Pros and Cons of Seed Fundraising
Seed fundraising is necessary for most — but not all — companies. Like any decision for your startup, there are positives and negatives to taking Seed capital:
Pros of Seed Funding
Seed investors are more than just a source of capital. They’re active collaborators who will form a strong connection with your leadership team and develop a deep understanding of your product, market and customers. That type of support — especially from people who specialize in growing companies — is invaluable.
As a Seed-stage company, you’re going to face a lot of uncertainty. Investors are there to guide you through the early stages of maturation. They might connect you to potential CTO or CMO candidates, introduce you to other investors for later rounds or use their connections to find new customer bases.
Cons of Seed Funding
Anytime you’re taking outside capital, you’re selling a piece of your business. You’re effectively gaining a new boss — someone with a board seat and expectations for you.
If you have a really cost-effective GTM strategy and are growing revenue without needing to hire new talent, then you might choose not to undertake a Seed round. You’ll maintain leverage and optionality for future decisions.
There are a handful of hundred-million-dollar companies that have avoided or at least delayed taking on outside capital (think: Mailchimp, Calendly, Dyn). I want to stress that they’re outliers, but it is possible.
Seed Fundraising Process
How much equity will you be giving up? Every deal is different, and your startup valuation comes down to negotiation. Expect to give up 15% to 25% of the business in a Seed round, as a general rule.
Most early-stage companies seek out Seed investors, not the other way around. The Seed funding process should begin well before you actually need the capital.
You’ve maybe heard the acronym ABF: always be fundraising. That doesn’t mean you always need to sell pieces of your company, but you should constantly be engaged with potential investors to build connections.
How to Secure Seed Funding
As someone who’s been on hundreds of calls with companies looking to secure Seed funding, I’ve seen patterns emerge. Here’s what seems to make early-stage companies successful:
1. Network early and often.
Taking a network-centric approach to fundraising benefits everyone involved. It can be helpful to build a relationship with a potential investor over the course of months or years, rather than trying to go from introduction to Seed check in a matter of weeks.
Asking for money is always easier when you have a relationship or tie-in with your Seed investor. Additionally, you’ll be more confident that you’re getting an investor that can provide valuable expertise.
Keep your eyes out for incubator programs, demo days and networking events that can help you make connections. Chat with friends and former colleagues to find potential partners.
2. Do your research.
The range of Seed investors is wide. You’ll have single general partner firms with small funds, all the way up to multi-hundred million dollar venture capital funds.
You’ve got options, which makes it important to narrow your search and process. Do research to make sure your potential investor’s portfolio includes companies in your industry, stage and geographic region.
3. Don’t get discouraged.
You’re going to deal with rejection in the Seed fundraising process. Most companies we talk to take dozens of Seed funding meetings before they find the right partners.
By definition, your Seed-stage company is an unknown. You’re bringing something new to a market — a future product or service for an industry or customer base — and the idea hasn’t taken full hold just yet. That’s why your company has money-making potential, but it also means some investors will be turned off by the uncertainty.
Ultimately, your Seed investors will share your vision and believe in the opportunity your business provides. All it takes is a “yes” from the right partner, and your seed is bound to grow.
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