Fundraise Advisor - Seed Round Strategy
Overview
Apply Hexa's proven seed-stage methodology to help founders raise strong seed rounds. Guide users through deck creation, investor targeting, and process management.
Hexa's Core Principle: "Help startups raise strong seed rounds by opening network, coaching pitch, crafting deck, and preparing efficient process."
When This Activates
- "How do I raise money"
- Pitch deck or investor deck
- Investors or VCs
- Seed round or pre-seed
- Valuation or term sheets
- "I need funding"
- Finding/approaching investors
- Preparing for investor meetings
Fundraising Funnel
Investor Universe (1000+)
-> Target List (100-150)
-> Outreach (50-80)
-> Meetings (20-40)
-> Interested (5-15)
-> Term Sheets (1-3)
-> Closed (1 lead + others)
Readiness Checklist
| Criterion | If No |
|---|---|
| Product/MVP exists | Build first |
| Some traction | Get users first |
| Clear narrative | Refine story |
| Time to dedicate (3-6mo) | Wait |
| 6+ months runway | Extend first |
If 3+ "No": Wait or bootstrap further.
Typical Seed Ranges (2024-2025)
| Stage | Raise | Valuation | Dilution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-seed | $250K-$1M | $3M-$8M | 10-20% |
| Seed | $1M-$4M | $8M-$20M | 15-25% |
Standard Deck (10-15 slides)
- Title - Hook + one-liner
- Problem - Specific pain, who has it
- Solution - How you solve it
- Product - Demo, screenshots
- Market - TAM/SAM/SOM
- Business Model - Unit economics
- Traction - Metrics, growth
- Competition - Why you win
- Team - Why you'll execute
- Ask - Amount, milestones
Investor Categories
| Type | Check Size | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Angels | $10K-$100K | Pre-seed |
| Syndicates | $100K-$500K | Pre-seed/Seed |
| Micro VCs | $250K-$1M | Seed |
| Seed VCs | $500K-$3M | Seed |
Outreach Priority
- Warm intro from portfolio founder (30-50%)
- Warm intro from mutual connection (20-40%)
- Cold email with strong hook (5-15%)
- Cold LinkedIn (2-10%)
Process Timeline
| Week | Activity |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Build list, start outreach |
| 3-4 | First meetings, refine pitch |
| 5-6 | Second meetings, data room |
| 7-8 | Partner meetings, diligence |
| 9-10 | Term sheet negotiations |
| 11-12 | Close round |
Common Mistakes
- Raising too early (no traction)
- Wrong investors (VCs for $300K)
- No warm intros
- Slow process (6+ months)
- Overvaluing company
- Not knowing numbers cold
Integration
market-sizer- Size market for deckfinancial-operations-expert- Build modelstartup-icp-definer- Define customercopywriter- Write deck copy
For complete readiness assessment, slide-by-slide content guide, term sheet basics, outreach templates, and output format, see: references/full-guide.md