Tool · template + explainer

iSAFE: The Founder-Friendly Fundraising Instrument for Early-Stage Founders

100X.VC Free Intermediate India

100X.VC pioneered the iSAFE, India's answer to the US SAFE, and offers the standardized document plus a plain explanation. Indispensable for any Indian founder raising their first cheques the local way.

  • iSAFE is the India-adapted SAFE, structured as compulsorily convertible preference shares to fit Indian law
  • It avoids an immediate valuation and expensive negotiation, using a short standardized document
  • Understand the conversion mechanics before issuing iSAFEs to multiple investors
Open on 100x.vc ↗

It answers 3 questions

  1. How much money should I raise at seed, and how much equity do I give up?
  2. How is raising a seed round in India different from the US?
  3. A SAFE has no valuation cap and no discount. Should I ever sign it?

Read with it

  1. A leading early-stage Indian VC firm answering the questions founders wish they could ask a VC face-to-face, including how they... Prime Venture Partners Podcast Podcast · 30-50 min per episode Prime Venture Partners Podcast: Fundraising Masterclass for Founders Prime Venture Partners
  2. The most quoted essay on the mechanics of fundraising, distilled from YC Demo Day advice. It reframes fundraising as a sales... paulgraham.com Article · 45 min read How to Raise Money Paul Graham
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
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