Startup Funding Proposal

Company: [Company name] Prepared for: [Investor / fund / committee name] Prepared by: [Founder name, title] Date: [Date] Round: [Pre-seed / Seed / Bridge]

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1. Executive summary

[In 3-4 sentences: what the company does, the single strongest traction proof point, the amount you are raising and on what instrument, and the milestone this round unlocks. Write this last, read it first.]

2. The opportunity

[The problem you solve and who has it. The market and why now — back it with evidence, not just a big TAM number. One or two sentences on why your team is positioned to win this.]

3. The raise

• Amount: [Target raise, e.g. $2M]
• Instrument: [SAFE / convertible note / priced equity]
• Valuation or cap: [Post-money cap or pre-money valuation]
• Discount: [e.g. 20 percent, or N/A]
• Committed so far: [Amount soft-circled / committed, and room remaining]
• Minimum check: [e.g. $25K]

4. Use of funds

[Show where every dollar goes and how many months of runway the raise buys. The lines should sum to the amount in Section 3.]

Category	Allocation	What it funds
[Engineering / product]	[%]	[Hires and build this round]
[Go-to-market / sales]	[%]	[Demand gen, first sales hires]
[Operations / overhead]	[%]	[Tools, legal, runway buffer]
Total	100%	[Months of runway this buys]

5. Milestones this round unlocks

[The specific, measurable outcomes this capital is meant to deliver — ideally the ones that de-risk the next raise.]

Milestone	Target	Why it matters
[Revenue / ARR target]	[Number]	[De-risks next round]
[Product milestone]	[Outcome]	[Unlocks new segment]
[Team milestone]	[Key hires]	[Proves execution]

6. Traction

[The proof you are already moving. Prefer real, current metrics over vanity numbers.]

• [Revenue / ARR and growth rate]
• [Customers / paying users and retention]
• [Pipeline, partnerships, or other signal]

7. Team

• [Founder name], [title] — [one line on the relevant credibility]
• [Founder / key hire], [title] — [one line]
• [Notable advisors or existing backers, if any]

8. Terms

[State the deal mechanics plainly. This is a summary, not the legal instrument.]

• Instrument: [SAFE / note / equity] Cap / valuation: [Amount] Discount: [%]
• Pro-rata rights: [Yes / No]
• Information rights: [e.g. quarterly investor update + annual financials]
• Board / observer: [None at this stage / observer seat for lead]

9. Next steps

[One clear action. e.g. "If this fits your thesis, reply to book a 30-minute call and we'll share the data room and the SAFE."]

Contact: [Email] Data room: [Link or "available on request"]

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Optional sections

• Financial model: [Link to the model or a summary of the forecast.]
• Cap table summary: [Current ownership and how this round changes it.]
• Risks and mitigations: [The two or three honest risks and how you address them.]