Security robotics company Cobalt raised $13 million in a Series A round of financing this year, despite putting together a pitch deck the night before meeting with VCs. Cobalt's CEO Travis Deyle said the company wowed investors because it was able to deliver on two goals. Deyle set out to have a product on the market within the first year and land a paying customer before building anything. Raising venture capital for a startup is no cakewalk.