Raising money is critical for getting new startups up and running and helping them grow into successes. As a startup progresses, it goes through different fundraising rounds to hit important goals. Each round has a specific purpose and brings in more cash and backers.

In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at the funding stages like the seed, series A & series B. We’ll explain each stage in detail & also see how they differentiate from each other. We’ll explain them with examples for your better understanding. So let’s get started.

How Funding Rounds Work

Funding rounds provide outside investors the opportunity to invest cash in a growing startup in exchange for equity or partial ownership of that startup. When you hear discussions of Pre-seed, seed, Series A, and Series B funding rounds, these terms are referring to this process of growing a startup through outside investment.

What’s The Difference Between fundraising round

There are important differences between Pre-seed, seed funding, Series A funding, and Series B funding for startups.

Pre-seed funding is the earliest stage of fundraising for a startup. It’s an investment in an idea.

Seed rounds are typically smaller – startups use this money to test their product-market fit, build a minimally viable product, and do initial marketing.

Series A funding helps a young startup grow. The money is used to expand operations, ramp up marketing, and build a larger customer base.

Series B funding continues to fuel a startup’s growth. The capital allows the startup to scale operations further, continue product development, and penetrate more markets.

The number of funding rounds a startup goes through can vary depending on their needs and goals. Some startups may only need a few rounds while others may go through many rounds as they continue to grow.

For example, a popular startup Uber has raised a total of $25.2B in funding over 32 rounds. Now, let us explore a detailed discussion of each funding round.

What Is Pre-seed Funding?

Getting pre-seed funding is the very first stage of fundraising for a startup. It is an investment in an idea, which helps cover initial costs like market research, basic product development, and putting together your founding team. 

When companies first start, the owners usually pay for things themselves. They use their own money, money from family and friends. Sometimes people called “angel investors” who like the idea also give money.

In the beginning, companies usually raise under $250,000. Just enough money to get started.

Investing this early is very risky. Most of the time, companies only have an idea, not a product. They do not have customers or history yet. But If the new startup does really well, the early people who gave money first can get lots more money back.

For example, let’s say you have an idea for an app called NixLoop to help people manage their finances. You decide to raise pre-seed funding to do some initial market research and build your founding team. You pitch your idea to friends and family and manage to raise $100,000 in pre-seed funding to get NixLoop started.

What Is Seed Funding?

Seed funding provides crucial funding for a startup company in its earliest stages. It helps fund things like developing an initial product and doing basic market research to define the idea.

Seed money often comes from angel investors (wealthy individuals), friends, family, and crowdfunding. Seed rounds typically raise between $50,000 to $1 million.

Investing at the seed stage is very risky since the startup is just getting going. However, successful seed investments can pay off big time for those early investors if the startup takes off.

In our example, Let’s say you developed the NixLoop app & got some initial customers. And now you decide to raise seed funding to further develop your app and conduct market research. You pitch your idea to several angel investors and raise $500,000 in seed funding.

What Is Series A Funding?

Series A funding is the third round of funding for a startup. It’s usually used to expand operations like marketing and sales. Series A funding usually comes from venture capital firms and most Series A rounds raise between $2 million and $10 million.

The risks with Series A funding are lower than seed funding because the startup has a product in the market and early traction. But there’s still a risk of failure.

Continuing with our example, let’s say NixLoop’s app has been well-received by users and the startup has seen steady growth. You decide to raise Series A funding to expand your marketing efforts and hire more employees. You pitch your idea to several venture capital firms and raise $5 million in Series A funding.

What Is Series B Funding?

Series B funding is the fourth round of funding for a startup. It’s usually used to scale operations like expanding into new markets and developing new products. Series B funding usually comes from larger venture capital firms and most Series B rounds raise between $10 million and $50 million.

The risks with Series B funding are lower than seed and Series A funding because the startup has a proven product and is growing rapidly. But there’s still a risk of failure.

In our example, let’s say NixLoop has seen tremendous growth and the app has become very popular. You decide to raise Series B funding to expand into new markets and develop new features for your app. You pitch your idea to several large venture capital firms and raise $20 million in Series B funding.

Also Read:- Beginner’s guide to startup funding

Conclusion

All these funding rounds serve different purposes in helping startups expand and grow. Knowing the differences between these funding rounds can assist entrepreneurs in better managing the funding process and making smart choices for their startup’s future path. 

The later-stage rounds allow companies to accelerate expansion to capture more market share before an eventual exit like an IPO or acquisition. The fundraising path depends entirely on the startup’s goals and level of success. Not all startups will raise Series C or D rounds, while others may do so quickly. 

The types and amounts of funding should align with the startup’s strategic growth plan to avoid giving away too much ownership or diluting existing shareholders. I hope this article has offered useful insights into startup funding and has clarified some of the terminology for you.