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How much should you raise at pre-seed? Raise Calculator
Enter your monthly burn, the runway you want and the cash you have. The calculator returns a round size range and the post-money valuation that range implies at typical early-stage dilution.
How much should a pre-seed round cover?
Most first rounds are sized to reach the next milestone with about 18 months of runway, plus a buffer of 15 to 30 percent for the things that go wrong. Raise less and you are back on the road before the metrics move. Raise much more and you sell equity you did not need to sell.
How does the calculator work?
It takes the average of your current and planned monthly burn, multiplies it by the runway you want and subtracts the cash you already have. That is your net need. The low end of the range adds a 15 percent buffer, the high end 30 percent. The implied post-money divides the raise by the share of the company you give up, using the 10 to 20 percent that early rounds commonly dilute.
What do pre-seed rounds look like in 2026?
Carta’s State of Pre-Seed report counts 50,316 SAFEs and notes worth $10.4 billion (Carta, Feb 2026). Equidam’s analysis of more than 3,000 pre-seed valuations puts the global median at $5.2 million (Equidam, Jul 2026). Use these as context, not as a target: sector, geography and traction move the range a lot, and SeedScope’s benchmarks show where your startup sits among 1M+ companies.
What is the right valuation for that round?
The round size and the dilution you accept set the post-money: a $500k raise at 15 percent implies about $3.3 million post-money. Whether investors accept it depends on traction, team and comparable deals. SeedScope benchmarks your startup against 1M+ companies: the free Founder Starter score tells you where you stand, and the Founder Pro valuation gives you the range to walk in with.
Questions founders ask
Does the calculator store my numbers?
No. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is sent to SeedScope.
Should I include founder salaries in burn?
Yes. Use the full monthly cost of running the company after the raise, including modest founder salaries, tools and contractors.
What if I am raising on a SAFE?
The math is the same. The valuation cap plays the role of the post-money valuation when the SAFE converts.
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The calculator shows the math. SeedScope shows the number investors will use.
Investors will ask what the company is worth at that round. SeedScope benchmarks your startup against 1M+ companies: the free Founder Starter account gives you the score and summary in five minutes, and Founder Pro gives you the full valuation range.