Hi,
In this edition, I'm sharing my 12-month fundraising plan, building off the last podcast episode.
Also;
📸 - Social Snapshot- Founder optimism
đź“Š - Fall Fundraising Cheatsheet
🎙️ - Episode 59: The 12-month fundraising plan w/ me
🆓 - A brand new startup resource for nailing investor calls
Welcome to issue #95!
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Thoughts on Founder Optimism by Mr Buzz on X
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Episode 59: The 12-month fundraising plan
Another solo episode this week where I break down my sure-fire plan for securing capital for your business from month zero to one year.
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Data Corner
Fall Fundraising Cheatsheet
Fall fundraising is in full swing! Here’s some data on software-only valuations and round sizes since June 1st from Carta to help with your investor negotiations.
For pre-seed, the median valuation cap is $11M with $1.2M raised—it's the busiest part of the venture market. Seed rounds are seeing $3.7M raised on a $14.8M pre-money valuation, close to 2021 levels but with fewer deals. Series A is raising $10.8M on a $43M valuation, though round volume remains sluggish. Series B sees $22.9M raised on a $116M valuation, with a slight dip lately, while Series C rounds are sparse, with $30M raised on $258M.
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Raising Capital for your startup?
Thunder's mission is to guide founders toward the right path to reach their North Star, be it through securing equity or debt financing or navigating the path to a successful exit.
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The 12-Month Capital Plan: Don’t Wait Until You’re Desperate
Raising capital is like prepping for a marathon—you don’t start training the day before. If you do, well, you’re toast. This 12-month plan is your roadmap for securing funding without breaking a sweat (or at least not panicking at 3 a.m.).
Month Zero: The Relationship Zone
First things first—don’t wait until you need the money to ask for it. Too many founders wait until they’re desperate, then scramble to cobble together investor relationships in three months. Spoiler alert: that rarely works. Instead, you need to kick things off with a little something called relationship-building.
Find 10 smart, credible people in your space—not necessarily investors, just folks who are highly regarded and well-connected. Think of them as the gateway to your future investor network. Meet them in person. Yes, real life, like grabbing a coffee. Why? Because when investors ask for intros, they’ll want to know, “Have you actually met this person?” (And trust me, “We’ve only Zoomed” doesn’t carry the same weight.)
Don’t ask for money. Ask for advice. Let these people lean in, feel invested, and—most importantly—see that you’re coachable. You’re laying the foundation here for those crucial warm intros later on.
Months 1-5: Updates Are Your Best Friend
Okay, you’ve made some connections. Now it’s time to nurture them. This is where the magic happens—regular updates. Monthly updates if you plan to close within the year; quarterly if it’s further out. Show them your wins, your challenges, even the stuff that makes you cringe a little.
If you stop updating, you’ll fade from memory and all the groundwork from month zero. Gone. It’s like ghosting someone after a great first date—don't do it. Keep the updates coming, and don’t be afraid to ask for advice along the way. It keeps people invested in your success (pun intended).
Month 6: The Prep Zone
Now the gears start turning. First up: get your pitch deck ready. But don’t go into a cave and emerge with a “final version.” Share drafts with your network, get feedback and tweak it as you go. If you need help, hit us up at Thunder We love building killer decks.
Next, lock down your growth trajectory for the next six months. Consistency is key here. If your numbers dip, even a little, investors will hesitate faster than a squirrel in traffic. Keep some cash on hand to maintain momentum, and remember—slow and steady beats boom and bust. Investors love a smooth, upward curve.
Months 7-8: Warm Intros or Bust
By now, you should have a strong network. Use it! Start asking for warm intros to investors. Be specific about who you want on your cap table and do your homework on which investors are a fit. Pro tip: make it super easy for your contacts by drafting emails they can just forward on your behalf.
Aim for 30 meetings with 30 investors. That’s the magic number. Anything less, and you might not get enough momentum. Anything more, and you’re risking burnout. Be persistent—people are busy, but a little polite nudging never hurt anyone.
Month 9: Blitzkrieg Time
This is it. The 30 days of chaos. You should have 30 in-person meetings lined up by now. If you can’t meet in person, fine—Google Meet it is. But the goal is to show up and get real facetime with investors.
If you hit that 30-meeting goal, you’ll likely walk away with 1-3 term sheets. That’s a win in my book. Don’t stop until you get there—this is the grind that separates those who close from those who get stuck in fundraising purgatory.
Months 10-12: The Endgame
At this point, you’re deep in due diligence. If you’ve made it this far, congratulations—now it’s just a matter of working through the legal stuff and getting wires into your account. But remember: if you don’t lay the groundwork properly in the first nine months, this stage becomes a nightmare.
The TL;DR? Build relationships early, nurture them with updates, and never, ever stop hustling for those warm intros. If you can nail this 12-month plan, you’re golden.
And here’s the kicker: next week, I’m dropping a guide that will help you build a hyper-targeted investor list. Stay tuned—it could be the game-changer your fundraising process needs.
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Free Fundraising Resources
We've got a fresh new resource for you. Want to master your first call with an investor and secure that crucial second call? Check this out:
đź“ž The guide to nailing your first investor call- Download it Here
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Let's stay in touch:
- Written by Jason Kirby - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonrkirby
- Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for market and industry news and tips when it comes to raising capital and growing your business - https://join.thunder.vc
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