Raising money as an early-stage founder: angels, accelerators, pre-seed mechanics, and what investors actually evaluate in founding teams.
10 articles
What a cap table is, how startup ownership and dilution work across rounds, how option pools and SAFEs affect it, and how to keep a clean cap table from day one.
What a convertible note is, how it works, the discount and valuation cap explained, and how convertible notes compare to SAFEs for early-stage startup fundraising.
How to bootstrap a startup: fund growth from revenue, stay default alive, decide when bootstrapping beats raising, and the trade-offs of keeping full ownership.
How to calculate runway and burn rate, what 'default alive' means, when to start raising, and the levers founders use to extend runway before the money runs out.
What a SAFE is, how valuation caps and discounts work, post-money vs pre-money, SAFEs vs convertible notes, and how dilution sneaks up on early founders.
Angel investors vs venture capital: how they differ on check size, control, speed and expectations, and which is the right fit for your stage and ambition.
A founder's guide to raising a pre-seed round: how much to raise, what investors expect, SAFEs versus equity, valuation, and running the round as a tight process.
How to choose the right startup accelerator and actually get in: what top programs offer, whether the equity is worth it, and how to build a standout application.
The pitch deck structure investors expect, what each slide must prove, and the storytelling mistakes that quietly kill early-stage fundraising rounds.
What investors actually look for in early-stage founders, how to build credibility before you raise, and the traits that turn a pitch into a real check.