Article · 18 min read

What Seed Investors Look For in 2026

CRV Free Intermediate

The honest piece on who can raise on team versus who needs revenue. It states plainly that seed now looks like what Series A used to, and that a first-time founder without traction has it significantly harder, while giving concrete B2B SaaS bars (roughly $500K to $1M ARR for a strong round, monthly churn under 2.5 to 5 percent) and noting consumer is judged on DAU/WAU engagement, not signups. It also kills the 'raise to hire a technical cofounder' pitch.

  • The bar rose: seed increasingly demands Series-A-era proof, so a strong team buys you a lower bar only if you also show real progress.
  • By model, B2B SaaS is read on ARR (about $500K to $1M for a strong seed) and churn, while consumer is read on DAU/WAU retention rather than total signups.
  • Baseline founder capability is non-negotiable: investors expect core technical ability in-house before seed, not funded afterward.
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The question it answers

  1. What traction or metrics do I actually need to raise a seed round, and can I raise on just an idea?

Read with it

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