Lamees Butt had her first business idea stolen by a VC at 19. She spent the next decade learning everything (corporate, startups, AI) waiting for her moment.
Now she’s the founder of Riser, the app rethinking how people find jobs - and she raised most of her pre-seed with no network, no warm intros, and no family money behind her.
We get into the real talk on female founders and VC funding, why your product is no longer your moat, and what it actually takes to build when the odds are stacked against you.
WE COVER
How she built her first company at 19 — and had the idea stolen by a VC
Why your product is no longer your moat — and what is
How she raised 80% of her pre-seed through personal brand alone
The truth about VC funding for women — is it actually changing?
How to find your founding team when you're starting from zero
Why hustle culture is killing your best ideas
CHAPTERS
1:06 – Intro + welcome
2:30 – What she knows now that she wishes she'd known earlier
9:00 – Growing up in East London and building her first company at 19
16:10 – Getting her idea stolen — and what happened next
22:00 – From receptionist to Mercedes-Benz head office
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