You’ve built an early product, landed a few lighthouse customers, and now need capital plus hands-on go-to-market help. Most angels wire small checks and vanish. VCs want signals you don’t yet have. 🥵 Enter Daniel Gulati, the former founder and ViacomCBS exec now running solo-GP fund Treble Capital. He brings a rare combo of operator credibility, GTM playbooks, and 91 early-stage investments (3 unicorns). For pre-seed and seed B2B SaaS, Future of Work, or marketplace teams, Gulati can be the difference between spray-and-pray chaos and a repeatable sales engine.
Who Is Daniel Gulati and Why Founders Listen
Before you pitch, it helps to know who’s on the other side of the table. Daniel Gulati isn’t just writing checks—he’s lived the operator grind. From building and exiting his own startup to negotiating nine-figure media deals, his track record tells founders: I’ve been there. Let’s dive into why his resume carries serious weight in early-stage rooms.
• 💼 Built and exited fashion e-commerce startup Fashionara as CEO.
• 💼 Ran Corporate Strategy & Biz Dev at ViacomCBS, negotiating nine-figure deals.
• 🦄 Angel-invested in Airtable, Boom Supersonic, and mParticle—now all unicorns.
• 💸 Solo GP of Treble Capital, averaging 5-10 deals/year with $25k-$100k checks.
• 📚 Author & HBR contributor, translating complex strategy into founder-friendly language.
One-line positioning: Daniel Gulati is the operator-angel who turns early traction into scalable revenue.
Daniel Gulati’s Thesis — “Software With Purpose, Sold Like a Pro”
Every angel has a lens. Gulati’s is crystal-clear: software that solves meaningful problems and sells with precision. His investment filter is sharp, shaped by pattern recognition across 90+ early bets. Here’s how he defines a Treble-worthy startup.
In his own words, Gulati backs “ambitious founders building the next generation of software.” Here are the four core pillars guiding every Treble Capital deal:
- ☁️ B2B Workflows Go Cloud-Native – Vertical or horizontal SaaS unbundling bloated incumbents.
- 🔧 Future of Work Infra – Tools that empower distributed teams to move faster.
- 🔄 Marketplace Liquidity Hacks – Data-driven platforms that collapse buyer-seller friction.
- 🎯 Operator-Led Edge – Founders with deep domain scars and a crisp “why now.”
Takeaway: If your product reshapes how professionals work—and you can prove early usage—you’re speaking Gulati’s language.
Angel Deal Terms at a Glance — Daniel Gulati’s Sweet Spot
Wondering where you fit in Gulati’s funnel? This cheat sheet maps the check sizes, sectors, and stages where he moves fast. If you match this profile, your chances of getting a “yes” skyrocket. Time to find out if you’re in the zone.
Below is the cheat sheet you’ll want open while drafting your SAFE. 📜
| Stage | Typical Check | Sectors (Top 3) | Geography Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-Seed | $25k-$75k | B2B SaaS | North America |
| Seed | $75k-$100k | Future of Work | NYC, SF, major hubs |
| Select A | Pro-rata only | Marketplaces | Opportunistic |
Takeaway: If you’re pre-Series A, North-America-based, and SaaS-heavy, Gulati can slide onto the cap table fast.
What Daniel Gulati Looks For (Beyond the Hype)
Founders often obsess over vision—but Gulati zeroes in on execution. He’s looking for founders with scars, speed, and signal-rich traction. If your pitch nails these traits, you’re speaking his language. Here’s what turns his curiosity into conviction.
• 🎯 Pitch Precision – 10-15 slide deck; every metric defended.
• 🎓 Domain Expertise – Founders who’ve lived the problem for years.
• ⚡ Execution Velocity – Evidence of weekly product or revenue sprints.
• 💡 Purpose-Driven Story – A “why” that rallies talent and customers.
• 📊 Data-First Mindset – Cohorts, CAC payback, or early NPS—even at MVP stage.
Inside Daniel Gulati’s Portfolio
Want proof he backs winners? These portfolio picks show the pattern: real workflow pain, early traction, and scalable ambition. From data infrastructure to async team tools, each startup checks a core thesis box. Let’s look at the bets that show Gulati’s eye for product-market fit.
Gulati’s cap-table fingerprints span 91 companies. Here’s a snapshot of five that illustrate pattern fit:
| Company | Sector | Round Joined | Why It Fits Gulati’s Thesis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airtable | B2B SaaS | Seed | Reinvented spreadsheets → cloud-native workflows. |
| Boom Supersonic | Future of Work (Aero) | Seed | Ambitious mission + marketplace for faster travel talent/tools. |
| mParticle | B2B SaaS | Seed | Data infrastructure powering modern customer engagement. |
| Relay | FinTech SaaS | Seed | Helps SMBs manage cash; shows Gulati’s GTM support (board). |
| Cycle | Future of Work | Seed | Async stand-ups for distributed teams—exact thesis pillar #2. |
Takeaway: Winning a spot in Gulati’s portfolio signals your startup tackles real workflow pain with scale potential.
Cold Outreach Playbook: Stand Out in Daniel Gulati’s Inbox
Your subject line is make-or-break. Gulati gets flooded with pitches—but founders who lead with traction and specificity rise to the top. Here’s the exact structure that gets replies, not archive. Use it to make your outreach impossible to ignore.
Subject: “<3-Line Deck & $35k MRR: Building the HubSpot for Supply Chain”
Email bullets 📨
• 💥 1-sentence problem & why legacy tools fail.
• 📈 1-sentence solution with quantified traction (e.g., “$35k MRR, 15% WoW”).
• 🧠 1-sentence founder edge (ex-Flexport PM, MIT PhD).
• 📎 1 attachment link: 12-slide deck.
• 🙋♂️ Clear ask: “Seeking $750k SAFE @ $8M cap; Treble $75k anchor?”
Skip the fluff—Gulati reads numbers first and narrative second. 😉
Life After the Wire: What Founders Actually Get
So Gulati invests—then what? Unlike many angels, his involvement ramps up post-wire. From GTM war rooms to Series A prep, founders get tactical firepower. Here’s what you actually gain when Treble joins your cap table.
• 🗓️ GTM Sprint Calls – Tactical sessions on ICP, outbound messaging, and pricing.
• 🤝 Talent Intros – HBS, ViacomCBS, and Techstars networks opened for hires 1-20.
• 🏋️ Follow-On Prep – Mock data room reviews before Series A roadshows.
• 💺 Board/Observer Seat – Selective but engaged (e.g., Relay & Cycle boards).
Anecdote: Relay’s founders publicly credit Treble board meetings for “turning our sales engine from founder-led to a repeatable playbook in one quarter” (Relay press release, 2023).
Red Flags That Make Daniel Gulati Ghost Your Round
Gulati is responsive when there’s a match—but go off-script and you’ll hear crickets. He’s allergic to fluff, vague traction, and slow-moving teams. These red flags kill deals before they start. Here’s how to avoid getting ghosted.
Gulati answers fast when aligned, but silence follows these pitfalls:
• 🚫 Vanity Metrics Only – No user or revenue depth.
• 🛌 Cold Generic Email – “Dear Investor” shows zero homework.
• 💭 Fuzzy TAM Math – Slides that scream billion-dollar dreams without bottoms-up logic.
• 🐌 Slow Response Cycles – >48h delay in follow-ups equals execution concern.
• 🔀 Mission Drift – Founders chasing pivots every month.
• 📉 Weak Unit Economics – CAC:LTV unclear or negative.
Takeaway: Show focus, speed, and data—or expect radio silence.
Final Thoughts: Daniel Gulati as Your GTM Co-Pilot
Choosing an angel isn’t just about the wire—it’s about who’s in the trenches with you. Gulati brings the rare combo of founder empathy and GTM muscle. For execution-obsessed teams, he’s more than capital—he’s a sales engine co-pilot. Let’s recap why he might be your highest-leverage yes.😉
Fundraising is more than a wire; it’s choosing the small circle who will shape your company’s DNA. Daniel Gulati’s edge is his operator empathy: he’s fought through out-of-stock nightmares at Fashionara, structured nine-figure media deals at ViacomCBS, and scaled Airtable long before it became a household name.🔥
Pair that scar tissue with a $25k-$100k check size, 5-10 deals/year cadence, and commitment to hands-on GTM work, and you have a rare angel who cares about day-30 churn as much as Series B optics. If your deck is crisp, your metrics are honest, and your purpose is non-negotiable, dialing Gulati might be the highest-leverage hour of your fundraise.🎯
So tighten the slides, land a warm intro, and get ready for questions that cut straight to the heart of your business. With Daniel Gulati in your corner, the next sprint could turn pain into product-market joy. 🌟
