Fundraising
Overview
Guide founders through the complete fundraising journey: readiness assessment, materials preparation, investor targeting, outreach campaigns, pipeline management, and term sheet negotiation.
When to Use
- •Building fundraising readiness checklists
- •Creating investor targeting/matching features
- •Implementing pitch deck generation
- •Designing data room organization
- •Building investor CRM/pipeline tracking
- •Analyzing term sheets
Fundraising Phases
code
PHASE 1: READINESS ASSESSMENT ├── Investment readiness checklist ├── Gap analysis (metrics, docs, team) ├── Stage-appropriate benchmarks └── GATE: Readiness score ≥70% → Proceed PHASE 2: MATERIALS PREPARATION ├── Pitch deck (industry-specific) ├── One-pager / Executive summary ├── Financial model ├── Data room setup └── GATE: All docs complete → Proceed PHASE 3: INVESTOR TARGETING ├── Build investor list (50+ matched) ├── Prioritize by fit/activity ├── Personalization research └── GATE: Target list approved → Proceed PHASE 4: OUTREACH & PIPELINE ├── Personalized email sequences ├── Pipeline tracking (stage, follow-ups) ├── Meeting prep / debrief └── GATE: Term sheet received → Proceed PHASE 5: CLOSE ├── Term sheet analysis ├── Due diligence management ├── Negotiation support └── CLOSE: Funds wired
Readiness Checklist by Stage
Pre-Seed Readiness
| Category | Requirement | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Problem | Clear who/struggle/why-now | 20% |
| Solution | Working prototype or mockup | 15% |
| Team | Founder-market fit evident | 20% |
| Market | TAM/SAM/SOM estimated | 10% |
| Traction | Early signals (waitlist, LOIs) | 15% |
| Ask | Clear use of funds | 10% |
| Materials | Deck + one-pager ready | 10% |
Seed Readiness
| Category | Requirement | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Product | MVP in market | 15% |
| Traction | 100+ users or $10K MRR | 25% |
| Metrics | CAC, LTV, retention tracked | 15% |
| Team | 2+ founders, key hires identified | 15% |
| Market | Competitive analysis complete | 10% |
| Financial | 18-month projection | 10% |
| Materials | Deck, data room, model ready | 10% |
Series A Readiness
| Category | Requirement | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| ARR | $1M+ ARR | 25% |
| Growth | 10%+ MoM growth | 20% |
| Unit Economics | LTV:CAC 3:1+, payback <12mo | 20% |
| Team | Full founding team, key hires | 10% |
| Market | Clear path to $100M+ | 10% |
| Retention | NRR 100%+ | 10% |
| Materials | Complete data room | 5% |
Investor Matching
typescript
interface InvestorMatch {
investor_id: string;
name: string;
firm: string;
fit_score: number; // 0-100
factors: {
stage_match: boolean;
industry_match: boolean;
check_size_match: boolean;
geography_match: boolean;
recent_activity: boolean;
portfolio_synergy: boolean;
};
personalization: {
recent_investments: string[];
shared_connections: string[];
relevant_tweets: string[];
thesis_alignment: string;
};
}
function scoreInvestorFit(startup: Startup, investor: Investor): number {
let score = 0;
if (investor.stages.includes(startup.stage)) score += 25;
if (investor.industries.includes(startup.industry)) score += 25;
if (investor.check_size >= startup.raise_amount * 0.1) score += 20;
if (investor.geography === startup.geography) score += 10;
if (investor.last_investment_days < 90) score += 10;
if (hasPortfolioSynergy(startup, investor)) score += 10;
return score;
}
Pitch Deck Structure
| Slide | Content | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cover + One-liner | 30s |
| 2 | Problem | 1m |
| 3 | Solution | 1m |
| 4 | Market | 1m |
| 5 | Product/Demo | 2m |
| 6 | Business Model | 1m |
| 7 | Traction | 1m |
| 8 | Competition | 1m |
| 9 | Team | 1m |
| 10 | Financial Plan | 1m |
| 11 | Ask + Use of Funds | 30s |
| 12 | Appendix | - |
Data Room Structure
code
DATA ROOM/
├── 01-company/
│ ├── pitch_deck.pdf
│ ├── executive_summary.pdf
│ └── company_overview.pdf
├── 02-financial/
│ ├── financial_model.xlsx
│ ├── historical_financials.pdf
│ └── cap_table.pdf
├── 03-legal/
│ ├── incorporation_docs.pdf
│ ├── ip_assignments.pdf
│ └── material_contracts.pdf
├── 04-product/
│ ├── product_roadmap.pdf
│ ├── technical_architecture.pdf
│ └── demo_video.mp4
├── 05-team/
│ ├── founder_bios.pdf
│ ├── org_chart.pdf
│ └── key_hires_plan.pdf
└── 06-traction/
├── metrics_dashboard.pdf
├── customer_testimonials.pdf
└── case_studies.pdf
Term Sheet Analysis
typescript
interface TermSheet {
valuation: {
pre_money: number;
post_money: number;
dilution: number;
};
investment: {
amount: number;
security_type: 'SAFE' | 'Convertible' | 'Priced';
lead_investor: string;
};
governance: {
board_seats: { founders: number; investors: number; independent: number };
protective_provisions: string[];
drag_along: boolean;
};
economics: {
liquidation_preference: string; // "1x non-participating"
anti_dilution: string; // "broad-based weighted average"
participation: boolean;
};
}
function analyzeTermSheet(terms: TermSheet): TermSheetAnalysis {
return {
valuation_fair: assessValuation(terms.valuation),
governance_balanced: assessGovernance(terms.governance),
economics_standard: assessEconomics(terms.economics),
red_flags: identifyRedFlags(terms),
negotiation_points: suggestNegotiations(terms)
};
}
Edge Function: fundraising-agent
typescript
// Actions - 'assess_readiness': Check fundraising readiness by stage - 'match_investors': Find and score investor matches - 'generate_deck': Create industry-specific pitch deck - 'setup_dataroom': Generate data room structure - 'analyze_terms': Review term sheet for red flags - 'personalize_outreach': Create personalized investor emails
AI Model Selection
| Task | Model |
|---|---|
| Readiness assessment | gemini-3-flash-preview |
| Investor matching | gemini-3-pro-preview |
| Deck generation | claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929 |
| Term sheet analysis | claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929 |
| Outreach personalization | gemini-3-pro-preview |
References
- •PRD Section 11: Fundraising System
- •Strategy Section 9: Investor Relations
- •
/startup-system/guides/06-funding.md