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Fundraising, decoded.

Insights on seed-stage fundraising, VC meetings, and startup evaluation.

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David Rakusan · June 19, 2026

How Much to Raise in Your Pre-Seed Round (2026 Guide)

Most pre-seed rounds raise $500K to $2M, but the right number is the cash that buys 18 to 24 months of runway to reach the milestone your next investor needs to see. This 2026 guide shows how investors read your number, the real cost of under-raising (running out of capital) and over-raising (a down round next time), and a four-step milestone-backed method to size your round, with current Carta, PitchBook, and Forum Ventures data.

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David Rakusan · June 1, 2026

Where to Find Pre-Seed Investors in Europe (and How to Get Warm Intros That Convert)

The European pre-seed map has roughly 80 active funds, four major accelerators, and a continent-wide angel network. The hard part is not the list. It is getting into the room and converting the meeting. This article maps the active European pre-seed channels in 2026, shows how the market differs from the US, and explains how founders who close fast bring proof to every warm intro.

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David Rakusan · May 19, 2026

How to Find Angel Investors for Your Startup in 2026

There are 400,000 angel investors globally in 2025 and US angels back 70,000 deals per year worth $28B. Finding them is not the bottleneck. Closing them is. This guide shows where angels actually source deals in 2026 (warm intros account for 60%+, cold email under 5%), what they test in the first meeting, and why the founders who close angel rounds in days arrive with structured proof, not a longer deck. Includes a 6-step framework and a week-one outreach playbook.

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David Rakusan · May 15, 2026

Convertible Note vs SAFE: What Founders Actually Sign in 2026

In the United States, the SAFE has won pre-seed: 90 percent of deals on Carta in Q1 2025 used one. The convertible note still has five specific situations where it is the right instrument, including bridge rounds, European deals where SEIS or EIS relief is on the table, and conservative angels who want a maturity date. This guide walks through what each instrument actually encodes and gives founders a five-question decision framework.

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David Rakusan · May 12, 2026

Pre-Seed Funding: How to Raise Your First Round in 2026

Pre-seed funding in 2026 means raising $250K to $1M on a post-money SAFE, with median valuation caps at $10M for smaller rounds and $15M for rounds above $1M. This guide covers the 2025 Carta benchmarks, what pre-seed investors actually look for beyond the pitch deck, SAFE mechanics and common mistakes, the warm intro vs cold outreach gap, and a 10-item pre-fundraise proof checklist for first-time founders. Built from 7 years on the investor side of the table.

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David Rakusan · May 7, 2026

SAFE Notes Explained: What Every First-Time Founder Should Know in 2026

A SAFE looks like a one-page handshake. It is not. It is a fixed claim on your future equity, and most first-time founders model the dilution wrong until it is too late. This guide breaks down what a SAFE actually is, how post-money math works, the difference between caps, discounts, and MFN clauses, and the four mistakes that turn a casual SAFE round into a Series A surprise. Written by a founder who spent 7 years on the investor side.

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