Have either traction (a clear early-PMF signal: $10K+ MRR with retention) or a strong founder-market fit story. Raise on a SAFE with a valuation cap. Target 30–50 investor meetings, expect 5–10 yeses. Close in 4–8 weeks.
The 30-day playbook: (1) Build a 12-slide deck. (2) Build a target list of 50–80 investors. (3) Get warm intros (cold outreach <2% success rate). (4) Run a tight process — first meetings in 2 weeks. (5) Use SAFE notes — most YC startups raise post-money SAFEs with $5M–$15M caps at seed. (6) Aim for 10–20% dilution per round. Avoid: revealing one offer to push another, raising more than you need.
Stripe: raised early on Y Combinator + Hacker News intros
Most YC startups raise on post-money SAFEs with $5M–$15M caps
Enough for 18–24 months of runway plus buffer. Most 2026 seed rounds are $1M–$3M with 20–30% dilution.
Yes — even a simple 10-slide PDF helps investors say no faster.
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