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 reset playbook in one page. Lemkin makes the distinction that saves you from panicking: a soft miss (still growing... SaaStr Article · 9 min read How to Gracefully Miss a Quarter. And Take The Right Actions Afterward. Jason Lemkin
  2. This is the side-by-side you actually need before you write a single application: 30+ Indian schemes with ticket size,... Backrr Article · 15 min read Government Grants for Early-Stage Indian Startups in 2026 Backrr
  3. The official BIG page, not a blog paraphrase: up to 50 lakh grant-in-aid over 18 months, calls opening 1 January and 1 July... BIRAC (Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council) Article · 10 min read Biotechnology Ignition Grant Scheme (BIG) BIRAC
  4. A named Chandigarh founder puts real numbers on the gap between the promised 60-day SISFS disbursal and the actual 4 to 5... Startupro News Article · 7 min read Unwanted Paperwork, Delays and Opaque Process: A Founder Exposes the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme Startupro News (featuring founder Sunil Kumar Poonia)
  5. This is the practical explainer that shows the money arriving in four milestone-tied tranches (business plan approved,... Patron Accounting Article · 10 min read Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS): Grant, Tranches and How Disbursement Actually Works Patron Accounting (CA firm)
  6. This gets under the hood of the single document that gates your next tranche: the utilization certificate. It walks through... CAclubindia Article · 8 min read Audit / Certificate on Utilization of Govt Grant / Aid / Funds CAclubindia contributor
  7. This is the rare India-specific piece that puts real numbers on the true cost of chasing grants: it names SISFS (up to Rs 20... Swimming With Sharks Article · 20 min read Alternative Funding Strategies: Grants, Debt, and Non-Dilutive Capital in the Indian Ecosystem Swimming With Sharks (The Founder's Guide to Startup Funding)
  8. Jeryes co-founded Maqsam and says he never lost a pitch competition he entered, then states plainly that the wins made almost... Medium Essay · 10 min read How To Win Every Pitch Competition, And Why It Doesn't Matter Fouad Jeryes
  9. The equity math lands differently in India, and this piece shows why. Because Indian startups raise at lower valuations than US... Inc42 Article · 8 min read YC's 500K standard deal: what it means for Indian founders Inc42 Staff
  10. Most credit posts stop at 'here is the amount.' This one (published March 2026) is about the moves: concrete stacking combos... Northflank Article · 15 min read How to get free AWS credits for your startup (stacking and sequencing playbook) Northflank
  11. A clean, India-framed explainer of the mechanics with a worked example in rupees: at Rs 50 lakh monthly revenue you repay Rs 4... Recur Club Article · 10 min read Understanding Revenue-Based Financing and How It Works Recur Club
  12. This maps the second layer of R&D support to your build stage exactly the way you should think about it: NIDHI-PRAYAS and TIDE... IncorpX Article · 14 min read Deep tech and AI startup grants: DSIR, BIRAC and the R&D funding ladder IncorpX editorial team
  13. This is the state-by-state comparison that proves the point: it names concrete numbers you can act on, Kerala's INR 2500 Cr... Inc42 Article · 14 min read Startup Policies: Karnataka, Telangana, Rajasthan And Kerala Lead The Charge Inc42 Staff
  14. This is the explainer that reframes government as the biggest buyer in India and shows procurement as real non-dilutive money,... Invest India Article · 10 min read Easing Public Procurement for Startups Invest India
  15. This is the hands-on walkthrough the two government pages skip: it gives you the exact GeM navigation (My Account, My Profile,... Bidz365 Article · 12 min read How Startup India Registered Companies Can Benefit on GeM Bidz365
  16. This is the policy that forces the 10,000-plus AICTE institutions to build pre-incubation support (IICs, EDCs, campus TBIs) for... AICTE, Government of India Article · policy document National Innovation and Startup Policy for Students and Faculty (AICTE / MoE) All India Council for Technical Education (Ministry of Education)

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 →