Beginner fundraising
Angel Investor
An angel investor funds early-stage startups with personal capital for equity, typically before VCs participate. Many are former founders or operators.
#early stage
11 results
Glossary
Intermediate fundraising
Bridge Round
A bridge round is a small financing to extend a startup's runway until a larger funding round or key milestone is reached.
Intermediate fundraising
Convertible Note
A convertible note is short-term startup debt with interest and a maturity date that converts into equity when a future priced round closes.
Beginner fundraising
Pre-Seed Round
A pre-seed round is the earliest startup funding stage, covering idea to prototype. Check sizes range from $100K to $1M from angels and micro-VCs.
Intermediate fundraising
SAFE - Simple Agreement for Future Equity
A SAFE lets investors fund startups in exchange for future equity, with no interest rate or maturity date. Created by Y Combinator in 2013.
Beginner fundraising
Seed Round
A seed round is a startup's first institutional funding, used to validate the product, build the core team, and reach the traction needed for a Series A.
Guides
Beginner finance
8 min How to Budget as an Early-Stage Startup
Learn how to build a practical startup budget when resources are scarce, priorities shift monthly, and the business model is still evolving.
Beginner team
12 min How to Find a Co-Founder
How to find, evaluate, and lock in the right co-founder - where to look, what to test for, and the conversations you must have before signing anything.
Beginner growth
14 min How to Get Your First 100 Customers
Learn the 5 most effective channels for landing your first 100 customers - with practical playbooks for outreach, communities, and partnerships.
Concepts
Intermediate product
Minimum Loveable Product (MLP)
An MLP is the minimum version of a product a user could genuinely love - not just tolerate - balancing learning speed with first impressions.
Articles
Beginner strategy
10 min Why Product-Market Fit Matters
Before scaling, only one thing matters: product-market fit. Here's why it's the central challenge of early-stage startups and what it actually takes to find it.