The 60-second version
- Get your numbers and data room ready before the first meeting.
- Run a tight, time-boxed process.
- Understand every term, not just the valuation.
Fundraising is a full-time job layered on top of your actual job. The founders who raise well treat it like a sales process, with preparation, a pipeline and a deadline.
Before your first meeting, build a simple data room: your deck, a clean financial model, key metrics with definitions, your cap table and copies of important contracts. Investors move faster when they don't have to chase you for basics.
Know your story in one sentence: who you serve, the problem you solve and why now. Then back it with the three or four numbers that matter most for your stage, such as revenue growth, retention or a waitlist.
Run a focused process. Line up meetings within a few weeks of each other so interest builds and you can compare offers. Early rounds in California are often raised on a SAFE, a simple agreement for future equity first published by Y Combinator, while priced rounds come with a fuller term sheet.
Read every term, not just the headline valuation. Board seats, liquidation preferences, option pool size and investor rights shape your company for years. Have an experienced startup lawyer review the documents before you sign.
Your action list
General guidance only, not legal, tax or financial advice.