Founders tend to think about fundraising as a single number: how much. In practice the amount and the valuation together decide how much of the company you still own when it is done.
Build the model first. How much you need should fall out of the plan, not be picked and then justified backwards.
What the business is worth today, and what the raise will actually cost you in ownership. Most companies model the first and discover the second too late.
A primary issuance puts the investor’s money into the company, where it funds growth. A secondary sale puts it in an existing shareholder’s pocket. For a business raising to grow, only one of those does the job.
An investor-ready model, a narrative that holds up to questioning, and direct outreach to the investors who actually fit.
Before you talk to investors you should be able to answer three things: what the business is worth, how much you actually need, and what that money will cost you in ownership. Most companies can answer the second. Fewer can defend the first. Very few have modelled the third before they are already at the table.
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Discuss a raise