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. 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
  2. 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
  3. This is the actual math you are trading against, straight from the source: $125K for a fixed 7%, plus a $375K uncapped MFN SAFE... Y Combinator Article · 6 min read The Y Combinator Standard Deal Y Combinator In 3 answers
  4. Long-form, candid interviews with Indian founders and investors on how they actually grew, distributed and built brand, one of... The Neon Show / Neon Fund Podcast · 200+ episodes The Neon Show (100x Entrepreneur Podcast) Siddhartha Ahluwalia In 2 answers
  5. A practical India-specific guide to term sheets and iSAFEs, written by working Indian VCs and startup lawyers (3one4 Capital,... Inc42 Article · 30 min read (guide) Decoding Term Sheets for Early-Stage Startups Siddarth Pai, Roma Priya, Yagnesh Sanghrajka In 2 answers
  6. 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
  7. This is the essay that forces the honest question underneath your idea: are you building a growth company or a good small... Paul Graham Essay · ~20 min read Startup = Growth Paul Graham In 2 answers
  8. This is the clearest side-by-side we found of the actual menu a bootstrapped founder faces: revenue-based financing, venture... Founderpath Article · 20 min read Non-Dilutive Funding for SaaS Founders: 8 Types Compared Founderpath In 2 answers
  9. The Indian mirror to the answer: Kamath built Zerodha to India's largest broker taking zero outside capital, and he is precise... Forbes India Article · 12 min read I wonder why there are only a few businesses like us, built to generate profits and not raise venture capital: Nithin Kamath Nithin Kamath (interviewed) In 2 answers
  10. If a US fund pushes you toward a Delaware structure, this is the India-specific legal and tax manual for what you are actually... Treelife Article · 20 min read Flip Structure for Indian Startups: A Complete Guide Treelife In 2 answers
  11. This is one of the only Indian seed funds that publishes hard numbers for when they want to hear from you, so you can benchmark... Blume Ventures Article · 5 min read Blume Ventures: How to reach us (seed traction benchmarks by model) Blume Ventures In 2 answers
  12. This is the source document for the entire SAFE debate, written by YC's CFO who papered thousands of these. It walks the actual... Y Combinator Article · 15 min read Understanding SAFEs and Priced Equity Rounds Kirsty Nathoo In 2 answers
  13. This is the reference point for what a clean deal looks like, written by the people who have watched hundreds of Series A term... Y Combinator Article · 12 min read A Standard and Clean Series A Term Sheet Y Combinator In 2 answers
  14. Feld (co-author of Venture Deals) does the arithmetic most founders never run: on a $5M investment for 50% and a $20M exit, a... Feld Thoughts Essay · 10 min read To Participate or Not (Participating Preferences) Brad Feld In 2 answers
  15. 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
  16. 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
  17. 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
  18. 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
  19. 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
  20. 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
  21. 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
  22. 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
  23. 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
  24. 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

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 →