Fundraising
9 guides
Written from having raised, and from the specific mistakes that cost time. These guides cover what a first check actually responds to, how a deck carries a narrative rather than a feature list, the terms worth arguing about, and the operating cadence between rounds.
Start here
How to Run a Seed Round
A seed round is a six-week campaign, not a lifestyle. Open with 12 to 18 months of runway, a list, and a milestone. Close when you have a lead and a date.
Explainers
All explainers→SAFE vs Priced Round
intro · 8 minA post-money SAFE is the default at pre-seed and most seeds. Price the round when a lead wants a board seat and a price. Dilution math and the traps.
Series A Readiness
practitioner · 8 minSeries A buys a machine that turns capital into predictable growth, not a louder seed story. What A funds underwrite, and how to know you are early.
Term Sheet Red Flags
practitioner · 9 minValuation is the headline. Control is the operating system. Here is what is normal on a seed or A term sheet, what to fight, and what to ignore.
How-To & Implementation
All how-to & implementation→The Investor Update Playbook
intro · 8 minThe monthly update is a fundraising instrument. It converts a pass into a yes over six to twelve months by showing, in writing, that you do what you said.
The Bay Area Fundraising Trip Playbook
practitioner · 11 minWarm intros close seed rounds. Confirm 8 meetings before you fly, host one dinner, and put everyone who passed on a monthly update.
Raise Your First Pre-Seed Checks
intro · 8 minPre-seed is not a smaller seed. It buys 12 to 18 months to find a reason to raise one: who writes first checks, what you need, and a clean rolling SAFE.
Playbooks
All playbooks→The Investor Objection Playbook
practitioner · 10 minEvery investor objection is a proxy. Here is how to hear the real question, concede what is true, and answer with evidence instead of conviction.
The Seed Deck and Narrative Playbook
intro · 8 minWrite the argument as four paragraphs before you make a slide. Why now is the seed-stage crux, and a deck that needs you present will be read without you.