“We’re investing in the founder”: what that actually means (and why it matters even if you’re not fundraising)
Insights from Cristina Nuñez, Co-Founder & General Partner at True Beauty Ventures
After years of working closely with founders across every stage of the fundraising process, “we’re investing in the founder” still stands out as the most compelling—yet misunderstood—statement I hear founders try to work through.
When you can understand what that actually means, it becomes one of the most important leadership levers you’ll ever develop— whether you’re pitching investors or building a company that can scale without you.
It’s not just about backing a person over a product. It’s a way of assessing who has what it takes to lead through early chaos and scale what they’ve built. What investors are really evaluating isn’t just the business model itself, they’re betting on the founder. It’s the founder’s clarity, decisiveness, adaptability, and growth capacity that will ultimately make or break the startup’s next level of growth.
These aren’t just fundraising traits either, they’re leadership growth levers. Whether or not you're raising capital, these are critical leadership skills — founders either grow, or become their very own growth ceiling.
That’s why I asked Cristina Nuñez, Co-Founder and General Partner at True Beauty Ventures, to share what she looks for when evaluating a founder’s long-term potential. Even if you’re not currently fundraising, her responses are a must-read.
Following her responses is a practical playbook using her insight: five traits every founder should strengthen, pitch deck or not. Let’s dive in!!
What signals that a founder can navigate ambiguity and complexity—even without a full team or traction yet?
“For me, it comes down to clarity of thought and grounded conviction. Founders who can distill a big, messy landscape into a clear “why now” and “why me” signal that they can stay steady in the face of uncertainty. I also look for resourcefulness. How have they solved scrappy challenges so far, and what decisions have they already made with limited, imperfect information?”
How do you spot both vision and execution in a pitch?
“Vision shows up in how expansive and consumer-centric the founder’s thinking is: Do they understand where the market is going, not just where it is today? Execution comes through in the details: What they’ve done with limited capital, how they talk about margin, how well they know their numbers, or how they’ve already tested and iterated. When a founder is both big-picture and detail-obsessed, that’s magic.”
What signals that a founder can make thoughtful decisions without stalling?
“I look for decisiveness paired with curiosity. The best founders don’t need every data point to make a call (it’s impossible to do that anyways!). They gather input, pressure test assumptions, and move forward. I also pay attention to how they respond when challenged. Do they get defensive, or do they engage? That willingness to consider feedback without getting paralyzed is a strong signal of long-term leadership.”
What founder traits have you seen consistently lead to scale?
“Self-awareness, resilience, and a relentless ability to prioritize. The last one being so critically important when everything in the business feels like a priority. It’s important to note that at scale, the founder’s job changes dramatically. What worked at launch may not serve them later. The ones who grow with their business are clear on their strengths, hire to fill gaps, and stay focused on what really moves the needle. And they don’t crumble when things get hard. They get scrappy, ask for help, and keep going.”
What’s something underrated or overlooked in early conversations that, in your experience, ends up mattering a lot later on?
“How well a founder listens. It’s easy to focus on how they pitch, but how they receive feedback tells you so much. Do they take notes? Do they follow up with thoughtful questions? Do they share updates with progress made? Founders who listen well tend to lead well. They attract strong teams, evolve quickly, and build better businesses because they’re not building in a vacuum.”
The Founder Playbook: 5 Traits That Signal You’re Ready to Scale
1. Clarity in Ambiguity
🧠 Cristina’s Insight:
“Clarity of thought and grounded conviction… Founders who can distill a big, messy landscape into a clear ‘why now’ and ‘why me’ signal that they can stay steady in the face of uncertainty.”
🔍 What to look for:
Can you name what matters most—without overexplaining or needing every answer? Have you already made smart, scrappy decisions with limited resources?
💬 Why it matters:
Founders don’t wait for certainty, they create clarity— and that’s what builds trust, both with teams and investors.
2. Vision Meets Execution
🧠 Cristina’s Insight:
“Vision shows up in how expansive and consumer-centric the founder’s thinking is… Execution comes through in the details.”
🔍 What to look for:
Can you stretch into the future and explain the numbers that got you here? Do your actions show discipline, even in early chaos?
💬 Why it matters:
Big-picture thinking is magnetic—but your ability to execute on it is what sets you apart.
3. Decisiveness Without Defensiveness
🧠 Cristina’s Insight:
“The best founders don’t need every data point to make a call… I also pay attention to how they respond when challenged.”
🔍 What to look for:
Do you seek feedback and move forward, or get stuck trying to prove you’re right? Can you handle tension without taking it personally?
💬 Why it matters:
The founders who scale aren’t always the loudest in the room. They’re the ones who listen, take feedback as a gift, adapt, and keep momentum alive.
4. Prioritization at Scale
🧠 Cristina’s Insight:
“What worked at launch may not serve them later… The ones who grow with their business are clear on their strengths, hire to fill gaps, and stay focused on what really moves the needle.”
🔍 What to look for:
Are you holding on to what feels familiar—or leading like the next version of your company requires?
💬 Why it matters:
What got you here won’t get you there. Your growth ceiling isn’t the market—it’s your ability to evolve. Prioritization is what keeps you scaling, not spiraling.
5. Listening as a Leadership Skill
🧠 Cristina’s Insight:
“Founders who listen well tend to lead well… They’re not building in a vacuum.”
🔍 What to look for:
Do you take notes, follow up, and implement what you learn? Or do you only listen when you’re stuck?
💬 Why it matters:
Listening isn’t passive—it’s a strategic advantage that requires action. The best founders integrate what they hear to build faster, smarter, and stronger.
Cristina’s lens reminds us that the traits we admire in great founders—clarity, decisiveness, adaptability—aren’t just nice-to-haves. They’re critical growth indicators. Whether you’re raising capital or building a team that can run without you, these are the skills that create momentum.
I’ll be sharing more tools in the coming weeks to help founders identify, track, and build these traits inside their own companies. You don’t have to guess if you’re ready to scale—you can build toward it.