Post by Aurora Tech Award

Melanie Perkins pitched over 100 investors before anyone said yes. Today Canva is worth $42B, and the investors who passed still think about it. Swipe the carousel to see that her example is the pattern, but also a rule of thumb for any entrepreneur seeking to get their business funded: in case of rejection, move on. Because, as Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes said, 99% of success is refusing to take no for an answer, and this woman raised US$80 million for her fund Aruwa Capital Management. We collected 4 stories of women founders who heard "no" more times than they could count and raised millions anyway, plus a bonus story of inDrive's founder Arsen Tomsky, who flipped the script and rejected the investors himself. Here's what the numbers say: women founders get asked different questions, face higher bars, and collect more rejections than men pitching the same idea. And they still close rounds, build unicorns, and outperform. So if you're fundraising right now and the no's are piling up, swipe through. Then get back out there. Attention: we want to feature your story! Have you ever been rejected and this led you to get funded anyway? Reach out to share your journey — those who are more intriguing will be shared on Aurora's pages. Drop a short version in the comments and tag a founder who can relate!