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 tool-comparison you actually need before wiring up a broadcast to 40 angels: it draws the clean line between... Visible.vc Article · 12 min read DocSend vs. Visible: A Comparison for Startup Founders Visible.vc editorial team
  2. This is the founder account that proves the single-broadcast approach: serial founder Joe Beninato ran a large angel base off... Silicon Valley Bank Article · 9 min read Managing Relations with Your Angel Investors Silicon Valley Bank (featuring Joe Beninato and James Currier)
  3. This is the actual template you paste under your ask, written by an investor who receives these forwards and decides whether to... Startup Hacks (2048.vc) Article · 6 min read How to write a forwardable introduction email Alex Iskold
  4. This is the post that explains why your investor sometimes goes quiet on an intro ask: their reputation rides on every forward,... AVC (Union Square Ventures) Essay · 4 min read The Double Opt-In Introduction Fred Wilson
  5. This is the piece that reframes your panic. NFX's core line, that radio silence gives investors room to assume the worst, cuts... NFX Article · 12 min read Investor Updates in Tough Times: A Guide for Founders NFX
  6. If your lead going quiet surprised you, this is the guide that stops it happening again. It sets the cadence expectation... Visible.vc Article · 15 min read Investor Updates: The Complete Guide for Founders Visible.vc
  7. A seed VC walks through the exact scenarios you are worried about (a star exec jumping ship, a blown quarter) and gives you the... Founder Collective (HackerNoon) Article · 8 min read How to Break Bad News to Investors Micah Rosenbloom
  8. This is the piece for the judgment call in the question: what actually crosses the line into disclosure. Lemkin's rule is... SaaStr Article · 6 min read How to Handle, and Share, Bad News Jason Lemkin
  9. When a co-founder actually leaves, this India-specific guide is why quiet disclosure is not optional: most Indian SHAs carry... Treelife Article · 15 min read Co-Founder Disputes in Indian Startups: Legal Options, Buyout Mechanics and SHA Treelife
  10. This is the one piece that draws the exact line your answer draws: it tells you to run two versions, a full update for people... Foundersuite Article · 15 min read How To Write High Impact Investor Updates When Raising Venture Capital Nathan Beckord
  11. This nails the discipline behind the highlight reel: with prospects you share momentum factually without handing over what they... Lenny's Newsletter Article · 20 min read Raising a seed round 101 Lenny Rachitsky with First Round
  12. This is the sharpest piece on the exact move your answer describes: raising from the people already on your cap table. Its core... Enjoy The Work Article · 12 min read How to Raise an Inside Round. And How To Know if You Should. Neil Devani
  13. Lemkin, who has funded and passed on many bridges, tells you bluntly which bucket you fall into: the 0x 'bridge to nowhere'... SaaStr Article · 9 min read The 3 Types of VC Bridge Rounds: 0x, 1x and 10x Jason Lemkin
  14. This is the tactical companion to the framing: it hands you the actual structure of the ask so you show up with a specific... Dreamit Ventures Article · 10 min read Startup Funding Explained: How to Raise a Bridge Round Steve Barsh
  15. A first-timer's operating manual for the meeting itself, not the deck. Its sharpest rule is the one founders get wrong: never... F2 Venture Capital Article · 10 min read Let's Talk About Your First Board Meeting Tal Zackon
  16. The Silicon Valley playbooks skip the part that will fine you: Section 173 of the Companies Act requires your first board... IndiaFilings Article · 12 min read First Board Meeting of a Company IndiaFilings
  17. Suster, a former founder turned VC, hands you the exact line for the advise-versus-decide boundary: when he disagrees with a... Both Sides of the Table Article · 12 min read 8 Tips To Get the Most Out of Your Investors and Board Mark Suster
  18. The frame that defuses the fight: on the big decisive calls, tell your investor their job is to be a sparring partner, not the... First Round Review Article · 15 min read You Aren't Getting the Most Out of Your Investors, This is How to Start Paul Arnold
  19. Gil (angel in Airbnb, Stripe, Coinbase) treats the board as something the CEO actively manages, not answers to. The tactic that... High Growth Handbook Book · 20 min read The Role of the CEO: Managing Your Board of Directors (High Growth Handbook) Elad Gil
  20. This is the original essay that coined "lines, not dots," the exact idea behind the opinionated answer. Suster (a VC who... Both Sides of the Table Essay · 9 min read Invest in Lines, Not Dots Mark Suster
  21. This is the template resource: it hands you the exact soft-ask script to add a target investor to your list ("I'm not raising... Foundersuite Article · 10 min read How to Use Investor Updates to Raise Venture Capital Faster Nathan Beckord
  22. This is the India-specific version of the same advice, and the numbers make the case sharper than any global source: warm... Swimming With Sharks (Indian Startup Funding Guide) Article · 20 min read Preparing to Fundraise (The Founder's Guide to Startup Funding, Indian Ecosystem) The Founder's Guide to Startup Funding
  23. This is the founder-voice argument for our exact answer, written by the founder of EchoSign. Lemkin's four reasons map... SaaStr Article · 7 min read 4 Reasons to Send Investor Updates Even When Times Are Tough Jason Lemkin
  24. Written from the investor's side of the table by Elizabeth Yin, who backs pre-seed founders for a living, so it answers the... Hustle Fund Article · 6 min read Why You Should Always Send Your Investor Updates Elizabeth Yin

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 →