Most founders spend countless hours thinking about fundraising, product, and growth. But according to Sebastian, they're overlooking the one skill that makes all three possible: sales.

In this episode of Sound of Startups, Taj sits down with Sebastian Ferraz, Chief Revenue Officer at Watchdog and Founding Partner at Atlas Accelerator, to explore how sales became the foundation of every company he has built, from startup validation to enterprise growth.

The conversation goes beyond closing deals. Sebastian shares why customer validation should come before fundraising, how traction creates investor confidence, what founders consistently get wrong about sales, and why building trust is one of the strongest competitive advantages a startup can have.

Whether you're launching your first company, raising capital, or trying to find product market fit, this episode offers practical lessons on building startups that customers actually want.

In this episode:

• Why sales is one of the most underestimated founder skills

• Customer validation before fundraising

• Building traction that attracts investors

• Common fundraising mistakes founders make

• The role of trust and relationships in sales

• How to improve as a founder selling your product

• Lessons from building and investing in multiple startups

If you enjoyed this conversation, subscribe for more discussions with founders, investors, and operators building the next generation of startups.

Hosted by Taj & Produced by Amplitude ventures AS.