The social crypto startup Fomo successfully raised $75 million by strategically using the fear of missing out. Their press release highlighted strong investor participation and impressive user metrics, drawing parallels to mainstreaming tokenization efforts by major exchanges. The company’s meta approach to engineering FOMO, even with a small team, resulted in a significant valuation. The author, who coined the term FOMO, explains how founders can leverage this emotion in fundraising.FOMO stems from the interplay of greed, the allure of opportunity, and fear, the anxiety of being left out. To attract investors, founders should use compelling metrics and validation to spark greed. Then, to convert interest into investment, they must trigger fear of missing out through comparisons, urgency, and scarcity.Founders are advised to lead with the potential for immense returns, emphasizing market size and traction to encourage investors to mentally project significant profits. Social proof, such as endorsements from reputable investors, advisors, or partners, is crucial for making success seem inevitable and validating the startup's narrative.The "velvet rope" strategy involves creating a sense of exclusivity, signaling that not everyone will be accepted into the funding round. This shifts the dynamic, encouraging investors to actively pursue a stake rather than questioning their involvement. Founders should manage the process by highlighting urgency and scarcity.Ultimately, FOMO serves as a bridge to secure capital, not the destination itself. It is essential for founders to remain grounded in reality and avoid overpromising, as a loss of credibility can be irreparable. Sustained success requires building a substantive business that validates the initial FOMO-driven narrative.