How to get seed funding for your business’s growth

What is seed funding and what are the benefits that seed investors can help you gain?

The first step in starting a business is coming up with a winning concept, which is difficult in and of itself - but there's more to do if you want to take your concept to market. Money must be supplied for equipment, space, personnel, staff, and other critical parts of the business for any idea to succeed, regardless of how innovative it is.

Seed capital is an important step in the business development process since the more seed funding a company receives, the more it can increase its capabilities. To assist startup enterprises in bringing their ideas to market, this article will describe how to get seed funding for a project and the numerous options for doing so.

What is the purpose of a seed fund?

Startup companies that do not have enough capital to burn will not be able to sustain enough growth to produce revenue on time. Businesses might use seed funding to recruit essential personnel, public relations, marketing, sales, and equipment assets to prepare for investors. While some firms solely rely on personal funds (known as bootstrapping), it is more typical to mix personal funds with outside capital.

Obtaining seed funding necessitates a comprehensive growth plan as well as a compelling case for why seed investors should provide upfront capital for your company; this is an indirect benefit of seed funding, as it forces your company to organize, eliminate inefficiencies, and clarify ambiguous aspects of your business, resulting in a stronger investment. Other advantages of seed money include:

• You'll have more time to prepare your company.

• Supports future funding rounds with less dilution and greater capital.

• More adaptability in response to market demand

• More crucial business partners to choose from

What are the sources of seed funding? How to get reliable seed investors?

The sources of seed money for a project are listed below. Furthermore, some types of funding are not mutually exclusive with seed investment and can be utilized to raise funds for your business at any point in its development. Once you’ve solved the question of how to get seed funding, think critically and don't allow your ego to get in the way, as with all parts of a new business – remember, you're not asking for money, but for help understanding the value of your project/enterprise.

Venture capital firms

Venture capital firms (VCs) are companies that invest in startups with the goal to increase the value of their acquired shares. VCs are essential for seed funding rounds as they provide not only capital, but also potentially advice and a network that the startup can leverage. They have deeper pockets are the most important source for seed funding. The engagement of a VC can and should not be limited to only one round, but VCs often invest in follow-up rounds if the startup performs as expected.

VCs are professional investors are usually having a structured Due Diligence process and expect the founders to have a data room that provides them with all necessary information. This is also important for the startup to shorten the Due Diligence process as much as possible.

Angel investors

Angel investors (also known as business angels or just angels) are individuals who make a personal investment in a new or small business endeavor in exchange for a share of the company's ownership. They are the most prevalent source of initial money and are frequently critical to funding success. An accredited angel investor must have a net worth of $1 million and an annual income of $200,000 to be considered.

In exchange for mentoring and early funding, most angel investors demand a 20-25 percent ROI and a piece of the ownership. Angel investors will also play an important role when you will ask the question of how to get pre-seed funding.

To an angel investor, the benefit of your business is the potential for a higher rate of return than typical investments, but this is contingent on your firm flourishing. Angel investors, on the other hand, must be persuaded to invest in your idea through pitches and statistics. Angel investors are less hazardous than debt financing methods because they do not seek repayment in the event of failure. However, they do require you to cede some control over the firm and share your profits.

This can be useful, as most angel investors serve as important mentors who can contribute their knowledge and skills to the development of your (and, to some extent, their) business.

How to get pre-seed funding for your startup?

Pre-seed money is the first round of funding given to a startup to assist the founders in getting their business off the ground. You may think of it as planting a tree: before you get to the seed funding stage, where you plant the seed and start watering it, you have to first prepare the environment and establish the perfect conditions for the seed to develop and thrive. That's the purpose of pre-seed investment: to accelerate your startup's growth while also preparing you for seed investor expectations in subsequent funding rounds.

Founders, friends, family, and angel investors are common pre-seed investors who offer funds in exchange for equity in the company. Angel funding is named from the fact that the majority of investors in this early-stage investment round are either close friends of the entrepreneurs or angel investors.

How can you obtain pre-seed funding?

Pre-seed funding typically begins with a friends-and-family round, after which you'll want to offer it out to other people in your network, ideally those with links to local angel networks or experience funding businesses.

After you've discovered possible angel investors, gather their email addresses and send them a first contact email seeking a pitch meeting.

Once you have a clear understanding of how to get pre-seed funding, you can move on to the next phase. In pitch meetings, you should first introduce yourself (since investors recognize that at this time, they're investing in the founder as much as the firm), then your idea, demonstrating how you'll implement it and why it'll succeed based on a thorough understanding of the market landscape. You must also be able to demonstrate:

• Opportunity in the market

• Customers' curiosity

• Financial forecasts

• Plan for fundraising

If an angel investor is interested in your pitch, they will want a business plan before finalizing the deal and cutting the check.