Raise money

Whether to raise, from whom, on what terms, and the non-dilutive options.

What founders use for raise money, ranked by how many answers lean on it.

  1. This is the clause-by-clause decoder written for Indian reality, not a US template retrofitted. It runs the founder-payout math... The Founder's Guide to Startup Funding (Indian Ecosystem) Article · 35 min read Term Sheet Analysis: The Most Important Document You'll Sign (The Founder's Guide to Startup Funding in the Indian Ecosystem) Niraj Kumar In 2 answers
  2. The clearest breakdown of how RBF actually prices out for an Indian startup: you repay roughly 1.10 to 1.15x the principal... Efficient Capital Labs Article · 10 min read Revenue-Based Financing in India: A Founder Guide Efficient Capital Labs In 2 answers
  3. A slide-by-slide walk through Airbnb's actual 2009 seed deck (the one that raised $600K), covering all 14 slides from cover to... Slidebean Article · 15 min read Airbnb Pitch Deck: Teardown and Redesign Caya (Slidebean) In 2 answers
  4. This is the worked dilution example, actual numbers, not a hand-wave: a $100k SAFE with an $8M cap and a 15% discount... FundersClub Article · 6 min read Numerical Example: SAFE, Cap and Discount FundersClub In 2 answers
  5. If you decide against VC, this is the concrete India-specific menu of non-dilutive money: it lists the actual schemes, amounts,... IncorpX Article · 18 min read Government Grants and Subsidies for Startups in India 2026 IncorpX editorial team In 2 answers
  6. The clearest single-page explainer of the SISFS mechanics that trip founders up: you never apply to DPIIT directly, you apply... Startup Grants India Article · 12 min read Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS): Programs, Cohorts & Eligibility Startup Grants India In 2 answers
  7. The official government overview of how to incorporate and register a startup in India, including the SPICe+ route on the MCA... startupindia.gov.in Article · Official overview Startup India Scheme (Incorporation & Registration Overview) Startup India / DPIIT
  8. The official explainer of the concrete money DPIIT-recognised startups get on IP, an 80% patent-fee rebate, 50% trademark-fee... Government of India (startupindia.gov.in) Article · ~10 min read Startup India, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Benefits & SIPP Scheme DPIIT / Startup India
  9. The authoritative, government-hosted explanation of exactly what a DPIIT-recognised startup gets in public procurement. If you... startupindia.gov.in Article · single-page policy explainer Procurement by Government, Public Procurement Benefits for DPIIT Startups Startup India (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry
  10. Blume's annual report is the single best data-grounded read on what is actually happening in Indian internet and consumption,... Blume Ventures Article · ~180 charts Indus Valley Annual Report 2025 Sajith Pai, Anurag Pagaria and team (Blume Ventures)
  11. Jeff Wald went bankrupt when his first startup collapsed, then built and sold WorkMarket to ADP, so this is not theory. His... First Round Review Article · About a 15 minute read Founder Exposed: Opening Up About Startup Failures and Vulnerability Jeff Wald
  12. This is the exact list a founder gets handed once a term sheet lands, written by YC Continuity's general counsel after hundreds... Y Combinator Startup Library Article · ~10 min read Series A Diligence Checklist Jason Kwon (Y Combinator)
  13. This is the clearest recent evidence for the answer's core claim: for an India-first business a domestic fund often serves you... Rest of World Article · 10 min read India's VCs are beating Silicon Valley at home Rest of World staff
  14. This is the founder-voice gut check on whether flipping for US capital was ever worth it, and it puts hard numbers on the cost... Rustic Flute Essay · 9 min read The Delaware Flip Dilemma Sparsh
  15. This is the market-type analysis your question needs, from someone who has funded hundreds of SaaS companies. Lemkin quantifies... SaaStr Article · 7 min read Bootstrapping in SaaS? It Works. But Add ~4 Years to the IPO Timeline. Jason Lemkin
  16. This is the India proof that bootstrapping first opens the door to a raise rather than closing it, told by the Accel partner... Accel India (SeedToScale) Article · 12 min read Girish Mathrubootham shares his learnings on building and scaling Freshworks Anand Daniel
  17. This is the plain map of the Indian investor ladder from the fund that helped build it. Blume defines a micro VC as a sub-$40M... Blume Ventures Article · 15 min read India's Micro VC Landscape: Who's Writing the First Cheque in 2026? Blume Ventures
  18. A tight India-specific comparison with the rupee numbers you actually need: angels write ₹10 lakh to ₹3 crore from their own... Eximius Ventures Article · 10 min read Angel Investors vs. Pre-Seed VCs: Who's The Right Fit For You Eximius Ventures
  19. Written by a pre-seed investor who reads these emails for a living, so it is the six-part anatomy of a cold email that actually... Sterling Road (Medium) Article · 10 min read How to Cold Email an Investor Ash Rust
  20. This is your thesis proven from a Chennai apartment. Girish had never met a VC in his life, yet an AppSumo blog contest entry... Entrepreneur India Article · 8 min read The Story of Girish Mathrubootham: How the Entrepreneur Is Today an Investor Everyone Wants Entrepreneur India Staff
  21. OpenVC runs the platform millions of these emails pass through, so their rules are drawn from data, not opinion: put a... OpenVC Article · 12 min read How to Cold Email Investors (And Actually Get Replies) OpenVC Team
  22. Written by an investor, this is a clean field guide to the exact tricks Indian founders reach for and VCs immediately discount:... Hustle Fund (Angel Squad) Article · 8 min read Startup Vanity Metrics Investors Should Avoid (And What to Focus on Instead) Brian Nichols
  23. Written by a partner at Blume Ventures, this is the India-specific version of exactly what we're telling founders: valuation is... Blume Ventures Essay · 15 min read 'Exhaust Fumes', or, Understanding Startup Valuations Sajith Pai
  24. Once you accept that the market sets the price, this piece shows you the actual methods investors reach for when there is no... Mercury Article · 12 min read How early-stage startups are valued by seed and Series A investors Mercury

Show the next 24

The questions

Should you raise? VC vs bootstrap 18

Raise only if the fuel buys escape velocity.

Should I raise venture capital or bootstrap my startup? 3 → What kind of businesses are actually a good fit for venture capital? 3 → What do I give up when I take VC money? 3 → Is my startup 'default alive' or 'default dead'? 2 → Can I build a big, profitable company without ever raising money? 2 → All 18 questions in Should you raise? VC vs bootstrap →
Angel & seed fundraising 18

Get your first believers to write cheques.

How does seed fundraising actually work, step by step? 3 → How much money should I raise at seed, and how much equity do I give up? 3 → How do I find and get intros to angel investors and seed funds? 3 → How do I create momentum and FOMO so investors commit instead of stalling? 3 → How is raising a seed round in India different from the US? 3 → All 18 questions in Angel & seed fundraising →
Pitch deck & storytelling 17

Ten slides that make investors lean in.

What slides should my pitch deck have, and in what order? 3 → How do I tell a compelling story instead of just listing features? 3 → What actually happens inside a VC partner meeting when I pitch? 3 → What are the most common mistakes that kill a pitch deck? 3 → How long should my deck be, and what goes in the appendix? 2 → All 17 questions in Pitch deck & storytelling →
Valuation, SAFEs & term sheets 18

Understand the paper before you sign it.

What is a SAFE and how does it actually work? 3 → What's the difference between a valuation cap and a discount on a SAFE? 3 → How is my startup's valuation actually decided at the early stage? 3 → What do the key terms in a term sheet actually mean? 3 → How do SAFEs and term sheets differ in India versus the US? 3 → All 18 questions in Valuation, SAFEs & term sheets →
Investor updates & relations 17

Turn investors into your unfair advantage.

How do I write a great monthly investor update? 3 → What metrics should I actually report to investors? 3 → How do I actually get value out of my investors beyond the cheque? 3 → How do I share bad news with investors without spooking them? 2 → How often should I update investors, and does it help me raise the next round? 3 → All 17 questions in Investor updates & relations →
Grants & non-dilutive funding 21

Free money: schemes, grants, and competitions.

What exactly is non-dilutive funding, and why should an early founder chase it before raising VC? 2 → What is DPIIT / Startup India recognition, and what do I actually get from it? 2 → How do I apply to the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS), and how much can I get? 2 → What government schemes and grants can an early Indian startup actually get? 3 → What startup grants and competitions can a student in India apply to? 3 → All 21 questions in Grants & non-dilutive funding →
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →