David Rakusan ·
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.