Age of the Cockroach CEO 🪳
The ones getting funded have this edge. Do you?
Dear Impact Star,
In times of uncertainty, we humans typically respond in three ways:
Rage against the machine.
Bury our heads in the sand.
Adapt » a.k.a. The Way of the Cockroach CEO (a compliment, not an insult).
Cockroaches fascinate me.
They will likely survive a mass extinction event — not because they’re the smartest creatures or the largest or the strongest — but because they are the most adaptable.
Right now, government funding is drying up faster than a puddle in the Sahara.
Federal grants, loans, and contracts for US companies and nonprofits? Slashed.
USAID money for international organizations? Unlikely or at least uncertain.
What’s next to be cut? Your guess is as good as mine.
The only thing that may not see the chopping block is regenerative agriculture.
Private funders still writing checks are hyper-selective - think "pick-a-Netflix-show-that-my-husband-will-also-like" level of choosy. They're not just looking for a great pitch. They're looking for a captain—someone who can steer the ship through the storm without losing their mind (or their sense of humor).
They’re looking for Cockroach CEOs.
Because when markets collapse, industries shift, and capital gets scarce, the only question that matters is:
Can you survive and thrive?
Here's the beautiful irony: The worst times create the best leaders.
Right now, you're being handed a gift.
Not the one you wanted. But maybe the one you needed.
The gift of becoming an unstoppable cockroach who survives this funding winter.
The Cockroach CEO: Resilience Advantage
VCs talk a lot about unicorns. But in times like these, you don't want to be a unicorn. You want to be a cockroach.
Why? Because cockroaches never die.
They survive nuclear fallout. They outlast every extinction event. They adapt, adjust, and keep moving no matter what. And in a market like this, that's exactly the kind of CEO that gets funded.
Doesn’t matter if it’s a grant, loan or investment. Resilience is key.
How to Become Unkillable
I heard a story about Yale's Chief Investment Officer doing reference checks before selecting new fund managers by calling their college roommates. Before trusting someone with a slice of their multi billion dollar college endowment, they wanted to know:
How do they handle stress? (We covered this in a previous post)
Do they stay rational and make good decisions even when everything goes wrong?
Are they resourceful enough to find a window when all the doors close on them?
Expect that level of rigor moving forward and calibrate accordingly.
Money follows resilience in less-than-ideal circumstances.
The next wave of leaders won’t be the ones who had it easy.
They’ll be the ones who refused to die.
That’s why, if you can prove—right now—that you can adapt, lead, and survive? You won't just get funded. You'll attract the kind of partners that stick with you for the next decade.
The ones who looked at chaos and said, "Is that all you've got?"
Become the cockroach CEO.
Embodying this persona will serve you well after this funding winter is over.
What's your biggest challenge right now? Reply so I can address what you need most in the next issue of Find Funding Faster.
May the Force of the Cockroach be with you,
Neesha
P.S. One of my 7 Cheat Codes of Cockroach CEOs? Building an ecosystem of die-hards where everyone’s network effects compound, making the whole group stronger. Reply with “COCKROACH CEO SOCIETY” to collab on a peer group for CEOs who refuse to die.
P.P.S. Thanks to David Witzel for his edits.
Legal stuff: Not financial advice. Talk to your advisors before doing anything.
Sent from Raleigh, NC with ❤️ Share it with someone who needs it today. We are stronger together.
COCKROACH CEO SOCIETY