What's going on in the venture capital market? While we see very large, highly valued rounds for AI companies, many founders struggle to secure funding at all. 😳 I see 4 founder profiles in the market: 1️⃣ Serial founders or scale-up executives → They raise big rounds (+20m valuations) led by Tier1 VCs. 2️⃣ Founders with traction (100-200k ARR) → They usually find a pre-seed lead after multiple VC talks and then fill rounds quickly on average valuations. Only works for VC Cases. 3️⃣ Founders with little traction but competitive markets → They struggle with endless VC conversations that often lead nowhere. Better off raising angel rounds or bootstrapping. 4️⃣ Software founders bootstrapping → They build MVPs, start selling, and skip early rounds altogether—or wait for better momentum. What are pre-seed investors looking for in 2025? 👉 Proprietary data sources 👉 Strong domain knowledge (vertical SaaS is a win!) 👉 Real customer traction 👉 Deep-tech with a clear edge Fundraising strategy matters more than ever. Here’s what works: • Cluster VCs - don’t pitch your dream fund first. • Use early NOs as free feedback to improve your story. • One term sheet creates momentum - then the round fills up fast. What has been your experience raising in this market❓ #fundraising #venturecapital #investments 📸 Fabian Klima
Spot on breakdown Laura Raggl. In this market, you’re not pitching for capital but you’re proving that you deserve it over the 200 other decks in their inbox. The founders who treat pre-seed like a sales process, not a lottery, are the ones still closing. They are consistent and definitely winning at the end of day
It's a winner-take-all market for fundraising.
Fully agree
Sehr treffend beobachtet!! 🙌 Gerade in diesem Markt merkt man wie wichtig Storytelling und klare Differenzierung sind.. besonders spannend finde ich den Trend, dass proprietäre Daten und Deep-Tech in 2025 extrem hoch im Kurs stehen 👏
Senior Full Stack Developer | Hands-On Software Architect | CTO/Tech Lead | AI & Cloud-Native Expert | Principal Engineer | AWS
2moIn today’s pre-seed market, ‘traction’ isn’t just ARR — it’s proof you’ve found a wedge into a market others overlook. Many founders still chase the same crowded spaces with the same metrics. But the rounds that close fastest often come from identifying value that incumbents deliberately leave untapped — whether due to business model constraints, inefficiency, or simple oversight. If you can prove that overlooked segment is real, reachable, and scalable, you’re not just another pitch in a VC’s inbox — you’re a new category in the making. And that’s where momentum becomes inevitable.