Kelly Lyons

👋 I’m Kelly, founder of Lyonshare and co-founder of @tradingtv. I specialize in early-stage business building + fundraising prep for startups and VCs. I’ve helped build companies that have raised $6B+ capital from @RRE, @Lightspeed, @Greycroft, @USV, etc. my background—>

🎓Lyonshare client Knack has closed their their Series B and announced Megan Dusenbery as CEO! Congratulations to the team– we're excited about the company's next chapter. #Entrepreneurship #Startups #VentureCapital #fundraising prnewswire.com/news-releases/…

🍷 It was nice to gather an intimate group of VC women at my home last night for our quarterly Women in Venture Wine Night. We loved discussing the state of the fundraising environment, and also talking about NOT work for a minute. If you'd like to join next time, message me!

This week, I led an Investor Positioning Workshop for Hedge Fund Managers. Our tactical guidance was provided to help fund managers uplevel their pitches and professionalism, informed by Lyonshare's investor positioning work honed over fifteen years. #Fundraising #HedgeFunds

🍲 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗹 One of our startup clients worked with Lyonshare to build a clean and complete data room. Within a month, they had a term sheet. It’s great to see the impact we bring to founders! #Entrepreneurship #Startups #Fundraising

AI is changing how startups raise money. AI agents allow company founders to replace early hires in design and product, so founders can get further with less, challenging the VC model of taking 10–20% ownership early. #Entrepreneurship #Startups #VentureCapital #Fundraising

🔥 𝗛𝗼𝘁 𝗢𝗳𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀s Lyonshare worked with an emerging coffee brand to showcase the product’s cultural authenticity, communicate a differentiated origin story and demonstrate billion-dollar new category creation. #Entrepreneur #Startups #VentureCapital #Fundraising

🗞️ 𝗛𝗼𝘁 𝗢𝗳𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 Lyonshare worked with this early-stage VC fund to shape a cohesive story around their GTM-centric value-add and early indications of portfolio success. #Entrepreneurship #Startup #VentureCapital #Fundraising

🗞️ 𝗛𝗼𝘁 𝗢𝗳𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗔 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 Lyonshare helped a wealth tech startup highlight their G2M strategy, differentiated tech, and “why now?” narrative to drive investor interest. #Entrepreneurship #Startups #VentureCapital #Fundraising

(6/6): Raising from U.S. VCs is about momentum. Show them you’re not just visiting their market—you’re building to win in it. #Entrepreneurship #Startups #VentureCapital #Fundraising

(5/6): 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆. Foreign founders often struggle to explain what they do simply and clearly– if this sounds like you, seek outside support.

(4/6): 𝗔 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵. Strong IP, viral growth, or clear product-market fit—if you have it, geography matters less.

(3/6): 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗨𝗦 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱. Whether it’s revenue, early customers or even pilots, real traction in the U.S. gives investors a reason to pay attention.

(1/6): 🌎 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗨.𝗦. 𝗩𝗖𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 U.S. venture is unique, with big checks, a fast pace, and high expectations. When you have these things, you’ll know you’re ready:

(2/6): 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻. American investors want billion-dollar potential. If your company sounds like a regional win, it won’t land.

(6/6): A great pitch deck makes three things obvious: “why now,” “why you,” and “why this market.” #Entrepreneurship #Startups #VentureCapital #Fundraising

(5/6): 𝗖𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗳𝗳. Animations, buzzwords, lengthy bios—none of that gets you funded.

(1/6): ⚙️ 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗣𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 Your deck’s job is simple: get the meeting. If you want to stand out in a crowded playing field, here’s what matters: