Capital Raising 101

How Long Does it Really Take to Raise Venture Capital?

Expect the best, plan for the worst.

There are many misconceptions out there about raising capital — one of the most prominent being the length of time it takes to complete a round. It is very often underestimated and therefore miscalculated in terms of resources, commitment, and runway. Unfortunately, it’s never quite as easy as going to market and landing the first investor you have coffee with.

The capital-raising process typically takes much longer than anticipated, so entrepreneurs need to plan for that — then you will only be pleasantly surprised if it goes any other way. Despite this, there are things you can do to give your company the best chance of raising your round as quickly and efficiently as possible.

What am I even Raising?

Pre-seed, post-seed, pre-A… what do these all mean and how do you correctly classify your round? They are continually evolving into new classes, but to keep things simple I’ve broken down the rough categories below to provide guidance for where you may fit.