How to Raise a Pre-Seed Round

Pre-seed is often the hardest round to raise. Heres how to do it right.

What is Pre-Seed?

Pre-seed is the earliest stage of institutional funding:

• Typical size: $100K - $1M
• Valuation: $2M - $8M
• Stage: Idea to early product

Who Invests at Pre-Seed?

Angel Investors

Individual investors writing $25K-$100K checks

Find angels by industry

Pre-Seed Funds

Dedicated funds for earliest-stage:

• Precursor Ventures
• Hustle Fund
• 2048 Ventures

Accelerators

Programs that invest $125K-$500K:

• Y Combinator ($500K)
• Techstars ($120K)
• 500 Startups

What Do Pre-Seed Investors Want?

• Exceptional founders - Track record, domain expertise

• Large market - $1B+ TAM

• Unique insight - Why you will win

• Early signals - Waitlist, LOIs, pilot customers

Building Your Pre-Seed Round

Syndicate Approach

Combine multiple investors:

• 1-2 lead angels ($50K-$100K each)
• 5-10 smaller angels ($10K-$25K each)
• Consider angel syndicates

Find Pre-Seed Investors

By Industry:

• Pre-Seed AI Investors
• Pre-Seed Fintech Investors
• Pre-Seed SaaS Investors

By Location:

• Pre-Seed Investors in SF
• Pre-Seed Investors in NYC
• Pre-Seed Investors in LA

Timeline Expectations

• Preparation: 2-4 weeks
• Fundraising: 6-12 weeks
• Total: 2-4 months

Conclusion

Pre-seed success comes from targeting the right investors. Use AngelBacked to find investors who actively back pre-seed companies.