team
Why premature team expansion creates dangerous financial pressure before your capital base can support it.
Mistake #8: The "Deal or No Deal" Pressure
Why overhead-driven deal decisions lead to compromised underwriting and damaged reputation.
Mistake #9: The Capital Diversification Deficit
Why depending on a single capital source creates vulnerability when market conditions shift.
The Three Stages of Capital Raising Success
Phase 1
🟢 Getting in the Game
You're in the early stages—maybe you haven't raised yet or have only helped on a deal or two. You're focused on building credibility without a track record, understanding how syndications actually work, and finding your path into your first capital raise or co-GP opportunity.
Phase 2
🟡 Systems in Motion
You've successfully raised capital for a few deals. You're past the "just getting started" phase, but not quite at scale. Your focus has shifted to building repeatable systems, showing up consistently across multiple channels, and strengthening investor trust before you expand further.
Phase 3
🔵 Operator Mode
You've raised for 6+ deals or completed at least one full cycle. Your challenges now involve retaining and growing your existing investor base, building internal infrastructure, standardizing communications at a higher level, and potentially exploring more sophisticated capital sources while maintaining your edge.
Meet the Founders
Andrew Davis
Raised $550MM+ in retail capital. As Founder of Equity Check, Andrew is known for his "Investor First" approach, guiding both sponsors and LPs with alignment, trust, and real results.
Taylor Cu
Raised $40MM+ for CRE investments. After stepping away from being active in the industry, Taylor now helps sponsors bridge the gap between deals and investors through storytelling, trust, and IR systems.
Want to Dive Deeper?
For sponsors serious about scaling their capital raising efforts, we offer:
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Everything in the newsletter — plus implementation support.
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Real-time experiments, operator-submitted playbooks, and capital stack deep dives
Strategic connections and advanced growth tactics
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You'll learn more about these resources after accessing the free guide.
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