Kevin O'Leary pulls no punches when talking to first-time founders about capital raising. His take: don't count on a Series B. Treat your seed round or initial funding like it's the only money you'll ever get your hands on.

It's brutal advice, but here's why it matters—startups fail all the time. The capital markets can flip overnight. Investor sentiment shifts. What looks like a guaranteed second check today might evaporate when market conditions change. That's not pessimism; it's realism.

So if you're a founder closing your first round, here's the move: plan conservatively, extend runway, and build unit economics that work with what you have. Don't spend like more money is guaranteed. Because statistically, for many startups, it won't be.