Beginner fundraising
Angel Investor
An angel investor funds early-stage startups with personal capital for equity, typically before VCs participate. Many are former founders or operators.
#investors
20 results
Glossary
Intermediate fundraising
Bridge Round
A bridge round is a small financing to extend a startup's runway until a larger funding round or key milestone is reached.
Intermediate equity
Cap Table
A cap table tracks who owns what in a startup — founders, investors, and employees — and how ownership changes across funding rounds.
Intermediate fundraising
Down Round
A down round occurs when a startup raises capital at a lower valuation than its previous round, triggering dilution and anti-dilution.
Intermediate fundraising
Due Diligence
The structured investigation an investor conducts before closing a deal, covering financials, legal, product, team, and market validity.
Intermediate fundraising
Liquidation Preference
The right of preferred investors to be paid back before common shareholders in a liquidation or sale event, protecting downside.
Intermediate fundraising
Pre-Money and Post-Money Valuation
Pre-money valuation is a company's value before investment. Post-money adds the investment amount. Both determine investor ownership.
Beginner fundraising
Pre-Seed Round
A pre-seed round is the earliest startup funding stage, covering idea to prototype. Check sizes range from $100K to $1M from angels and micro-VCs.
Intermediate fundraising
Pro-Rata Rights
The right of an investor to participate in future funding rounds to maintain their ownership percentage in the company.
Beginner fundraising
Seed Round
A seed round is a startup's first institutional funding, used to validate the product, build the core team, and reach the traction needed for a Series A.
Intermediate fundraising
Term Sheet
A term sheet is a non-binding document outlining the key terms of a VC investment deal before formal legal agreements are drafted.
Guides
Intermediate fundraising
10 min How to Write a Cold Email to Investors
How to write a cold email to investors that actually gets a reply — anatomy of a great VC email, subject lines, templates, and what not to do.
Intermediate fundraising
12 min How to Manage Investor Relations as a Startup Founder
Build a systematic investor relations practice — from monthly update emails to board meetings — that keeps investors engaged and working for you.
Intermediate fundraising
16 min How to Raise a Seed Round
A practical, step-by-step guide to raising a seed round: what to prepare, how to run the process, and how to close.
Advanced fundraising
18 min How to Read (and Negotiate) a Term Sheet
A founder's guide to every clause in a VC term sheet — valuation, liquidation preference, anti-dilution, board control, and what to actually negotiate.
Intermediate fundraising
15 min How to Write a Startup Pitch Deck That Raises Money
A complete guide to building a startup pitch deck — what slides to include, what investors look for, and mistakes that get decks deleted immediately.
Articles
Intermediate fundraising
14 min The Anatomy of a Series A Round
What a Series A actually requires in 2024–25: the metrics, the process, the timeline, and what investors are really evaluating.
Beginner equity
13 min Startup Equity Explained: What It Is, How It Works, and What It's Worth
Equity is ownership — but most founders and employees can't do the math. Here's exactly how startup equity works, dilutes, and pays out.
Intermediate fundraising
15 min The Startup Fundraising Process, Explained Start to Finish
The fundraising process is opaque by design. This article maps every phase — from prep to close — so you can run it like an operator.
Intermediate fundraising
12 min What VCs Really Look for in a Seed-Stage Startup
VCs say they back great teams in big markets. The reality is more specific — and more useful. Here's the actual framework seed investors use to decide.