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. The primary source for the SAFE itself, plus YC's plain-English primer explaining post-money mechanics. Use the official... Y Combinator Tool · templates + primer YC Safe Financing Documents (Official Post-Money SAFE) Y Combinator In 9 answers
  2. This is the single official directory of central and state government schemes for Indian startups, the primary source, not a... Startup India (startupindia.gov.in) Tool · Directory / ongoing Startup India, Government Schemes for Startups DPIIT, Government of India In 6 answers
  3. SISFS is the most accessible non-dilutive cheque for early Indian startups, and this is where you actually apply. It's... Seed Fund Portal (seedfund.startupindia.gov.in) Tool · Application portal Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS), Official Portal DPIIT, Government of India In 6 answers
  4. A ready-to-use version of the update format YC recommends to its founders. Removes every excuse for not sending a clean,... Visible.vc Template · copy-paste template Y Combinator Investor Update Template Y Combinator / Visible.vc In 5 answers
  5. The de facto global standard for pitch deck structure, straight from Sequoia. The same outline Airbnb's founders used; if you... Sequoia Capital Template · 10 min read Writing a Business Plan (The Sequoia Pitch Deck Template) Sequoia Capital In 4 answers
  6. Turns the a16z metrics framework into a concrete, reportable template so your investor updates carry the numbers investors... Visible.vc Tool · template a16z Startup Metrics Template (for updates and reporting) Visible.vc (based on a16z metrics) In 4 answers
  7. 100X.VC pioneered the iSAFE, India's answer to the US SAFE, and offers the standardized document plus a plain explanation.... 100X.VC Tool · template + explainer iSAFE: The Founder-Friendly Fundraising Instrument for Early-Stage Founders 100X.VC In 3 answers
  8. For anyone building in biotech, healthtech, agritech, or life sciences, BIRAC is the single most important non-dilutive funder... BIRAC (birac.nic.in) Tool · Scheme directory BIRAC, Non-Dilutive Grants for Biotech & Life-Sciences Startups (BIG, E-YUVA, SITARE) Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), Dept. of Biotechnology In 3 answers
  9. NIDHI is the DST umbrella that funds ideas and prototypes through campus incubators, the most realistic path for student and... NIDHI, DST (nidhi.dst.gov.in) Tool · Programme directory NIDHI, DST's Umbrella for Student & Early-Stage Grants (PRAYAS, Seed Support, EIR) Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India In 3 answers
  10. Most government grants require an incorporated entity, and Rize makes getting one fast and low-friction, Pvt Ltd, LLP, or OPC... Razorpay (razorpay.com/rize) Tool · Platform + resources Razorpay Rize, Incorporation & Early-Stage Founder Resources Razorpay Rize In 2 answers
  11. This is the one term sheet to benchmark your own against. YC wrote out the fairest single-page term sheet they could from... Y Combinator Template · 20 min read + Word template A Standard and Clean Series A Term Sheet (with downloadable template) Jason Kwon and Aaron Harris In 2 answers
  12. WEP is the official government front door for women founders, a single platform aggregating incubation, mentorship, funding... Women Entrepreneurship Platform (wep.gov.in) Tool · Platform + directory Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), NITI Aayog NITI Aayog, Government of India
  13. This is the spreadsheet to actually model your cap table forward three rounds before you sign the first term sheet. It adds... Foresight Template · spreadsheet template Cap Table and Exit Waterfall Modeling Tool (Foresight) Foresight (Taylor Davidson)
  14. This is the data-room number, not the slide: a free, download-and-fill spreadsheet from a Point Nine partner that builds MRR... SaaStr Template · 20 min setup SaaS Financial Plan 2.0 (Christoph Janz's downloadable model) Christoph Janz (Point Nine Capital)
  15. This is the exact 21-slide deck that got Front three term sheets in ten days, published by the founder herself with honest... Medium (Mathilde Collin, CEO of Front) Template · 12 min read + 21-slide deck Front Series A Deck (with the founder's own slide-by-slide feedback) Mathilde Collin
  16. This is the fastest zero-budget path to a clean deck: pick one template that already fixes your font pairing, color palette,... Canva Template · quick-start Free customizable pitch deck presentation templates Canva
  17. This is the modeling tool to actually stack your conversions before you sign, which is the whole opinionated answer. You enter... Carta Tool · free tool SAFE and Convertible Note Calculator Carta
  18. This is the actual term sheet most Indian angels and seed funds put in front of you, hosted on the official Startup India... Startup India (Government of India portal) Template · term sheet PDF LetsVenture Standard CCPS Term Sheet Template (India), Pre-emptive Rights clause LetsVenture
  19. This is the source of the rule your answer is built on: build the deck from the reports you already run the company with, send... Sequoia Capital Template · 15 min read Preparing a Board Deck Sequoia Capital
  20. A copy-and-fill template built for exactly the founder in this question: it is structured around a five-minute read (matching... Founder Institute Template · template The 5-Minute Investor Update Template Founder Institute
  21. This is the authoritative government listing of live Indian grand challenges and national competitions, filterable by... Startup India Tool · browse, filterable Startup India: Programs and Challenges (live directory) DPIIT, Government of India
  22. This is a curated, actively maintained list of 448+ Indian and India-open competitions with the prize size, deadline, and stage... Startup Grants India Tool · browse, filterable StartupGrantsIndia: Competitions and Hackathons directory Nexora Technology
  23. This is the actual portal you apply through, not a blog paraphrase, so the tiers here are current: up to $5,000 for self-funded... AWS Tool · 10 min read AWS Activate: Credits for Startups (official program page) Amazon Web Services
  24. The official docs page (updated May 2026) spells out the one fact that matters most for an Anywhere Founder with no VC on the... Microsoft Learn Tool · 8 min read What is Microsoft for Startups? (Founders Hub official overview) Microsoft

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 →