Absolutely true. I'll add that THREE paragraphs start with "calling my VC friends", which factors in heavily on how "easy" it was to raise.
1. Become a professor in CS at Harvard. Achieve big career successes in prestigious technology companies. Build a network of SV founders and VCs.
2. Raise the f*king seed round.
Guessing both are big factors in how easy it is to raise funds as a first time founder.