seed funding
Initial venture investment
Seed funding is the earliest stage of investment in a new business venture, typically used to develop a concept, build a prototype, or conduct initial market research.
The metaphor suggests planting a seed that may grow into something larger; successful seed funding often leads to additional rounds of financing.
The startup secured seed funding from angel investors to launch its app.
Also called seed capital or seed money.
Start without external resources
- incubatorControlled warming enclosure
- acceleratorSpeed control mechanism
- founderOne who begins something
- entrepreneurOne who starts businesses
pitch deck · business plan · early stage · minimum viable product · co-founder · pivot · traction · proof of concept
Individual funding early-stage companies
- venture capitalStartup growth financing
- equityImpartial treatment or ownership value
- term sheetPreliminary deal conditions document
- valuationAssessment of monetary worth
dilution · due diligence · portfolio · lead investor · syndicate · runway · burn rate · exit strategy
First functional specimen
- researchSystematic fact-finding effort
- breakthroughSudden important advance
- disruptionForceful interruption of process
- technologyApplied scientific methods
ideation · invention · pioneering · proof of concept · R&D · patent · intellectual property · innovation lab
Climbing or resizing
- expansionIncrease in scope
- accelerationRate velocity changes
- developmentProgress toward maturity
- progressionSequential forward movement
momentum · value creation · milestone · customer acquisition · go-to-market · breakeven · revenue growth · market entry
bootstrap
Start without external resources
- incubatorControlled warming enclosure
- acceleratorSpeed control mechanism
- founderOne who begins something
entrepreneur · pitch deck · business plan · early stage · minimum viable product · co-founder · pivot · traction · proof of concept · launch
angel investor
Individual funding early-stage companies
- venture capitalStartup growth financing
- equityImpartial treatment or ownership value
- term sheetPreliminary deal conditions document
valuation · dilution · due diligence · portfolio · lead investor · syndicate · runway · burn rate · exit strategy
prototype
First functional specimen
- researchSystematic fact-finding effort
- breakthroughSudden important advance
- disruptionForceful interruption of process
technology · ideation · invention · pioneering · proof of concept · R&D · patent · intellectual property · innovation lab · moonshot
scaling
Climbing or resizing
- expansionIncrease in scope
- accelerationRate velocity changes
- developmentProgress toward maturity
progression · momentum · value creation · milestone · customer acquisition · go-to-market · breakeven · revenue growth · market entry · user base
- entrepreneurshipentrepreneur, startup, founder, co-founder, cofounder
- fundinggrant, loan, grants, venture capital, crowdfunding
- funding sourcesloans, savings, grants, donations, scholarships
- fundraisingdonation, donations, donor, donors, fundraiser
- corporate financecost of capital, investment, capital markets, NPV, debt financing
- investmentinvestor, foreign investment, financier, direct investment, backer
seed fundingSeries A
First major funding round
exit · IPO · acquisition · buyout · private equity
seed, seeds, funding, funded, seeded, seeding, funder, seedless, funders