PitchBook’s Guide to VC Funding for Startups

pitchbook.com Page 1
PitchBook’s guide
to VC fundraising
for startups

Overview
Building a business from scratch is hard, full stop.
Millions of global entrepreneurs try their hand at launching new products
and services each year, but studies suggest that only 40% of startups will
ever become profitable. For companies that do reach the milestone of
profitability, it’s often achieved after years of arduous work.
Still, the opportunity is there, and veteran founders, first-time entrepreneurs
and other innovators recognize that. From Silicon Valley to Copenhagen,
Tokyo to Frankfurt, and everywhere in between, these savvy pros are
developing the next-new-thing across every sector, vertical, segment and
emerging market. This guide is an introduction to the venture capital (VC)
fundraising process. Across the pages to follow, we’ll dive into the stages
of VC fundraising, the pros and cons of self-funding and external funding,
how to approach investors when you’ve decided your business is ready to
seek external funding and more. We’ll also share feedback from founders
and investors about what has worked—and, importantly, what didn’t—in
previous fundraising pitch meetings they’ve been part of.
In short, if you’re a budding or established entrepreneur, if you’ve founded
a company or you’re thinking about doing so, if you’ve come up through the
accelerator pathway and are ready for what’s next, this guide is for you.

Table of contents
The stages of VC fundraising
04
07
09
12
16
24
25
So, you think your startup is ready for funding?
Self-funding vs. external funding: Which is right for you?
Your sights are set on VC funding. Now what?
A gameplan for VC interactions
Step 1: Identify the investors that align with your values
Step 2: Perfect your pitch
Step 3: Approach your target list of investors
Step 4: Give a pitch presentation that wows
Reminder: You’ve got this—your most unique offering is you
What to do after you’ve secured VC funding

Page 4
The stages of VC fundraising
Startup companies wind their way through a complex path of funding options.
After a company has bootstrapped, incubated and accelerated itself as far as it
can go, its founder(s) may choose to seek venture capital funding—cash raised
from investors employed as general partners (GPs) at VC firms. Startups use the
VC funding they raise across a wide range of applications, including building out
their teams, reaching a profitability milestone or expanding their offerings to a
global market.
The graphic below is designed to help budding founders and entrepreneurs get
rooted in the approximate stages of venture capital fundraising, which their own
startups may interact with at various points in the future.
The VC funding pathway
As you and your team chart a course through the fundraising landscape, take a
look at the pathway in front of you. At every stage, multiple financing sources and
options exist—each path ripe for further exploration. Later-stage rounds, Series C
and beyond, have their own set of considerations, but as a first-time founder and/or
first-time fundraiser of venture capital, digging into those can come later.
• Incubators
• Friends and family
• Small-business loans (SBAs)
Pre-institutional (sometimes called pre-seed)
Pre-institutional funding refers to financing rounds with no
institutional investors involved.
Financing sources:
• Accelerators
• Bootstrapping
• Crowdfunding
Seed stage
Seed money is a type of financing where an investor provides capital in
exchange for equity.
Financing sources:
• Accelerators
• Angel and super-angel
investors
• Equity crowdfunding
• Founders
• Incubators
• Founders’ friends and family
• Micro-funds (less than $50M)
• Small-to-medium VC funds
*see note
on page 5
pitchbook.com

Later-stage rounds
• Series C
• Series D
• Series E
• Series F
• Series G
• Mezzanine
• Bridge
• IPO
Did you know?
The definition of pre-seed is evolving. Traditionally,
pre-seed was referred to any financing that occurred
prior the first intuitional stage. But today, with more
VC funds investing in pre-seed companies than ever,
pre-seed is turning into an actual stage of invest-
ment within the industry.
*
Page 5
Earlier-stage rounds
Series A
Series A financing is the first formal round of
venture capital financing.
Series B
After Series A rounds, Series B is the next formal round of
VC financing.
Financing sources:
• Accelerators
• Corporate VC
• Incubators
• Large multi-stage
VC funds
Financing sources:
• Accelerator
• Corporate VC
• Series A investor(s),
plus
additional VC(s)
• Small-to-medium VC
funds
• Incubators
• Large multi-stage
VC funds
• Small-to-medium
VC funds
pitchbook.com

A closer look at seed and early-stage
funding rounds
How do seed and early-stage funding rounds stack up? See the table below.
Page 6
pitchbook.com
Stage of
development
Small team, product de-
velopment and/or testing,
low-to-no revenue
Growing team, finding
product-market fit,
growing revenues
Growing team,
finding product-
market fit, growing
revenues
Application of
funding
Building and testing the
product, defining goals,
getting it into the market
Building or iterating on
the business model, lining
up distribution, launching
a product, hiring a team,
adding new customers
Scaling the team,
increasing revenues,
taking the market
You know you're
ready when...
You have a minimum viable
product (MVP) to showcase
to investors to help them
understand the problem, the
solution and why the capital is
necessary for growth
Your MVP has been
created and shipped, and
iterations on that product
have been implemented
to some degree
A product is continuing
to be developed, but
new markets need to
be approached and
additional sales growth
and development are
needed
What to look for
in an investor
In-depth knowledge of the
market your company is in,
a deep understanding of the
challenges that might arise
in product development and
launch and a strong network of
other investors that can help
with future equity raises
The ability to help ramp
up sales, develop an
approach to marketing
a company’s products
and a history of doing the
same for other companies
within your industry
The ability to help
ramp up sales,
develop an approach
to marketing a
company’s products
and a history of doing
the same for other
companies within
your industry
Average funding
range
$1M-$5M $2M-$20M $2M-$20M
Seed Series A Series B

The pros and cons of self-funding vs. external funding
Before we dig into the pros and cons of self-funding vs. external funding, let’s take a peek at a few companies that chose
to self-fund (at least to start) and a few that exclusively took in VC funding. The takeaway? Both are viable paths to
consider, and every founder’s journey through the process of fundraising for their startup looks different.
Companies that self-funded
Company Founded Market cap Founding story
Headquarters
Companies that took in VC funding
Atlassian
Shutterstock
Wayfair
Sydney, AU
New York, USA
Boston, USA
2002
2003
2002
$46.48B
$2.33B
$6.56B
Self-funded until 2010. IPO’d in 2015.
Poshmark
Palantir
Coursera
Redwood City,
CA, USA
Denver, USA
Mountain View,
CA, USA
2011
2003
2012
$794.38M
$15.27B
$2.20B
Secured seed-stage VC in 2011.
IPO’d in 2021.
Secured seed-stage VC in 2004.
IPO’d in 2020.
Secured Series A funding in 2012.
IPO’d in 2021.
Now, let’s take a closer look—
Company Founded Market cap Founding story
Headquarters
*Data via PitchBook as of 5/12/22, data subject to change
Congrats! That’s amazing—it means you’ve built something really special, and
the promise and potential of your startup’s offerings are fueling your fire to
reach the next level. Read on.
So, you think your startup is ready
for funding?

Self-funding
The self-funding approach to raising capital for a startup is, well, just what it sounds like. Also known as bootstrapping (of
the “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” variety), self-funding involves an entrepreneur leveraging their own resources—
their personal savings, friends and/or family or bank debt—to finance their company’s growth. Bootstrapping founders
are not raising capital for their company’s future through fundraising efforts targeted at VCs. However, if a founder wants
to bootstrap but can’t tap into their own savings or family money, they may need to take out a small-business loan, also
called an SBA loan.
Benefits of self-funding
Founder(s) retain full ownership of the company
and 100% of its profits
Founder(s) maintain more control over the
direction of the company
Founder(s) truly work for themselves—they
aren’t required to give away board seats to
investors, whom they’ll ultimately need to
appease to raise more capital down the line
Drawbacks of self-funding
Founder(s) without sufficient personal capital,
or proximity to it, may need to take on more debt
than those who seek external funding
Bootstrapping is a financial risk for the founder(s),
whose personal finances are then enmeshed with
the business
Businesses that are self-funded tend to grow
more slowly
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
External funding includes any capital raised or acquired from sources outside of the company or founder(s) themselves,
inclusive of all venture capital funding rounds.
External funding
Benefits of external funding
The money founder(s) raise via VC fundraising is
theirs to use however they see fit
VC capital can help a startup scale up—posthaste
and on the double
Founder(s) may benefit from access to venture
capitalists and their extended networks, paving
the way for knowledge transfer and expertise
sharing the founder(s) may not otherwise glean
Drawbacks of external funding
Raising funds to keep the lights on is a laborious
process for founder(s); perfecting a pitch,
identifying a target list, reaching out, shopping
your proposal and scheduling follow-up meetings
is arduous (it is, however, easier with PitchBook),
especially when you’re running day-to-day
operations at a company simultaneously
Founder(s) have less control over their company;
investors own a stake in the startups they invest
in and with their own bottom line tied to the
company’s performance, they often want a say in
decision making
Raising too much capital too early is one of the
primary reasons startups fail; scaling too early
could lead to inefficient spending that won’t tee
up a company up for longer-term success
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.

You prefer to call the shots when it
comes to plotting out the longer-term
trajectory of your company
You are open to input and believe
other perspectives will ultimately lead
your company to a better position
within the marketplace of ideas
If your company were weathering a period
of prolonged hardship and operations
were tied to your personal finances, it
would be difficult or impossible for you
to continue meeting your own, personal
financial commitments (rent, mortgage,
bills, loan payments, etc.)
You have your personal finances
situated in a way that if the business
were to experience hard times,
you’d still be able to meet your own
basic needs and fulfill your financial
obligations
You have a vision for the future of
your startup fleshed out—you’re not
looking for significant feedback that
would alter that path
While you have a good sense for
where you’d like to see your company
go over the longer term, you’re not set
on one particular path or destination
A. B.
Self-funding vs. external funding:
Which is right for you?
To help you discern whether self-funding or external funding may be
a better fit for your startup, add a checkmark in the A or B column to
indicate which sentiment is most closely aligned with your unique
journey as a founder, taking into consideration the realities of where
your company is now, where it’s headed and what your team needs
most. Not sure how to answer? Go with your gut. Your intuition has
gotten you this far already—don’t doubt it now.
A. B.
A. B.

QUIZ CONTINUED
Page 10
You are deeply connected to the
mission and values of the company
you’re building, and as such you’re
hyper-vigilant about input and
suggestions that would introduce
potential deviations from either—
even over the shorter term
You know the value of your offering
in a competitive marketplace
overall; as long as that value is
maintained, you’re less concerned
with iterative next steps and open
to feedback about specific tactics
to reach your next milestone and
longer-term goals
You’re not in a rush—slow, deliberate
growth is a priority for you
You’re ready to grow and scale…
like, yesterday; you’re eager to
get your product or service to the
market, at-scale as soon as possible
The idea of taking on significant
debt to be able to move the needle
at your startup is not a risk that
appeals to you; the pros of access
to a large pool of cash don’t
outweigh the cons associated with
paying back on those debts
You need access to a large pool of
cash in order to do your startup
justice; you know you can’t get your
company where it needs to go on
a nothing-burger budget; you’re
confident that when your startup
takes off, you’ll be able to repay any
debts and still come out on top
You have access to personal savings
and/or a robust network of friends
and family that you’d feel comfortable
approaching about a potential
business loan
Realistically, you, your co-founder(s)
and your combined personal networks
don’t have the type of deep pockets
you’d need to float the business for a
period of months or years
You like when processes are
streamlined and simple—in your
experience, too many cooks in the
kitchen doesn’t typically lead to a
better end result
You appreciate wading through
the muck of a complex set of
considerations; you know your
own limitations and blind spots
and you welcome expertise
from others—you believe it
will ultimately strengthen your
startup’s offerings
Now, tally up the number of checkmarks in columns A and B.
A. B.
A. B.
A. B.
A. B.
A. B.

QUIZ ANSWERS
pitchbook.com
If you checked more boxes in column A
You ought to consider self-funding your startup—at least for now. You’ve got
access to the funding you need through personal and back-channel sources that
don’t involve inviting more people into leadership (or boardroom) positions.
You’re not at risk of tanking your personal finances, and with that sorted, you’re
freed up to do things exactly how you want to do them and at a pace that
works for the company you’re building. You have the opportunity to be slow(er)
and more deliberate, so you and your team may be less likely to make major
missteps—and if you do, there’s time to assess and chart a new, better path.
If you checked more boxes in column B
You should consider seeking external funding for your startup. You have an
incredible idea and you know your product or service offers (or will offer) a
differentiated solution to a pervasive pain point, but you’re open to fleshing out
the finer details with a tenured network of pros. In fact, you believe that your
company’s offerings will ultimately be strengthened by inviting new voices into
the room. Right now, you don’t have access to the funding you’d need to fuel the
growth your company is capable of—outside of VC. And you’re willing to put in
the work to get the cash in hand you need. While you’re detail oriented, you also
want to move forward and fast—why hit the brakes now?
If you checked an equal number of boxes in
columns A and B
No worries! It’s not written anywhere that once you choose to explore self-
funding or external funding that you’re locked into that track forever. Plot a
trajectory that leaves the door open to a combination of both. Consider going
as far as you can with what you’ve got direct access to right now, today. When
you approach the point of exhausting those resources—financial or otherwise—
switch gears. Bring in the heavy hitters when the timing is right (e.g., when
you’ve established profitability and need an infusion of cash to level up).
Mostly B
Mostly A
Equal A/B

Before we dive in, let’s take a quick look at some of the most active seed stage,
Series A and Series B investors. Using data from the PitchBook Platform, the table
below highlights top investors in each funding round by number of investments
made in the past five years. The takeaway? There are plenty of opportunities
across all funding rounds to secure the capital you need.
Your sights are set on securing VC funding.
Now what?
Investor name
Most recent seed
investment amount Company name
Deal count
Top 8 seed investors by number of seed stage investments (2017-present)
126
84
72
$1.4M
$0.2M
$0.2M
Careerist
Lifechart
Kupay
Think Bigger Capital
Expert DOJO
Internet Initiatives
Development Fund
65
$0.3M Moja Ride
Hatcher+
54
$2.1M Unown
Cellevolve
DeepSurface Security
Morado
82
APX
38
$6.0M
36
$6.5M
$5.0M
* Data via PitchBook as of 5/16/22; date range 1/1/17-5/16/22
**Seed Investors defined as investing 75%+ of all deals in seed stage
***Investment amount represents total amount of round, not investor's
individual contribution
Jumpstart Health Investors
Ideaship
Latitud

Investor name
Most recent seed
investment amount
Company name
Deal count
Top 8 Series A investors by number of Series A investments (2017-present)
27
16
15
Undisclosed
$8.3M
$25.0M
LDX Asset Management
Neptune Mutual
Jasper
Redesign Health
Redline DAO
BlocTech Investment Group
14
Undisclosed No.1 Career
Grains Valley Venture
Capital
12
$4.2M Dragonfly AI
Dosec
Sanctuary AI
Bigverse
15
Guinness Ventures
Maintrend Capital
Evok Innovations
Capital Nuts
12
Undisclosed
12
$58.5M
Undisclosed
Investor name
Most recent seed
investment amount
Company name
Deal count
9
7
6
$30.0M
$68.0M
$47.1M
Virnect
Glycomine
JYSS BIO
CITIC Medical
& Heath Group
Mesa Verde Venture Partners
KDB Investment
5
Undisclosed Ykccn.com
Oppo
5
$13.7M Ambar
Meipian
Morai
Clarapath
7
TPG Alternative &
Renewable Technologies
Mango Cultural and
Creative Fund
Hyundai
Epiphron Capital
5
$14.8M
5
$20.9M
$16.0M
Top 8 Series B investors by number of Series B investments (2017-present)
** Data via PitchBook as of 5/16/22; date range 1/1/17-5/16/22
**Series B Investors defined as investing 75%+ of all deals in stage B
***Investment amount represents total amount of round, not investor's individual contribution
** Data via PitchBook as of 5/16/22; date range 1/1/17-5/16/22
**Series A Investors defined as investing 75%+ of all deals in stage A
***Investment amount represents total amount of round, not investor's individual contribution

How do seed stage and Series A funding rounds compare?
Both occur in the early stages of a startup’s VC fundraising efforts and both tend to represent lower relative dollar
values when compared to later-stages (Series C, D and subsequent rounds). Additionally, seed and Series A funding are
both leveraged to dial in a startup’s core offerings, business plan, team, launch plan and market viability—all the steps
necessary to set a company up for success into the longer term. Here are some differences to consider:
The amount of capital a startup can raise is typically less at the seed stage
($1M-$5M) than in a Series A round ($2M-$20M).
Because of the smaller price tag, seed stage funding can come with fewer
strings attached. Investors stand to lose less if a seed-stage company
they’ve invested in doesn’t pan out.
Seed funding typically includes a larger group of participating investors,
giving founders access to a more robust network and pool of expertise.
An infusion of Series A funding can be used to ramp up quickly, but
with VCs investing higher dollar amounts, the pressure to perform (or
outperform) is higher.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Now it’s time to suss out whether you and your startup ought to be vying
for seed round or Series A funding. Here are some key considerations:

Should you skip seed funding and go straight to
Series A?
If you already have a strong business model, a viable product and revenue, you
can choose to forego a seed round. Moving right along to Series A, you’ll have
access to a larger sum of capital—and quickly.
However, keep in mind, this consideration relies on the assumption that the
names of these rounds are very important. But, sometimes, they’re just not.
There’s no major benefit to skipping a seed round necessarily, unless you’re
a developed business already. If you’re eight years into building your company
and you’re just trying to raise capital, you might skip the seed stage. Seed stage
companies have a connotation of being emerging, not yet fully defined or focused,
which a more established business may want to bypass. That said, you can raise a
Series A or Series B round for your first round.
How long does it take to get VC funding?
You should be ready to hit the grindstone for at least six months. Some startups
are able to raise the capital they need in three months, while others may take a
year. You’re playing the long game here, so be prepared for anything.
Can you make it through the seed phase with your
own money?
We discussed in a previous section that it’s totally possible to fund a startup
through a combination of self-funding and externally sourced venture capital
funding. All the pros and cons of self-funding discussed earlier apply here
too—from retaining equity and control to putting your personal finances at risk
and traversing a slower path toward growth.

A gameplan for VC interactions
Now that you know what round of funding you’ll be vying for, let’s get down to
brass tacks.
Step 1 Identify the investors that
align with your values
No two VC firms are the same, and every investor
brings their unique perspectives, preferences
and values to a pitch meeting. Finding the right
investors—the ones uniquely suited to help your
startup reach its maximum potential—is vital. Here
are some questions to ask yourself, as you begin to
evaluate your must-haves and nice-to-haves when
it comes to potential general partners (GPs):
• How active would you like an investor to be? Are you interested in an active,
vocal player—someone who will help shape your vision and mold your
business? Or are you looking for an investor that will stay in the background?
• Where is the firm headquartered and where are its satellite offices?
• What does the firm’s previous investment performance look like (e.g.,
amount invested, pre- and post-money valuations)? Have its other portfolios
gone on to raise more capital?
• How does the firm compare to other firms that you are targeting
for investment?
• Does the investor focus on startups in specific industries, verticals or
emerging spaces?
• What other deals has the fund manager led?
• What firms have they co-invested with in the past?
• How much dry powder, or cash on hand, does the firm have?

The view from across the table
What can I glean about this company by
looking at its revenue figures, cap table and
financing history?
What’s the executive team’s track record, and
do they have the right mix of experiences to
grow a business?
Are there any challenges this company might
face relative to the industry or vertical it’s
operating within?
What does the competitive landscape look like—
who are the major players and up-and-coming
heavy hitters operating in the same space?
As you vet potential investors for alignment with you and your company, they’ll be
doing the same. Here are some questions that investors will ask themselves when
evaluating your startup, to see whether it’s a fit for their firm’s investment portfolio:
STEP 1 CONTINUED

Page 18
PitchBook.com
Finding the right
investors with
PitchBook
• Get key information about hundreds of thousands of investors,
including firms’ assets under management (AUM), available dry
powder and office locations
• See VCs’ investment history at a glance, including deal size, type,
industry and geography
• See a firm’s investments and portfolio company exits
• Get need-to-know details on exits and buyers
• Assess firms’ investment trends and exits by industry and type,
broken down by number of deals, median deal size and last
investment date
• Curate a list of investors who are active in your industry and region
• Get to know who’s on a firm’s investment team with details on the
deals they’ve led, funds they’ve run and board seats they’ve held
• See the number of deals a lead partner has participated in and
across which industries
• Dive into an investor’s funds and performance data
• View details on a firm’s co-investors, parsed by year, series
and industry
How StradVision uses PitchBook to find
international investors
South Korea-based software company StradVision enables autonomous
vehicles to recognize objects, understand what they are and how to interact
with them. Hyung-Tae Kim, the company’s VP of Finance, says it can be
hard for Asian companies to raise funds abroad, especially in the West.
Using PitchBook, Kim and his team can target the right North American
investors—considering their past investments, dry powder and more.
“It makes our pitches and meetings
more efficient and relevant, since we
know who we’re talking to and what
they’re interested in before we talk
to them,” Kim says. “PitchBook is a
wonderful platform to acquire critical
financial investment intelligence.”
Learn more about how StradVision
uses PitchBook
Leveraging the PitchBook Platform, founders can:
STEP 1 CONTINUED
Page 18

Perfect your pitch
With a list of potential investors in hand, it’s time
to dial in your pitch. How can you do that? To find
out, we connected with Carrie Colbert, founding and
general partner of Curate Capital—a PitchBook client.
Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Houston, the venture capital firm focuses
on funding early-stage, female-founded startups.
“When it comes to pitching, I want to know what
problem you’re solving, how you’re solving it and
why you are uniquely suited to address the issue.”
— Carrie Colbert, Curate Capital
To give an effective presentation that addresses exactly why a GP should invest in
your company, you should be able to speak to:
The industry and your startup’s unique place
within it
Investors are often experts in your company’s industry. To make sure you’re on
equal footing, do your homework and clearly demonstrate that you know your
market. Track your competitors closely and be ready to convey your company’s
key differentiators. “The startup world is crowded,” Colbert says. “Being able to
articulate what differentiates you makes a big difference to investors.”
The evolving market landscape
Actively research market participants in your sector and beyond and be able to
define your current market landscape—including market size. “Understanding the
market at large shows an investor that you’ve thought beyond the myopic
perspective of your company in isolation,” Colbert adds. All the better if you’ve got
presentation-ready market maps to help reinforce your assessments.
How the investor will make a profit
An exit may seem distant, but it’s top-of-mind for investors. Show them how they’ll
profit from investing in your startup, via a well-planned exit. “I want you all-in on
building your business for the long haul, while being keenly aware at the same time
of who might ultimately acquire your company,” Colbert says. “It may sound a bit
paradoxical, but it’s imperative that you, as a founder, hold both perspectives at the
same time: commitment to building with an eye on the exit.”
Step 2

Page 20
The anatomy of a pitch deck
Pitch decks are meant to provide visual support for what you say during your pitch meeting. As a general note, pitch decks
should be clear, concise and straightforward. Here are a few format and content suggestions to get you started:
Pitch deck template
STEP 2 CONTINUED
Problem
What is not working about the
way things are right now?
Solution
How does your startup solve
the problem mentioned in
the previous slide?
Traction
What numbers-based indicators
can you point to in order to show
you’re onto something?
Target market
Who is in your addressable target
market?
Competition
Who are your competitors and
where do they fall short compared
to what you’re building?
Vision
Where is your company headed,
and how will you get there?
Team
Who’s helping you along this
journey, and why are they the right
people for your company?
Use of funds
What’s your next milestone, and
how much additional capital will it
require?
Title
*Adapted from Y Combinator
Company name, logo, one-line elevator
pitch describing what you offer.

*Adapted from Elizabeth van Rooyen
Approach your target list
of investors
At this point, you’ve got a lot going for you: A target
list of investors whose preferences align with your
company and its industry, a compelling pitch you
can confidently rattle off in your sleep and an
accompanying deck that helps tell your story. Now
it’s time to put everything into motion. It’s time to
hit send on some initial intro emails to investors.
Here’s a template you can use for inspiration:
Dear [investor name],
[Quick, personalized statement to show that you’ve done your homework on this investor.]
I’m the [title] of [company], which is a [description of your company and the problem it solves].
[1-2 sentences describing the pervasiveness of the problem, your company’s specific solution and how
it’s differentiated from others in the market]. Because you focus on [industry], I wanted to share some
information about where we are in our journey.
We initially launched on [date], and since then, we’ve achieved a number of milestones:
• Acquired [#] of [customers/users/subscribers/members], including [name a few, if possible]
• Assembled a world-class team representing experience from [name a few companies]
• Achieved [specific revenue metric] of [$#]
• [Other relevant metric, like growth rate %, $# in monthly recurring revenue, repeat order rate %]
Now we’re looking to raise a [$# pre-seed, Seed Series A, Series B round] to [main goals of this capital raise],
while continuing to build out the existing product with new features.
[Personalized paragraph about why you want this investor on your team, what value they can provide your
company, and an acknowledgment of what issue areas have—or expect to—that they can help advise on.]
Thanks for your time, and I look forward to hearing back from you.
Warm regards,
Your Name
Step 3
“PitchBook helped us target suitable investors for
our Series A raise. Great tool for startups to assist
with raising money.”
— Don Perugini, Founder and CEO, Presagen
To:
From:
Page 21
pitchbook.com

pitchbook.com
Give a pitch presentation
that wows
Having completed steps 1-3, this should be the easy
part—right? You’ve done your research. You’ve done
enough due diligence to know which investors might
be a fit. And, importantly, you’ve secured time on
their packed calendars. You’re prepared with, and able
to speak authoritatively to, your startup’s story and
key offerings, its positioning within the market and
the opportunity they have to profit by investing.
But the cold, hard truth? Despite all that, presenting
in person isn’t easy. Telling a compelling story
succinctly to a person whose job entails hearing
many similar spiels is hard. The good news is that
the more you do it, the easier it gets. And with every
presentation given, you have more experiences to
pull from, evaluate, refine and retool over time.
Step 4
A founder’s point of view on pitching
“As a founder, your job is to sell a vision, communicate a story and get people to
buy in. The reality of it is you shouldn't be able to convince everyone because if
you could, then your thing would be so obvious, and there would be no market
opportunity. While objectively that sounds true, it can be hard in the moment
when you’re going out and pitching this thing you really care about.
My biggest takeaway is that not everyone is going to see what you see, and they
don't need to. While I may not have liked all the feedback I’ve gotten, I try to
disassociate myself from it personally and say, ‘Okay, what can I do better? How
do I continue to refine my approach and process? How do I leverage my strengths
to better position myself and this company?’ It’s about resilience and persistence.”
—Trevor Rozier-Byrd, Founder, Stackwell Capital
Page 22

How to make a lasting impression—from a
VC’s perspective
Curious about what you can do to stand out from the pack of founders vying
for startup capital? We touched base with Linda Greub, managing partner of
Avestria Partners—a PitchBook client. The San Francisco-based VC firm funds
early-stage women’s health and female-led life sciences companies. Here are
a few things that catch Greub’s eye during a pitch meeting:
“Number one: preparedness, a clear presentation, an ability to answer questions
thoroughly and thoughtfully—even if the answer is, ‘I’ll have to get back to you.’
Timely follow-ups, if there are any after an initial meeting, and an awareness of
Avestria’s thesis. You’d be amazed at the number of companies that reach out to
us that haven’t read our investment thesis in advance.”
“We’re also impressed by companies that are looking ahead. For healthcare
specifically, founders can demonstrate that characteristic by giving an overview of
regulatory and reimbursement plans, sharing ideas for potential partnerships and
having an exit date and potential acquirers in mind. Obviously, things can change,
but we like to see that the company is looking long-term.”
“We look for founders and funding teams that can
recognize future challenges. That awareness on
their end allows us to see if and how we can truly
add value as their investment partner.”
— Linda Greub, Avestria Partners
STEP 4 CONTINUED
“In 10 months, PitchBook has helped eight of our
founders with capital raises. It has led to more
than 26 pitches in the last four months alone.”
— Joelle Foster, CEO, North Forge

Page 24
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pitchbook.com
Reminder: You’ve got this—your most
unique offering is you
There are many component parts related to securing VC funding for your startup.
There’s a lot to remember, a lot to get right and a lot of what-ifs. It’s stressful.
But when you hit send on that email, or take your place at the front of a
conference room, remember that you—your game-changing ideas and the hard
work you put in up to this point—are what got you here. You got you here. Take
up that space, tell your story and get what you came for.
And maybe you’ll get something wrong along the way. A misstep is a meaningful
opportunity to hone your approach—something founders don’t tend to shy away
from. With ample prep and the right pivots, you’ll bounce back after any setback.

Page 25
Whew! With capital secured, take a beat to recognize all
you’ve accomplished so far. Developing a business plan,
crafting a pitch, connecting with investors, effectively
telling your story and the value proposition of what you’ve
built to investors again and again… that’s not easy.
That said, now it’s time to implement the plan you’ve
crafted diligently over time.
It’s time to: hire a team, build out your company’s offerings,
reach that next milestone—and then do it all again.
What to do after you’ve
secured VC funding
Win what’s next

PitchBook’s Guide to VC Funding for Startups

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