Playbook
Ship → Raise Playbook: from vibe-coded MVP to first check
You built the product in weeks. Raising the first round is a different skill: proving the company is fundable, pricing it, finding investors who fit, pitching with numbers and choosing the right terms. Five steps, each with the free tools and guides to get it done.
Five steps, in the order you will face them
Step 1
Fundable?
Prove the company is real: users, retention, an edge, and that you understand what the AI built.
Step 2
Valuation & round
Set a defensible valuation range and a round size that buys 18 months of milestones.
Step 3
Find investors
Build a list of investors who actually write checks at your stage, sector and geography.
Step 4
Pitch & outreach
A deck that leads with traction, an email that names the fit, and answers that come with numbers.
Step 5
Decisions
Choose the instrument, read the terms, and know what you will actually take home.
Step 1 of 5 · Fundable?
Is a vibe-coded startup fundable?
Yes, if you can show real customer behaviour, a defensible edge and that you understand what the AI built. Investors do not care that the code was generated; they care whether it works, whether it scales and whether anyone pays for it.
Do this
Run the Readiness Score and fix the two weakest signals before any outreach.
Pull retention and revenue into one chart over time; a snapshot is not traction.
Walk through the AI-built technical checklist so diligence finds nothing you have not already fixed.
Free tools for this step
AI-Built Technical DD Checklist
Built with Lovable, Bolt or Cursor? What a technical reviewer will ask
Open the tool
Most popular
Investor Readiness Score
Are you fundable? Score the 8 signals investors check first.
Open the tool
Startup Roadmap Test
I got this far. What should I do next?
Open the tool
Unit Economics Checker
Are your CAC, payback and margin fundable?
Open the tool
Fundraising Glossary
SAFE, pro-rata, pre-money, in plain English
Open the tool
Guides for this step
Step 2 of 5 · Valuation & round
What is your pre-revenue startup worth, and how much should you raise?
Early valuations come from benchmarks, team, traction and market, not from a spreadsheet of cash flows. Size the round to cover 18 months to the next milestone, then check what the dilution does to your ownership over the next two rounds.
Do this
Benchmark the range for your stage and region before you name a number.
Size the raise from the milestone plan, not from what seems available.
Model the SAFE stack and the option pool; both move the real price.
Free tools for this step
Most popular
Cap Table Simulator
Who owns what after each round?
Open the tool
Most popular
Raise Calculator
How much should you raise at pre-seed?
Open the tool
Stacked SAFE Calculator
What do several SAFEs at different caps convert to?
Open the tool
Valuation Benchmark Lookup
Is my valuation normal for my stage, sector and country?
Open the tool
Most popular
Valuation Calculator
Pre-money, post-money, SAFE and note conversion
Open the tool
Valuation Trap Simulator
Does a high valuation now hurt the next round?
Open the tool
Guides for this step
Step 3 of 5 · Find investors
How do you find investors for a startup with no network?
Start from fit, not from lists. Filter investors by stage, sector, geography and check size, then approach the thirty who invested in companies like yours in the last two years. A warm introduction beats a cold email, and a free SeedScope profile lets investors find you while you work the list.
Do this
Decide the investor type first: angels, seed funds, accelerators, grants or revenue-based financing.
Plan the raise backwards from your runway; most seed rounds take three to six months.
Verify every investor before you share anything: real portfolio, real references, no fees.
Free tools for this step
Fundraising Timeline Planner
When should you start raising?
Open the tool
Investor Fit Finder
Which type of investor fits your stage?
Open the tool
Investor Legitimacy Checker
Is this investor real, and are the terms a scam?
Open the tool
Investor Update Generator
A monthly update investors forward
Open the tool
Guides for this step
Step 4 of 5 · Pitch & outreach
How do you pitch and reach investors once you know your numbers?
A 12-slide deck that leads with traction, a one-line cold email that names the fit, and a data room with metrics investors can check. Rehearse the questions until the numbers come without looking at the slide.
Do this
Score the deck against the 36-point checklist before anyone sees it.
Write the script beat by beat and time it; three minutes is about 400 words.
Run the mock meeting and the dry run until no answer is missing a number.
Free tools for this step
AI Investor Mock Meeting
A live mock meeting with an AI investor
Open the tool
AI Pitch Deck Review
Upload the deck, get the investor questions
Open the tool
Cold Email to Investors Builder
A one-line email that names the fit
Open the tool
Due Diligence Checklist
What investors ask for before they wire
Open the tool
Investor Dry Run
Rehearse the questions before the meeting
Open the tool
Most popular
Pitch Deck Scorecard
12 slides, 36 checks
Open the tool
Guides for this step
Step 5 of 5 · Decisions
SAFE or equity, accelerator or angel, raise or bootstrap?
Choose the instrument by speed and simplicity at pre-seed: SAFEs for speed, priced equity when the round is large enough to justify the legal work. Then read the terms, not just the valuation, and model what each offer means at exit.
Do this
Compare SAFE, convertible note and priced equity for your round size.
Run every term sheet through the red-flag checker before you reply.
Model the exit waterfall; a clean 1x non-participating deal usually beats a higher headline number with bad terms.
Free tools for this step
Accelerator Directory
The best accelerators, with their current terms
Open the tool
Most popular
Exit Waterfall Simulator
Who gets what at exit with liquidation preferences?
Open the tool
Funding Path Finder
Raise, accelerator, bootstrap or non-dilutive?
Open the tool
SAFE Agreement Walkthrough
The YC post-money SAFE, clause by clause
Open the tool
Most popular
SAFE vs Note vs Equity
Which instrument fits your round?
Open the tool
Term Sheet Game
Accept or reject the investor’s demands?
Open the tool
Guides for this step
You shipped. Now see how fundable it is.
Create a free Founder Starter account for your startup score, a risk assessment and a profile investors can find. Upgrade to Founder Pro for the full valuation and investor matches by name, or let Founder Premium bring 20 new best-fit investors to you every week with the first email written for you.