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.
- This is the worked walkthrough the question demands, not theory. It runs the exact scenario you fear: two SAFEs at different... Kruze Consulting Article · 18 min read How SAFE Notes Impact Founder Dilution and Startup Equity Kruze Consulting
- Written by an India-based cap table platform, so the modeling assumptions match how Indian founders actually raise. It walks a... EquityList Article · 12 min read Modeling Post-Money SAFEs in Your Cap Table: Tools and Mistakes to Avoid EquityList
- This is the side-by-side numbers piece: three investors each putting in $1M at a $10M cap end up owning exactly 30% of you... Avisen Legal Article · 10 min read Pre-money vs. Post-money SAFEs: The Dilution Math Founders Miss Avisen Legal
- This is the current RBI convertible note rulebook in one place, and it reflects the 2023 FEMA amendment that most older... TaxTMI Article · 11 min read Convertible Notes for Foreign Investors in Indian Startups: The 2026 Rules Explained TaxTMI editorial
- When your investor insists on a SAFE, this is the piece that shows how the Indian version actually gets built: iSAFE lives as... Vinod Kothari Consultants Article · 14 min read The iSAFE Option to Startup Funding: Legality and Taxation Vinod Kothari Consultants
- Written by a SEBI-registered Indian pre-seed fund, so the worked example is in the deal shapes you will actually see here, and... Eximius Ventures Article · 8 min read Breakdown of the Term Sheet: Liquidation Preference Raunak Bhiwal
- This is the cleanest decision framework we found because it draws the line by cheque size, not vibes: under 1M and 1M to 2M go... CRV (Charles River Ventures) Article · 10 min read Priced Round vs. SAFE: How Founders Choose at Each Stage CRV
- This is the cost and dilution receipt to go with the CRV framework: SAFEs run 2k to 5k in legal and close in a week, priced... Causo Hub Article · 12 min read SAFE vs priced round at seed: which, when, and the dilution math Causo
- This is the piece that makes the SAFE-vs-priced question concrete for an Indian founder, where a US SAFE has no legal standing... Dealplexus Article · 14 min read Convertible Notes vs SAFE vs Equity: Which Instrument Fits Indian Seed Rounds Dealplexus
- This is the piece that names the exact failure mode in your question: when your early investors all take their pro-rata, they... CRV Article · 12 min read Pro Rata Rights: A Founder's Guide to Term Sheets CRV
- Where Graham gives the principle, Lemkin gives the honest tradeoff table so you can actually decide. He lays out both sides (a... SaaStr Article · 8 min read 5 Pros, and 5 Cons, to Taking a VC Round at a Very High Valuation Jason Lemkin
- This is the number you need to sanity-check the offer in front of you, from a real Indian seed VC rather than US Carta data. It... Kae Capital Article · 12 min read How to Raise Your Seed Round in India Kae Capital
- This is the canonical founder-side explainer of what a board actually is and when you owe someone a seat. It spells out the... Y Combinator Startup Library Article · 15 min read How to Create and Manage a Board Y Combinator (Kirsty Nathoo and Aaron Epstein)
- Iskold does the board control math out loud with a worked example: two 40% founders sell 20% to an investor, and the investor... Startup Hacks (2048 Ventures) Article · 12 min read Understanding Startup Board Control Alex Iskold
- In Indian deals the real control lever often sits next to the board seat: affirmative rights (reserved matters) in the term... Ediplis Counsels Article · 8 min read Affirmative Rights in a Term Sheet Namratha Krishnan
- This is the canonical piece that named the option pool shuffle, and it shows the exact trick with numbers: an $8M pre-money... Venture Hacks Essay · 20 min read The Option Pool Shuffle Nivi and Naval Ravikant
- Once you have negotiated the pool size, this is the guide that stops the pool from becoming a tax trap for the very employees... Treelife Article · 25 min read ESOP Taxation in India: Complete Guide for Founders and Startups Treelife
- This is the one piece that does both jobs you need. It runs the exact worked backward-repricing case (three angels on no-cap... Value Add VC Article · 10 min read Most Favored Nation (MFN) Clauses in SAFEs: Why They Matter More Than Founders Think Value Add VC
- Kruze does startup finance and cap tables for a living, so this is the operator's take rather than a lawyer's summary. It shows... Kruze Consulting Article · 8 min read Most Favored Nation (MFN) SAFEs: What Startup Founders Need to Know Kruze Consulting
- EquityList runs cap tables and ESOP admin for Indian startups, so this places MFN inside the instrument choices an Indian... EquityList Article · 12 min read SAFEs vs. Convertible Notes EquityList
- This is the term sheet guide written for the Indian cap table, using rupee exits (a ₹40 Cr sale on a ₹100 Cr paper valuation)... Malpani Ventures Article · 15 min read How to Read a Startup Term Sheet Like a Founder Malpani Ventures
- This is the founder-side reference that draws the exact line you need: it says outright that not every seed investor takes a... The Holloway Guide to Raising Venture Capital Article · 15 min read Board Seat Holloway (with Alex MacCaw and startup counsel)
- A lawyer-written plain-English breakdown of the three rights an investor bundles into one ask, so you can unbundle them at the... Built In Article · 10 min read Founder Cheatsheet: Information, Inspection and Observer Rights in a Venture Financing Becky Mancero
- The India-specific piece that names the exact trap in your answer: affirmative rights and reserved matters that let a small... iPleaders (LawSikho) Article · 25 min read Term Sheet Drafting for Indian Startups: Clauses, Compliance and 2025 to 2026 Updates iPleaders editorial team
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 →