The Pre-Seed Fundraising Playbook
A complete guide to raising your first round. Covers the full arc from investor targeting through term sheet signature — written for founders who have never done this before.
What is inside the playbook
This playbook synthesises the patterns we have seen from hundreds of first-time founder fundraises. It is organised around the seven phases every raise goes through — from the moment you decide to raise to the moment the money lands.
Fundraising fundamentals and timeline
How long does a pre-seed actually take? What are realistic conversion rates at each stage? What does a well-run process look like vs. a disorganised one? This chapter sets the mental model.
Building your investor target list
Where to find the right pre-seed investors for your sector, stage, and geography. How to qualify investors before spending time on them. Why a list of 80 beats a list of 20.
Crafting a deck that moves deals forward
The narrative structure investors expect. The slides that stall deals. How to customise decks for different audiences without managing four versions. What to leave out.
Warm intros: the mechanics that work
How to audit your network for intro paths. The exact ask that gets connector-yeses. How to forwardable-ise your materials. What a good intro actually says vs. a hollow one.
Running the process: meetings and follow-ups
How to structure a first meeting. Follow-up timing, format, and content. How to create urgency without desperation. Managing a pipeline of 40 active relationships simultaneously.
Setting up your data room
What investors expect to see — and when. How to organise documents, manage access, and track who is reviewing what. The 27 documents that signal a prepared founder.
Navigating term sheets and close
How to read a term sheet for the first time. The terms that matter vs. the terms that don't. How to sequence commitments to create momentum. What actually happens at close.
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