The tactical playbook for transitioning from friends & family to institutional seed round. Go from $0 to $1M ARR with proven frameworks, templates, and 2025 market insights.
Subject: Quick question from [Your Company] founder
Hi [Name],
I saw your investment in [Portfolio Company] - congrats on their recent Series A!
I'm building [Company] to solve [Problem] for [Target Market]. We're at $[X]K MRR growing [Y]% monthly.
Would you be open to a 20-min call next week to explore if there's a fit?
Best,
[Your Name]
Subject: Introduction to [Investor Name]?
Hi [Mutual Connection],
Hope you're well! I wanted to reach out because I saw you're connected to [Investor].
[Company] just hit $[X]K MRR and we're raising our seed round. [Investor]'s thesis on [Topic] aligns perfectly with what we're building.
Would you be comfortable making an intro? I've attached a brief deck for context.
Thanks!
[Your Name]
Subject: [Company] - Follow-up from our call
Hi [Name],
Thanks for taking the time today. As discussed, I'm sending over:
• Financial model showing path to $1M ARR
• Customer case studies (3 attached)
• Technical architecture doc
Happy to schedule a deeper dive with your team. When works best?
Best,
[Your Name]
Subject: [Company] October Update - $75K MRR 🚀
Metrics:
• MRR: $75K (+25% MoM)
• Customers: 142 (+31)
• Runway: 8 months
Wins:
• Closed [Big Customer]
• Hired VP Sales
• Launched [Feature]
Asks:
• Intros to Series A VCs
• Customer intros in [Industry]
-[Your Name]
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Title Slide
Company name, tagline, contact
Problem
Specific, relatable, quantified pain
Solution
Your unique approach
Product Demo
Screenshots or 30-sec video
Traction
MRR, growth rate, key metrics
Market Size
TAM, SAM, SOM breakdown
Business Model
Pricing, unit economics, CAC/LTV
Competition
Positioning matrix, moats
Go-to-Market
Customer acquisition strategy
Team
Founders, advisors, key hires
Financials & Ask
Raise amount, use of funds
Vision
3-year ambitious outcome
120+ deals/year
$1-3M checks
100+ deals/year
$500K-2M checks
80+ deals/year
$1-5M checks
60+ deals/year
$1-3M checks
Raise seed funding when you have $10-50K MRR, proven product-market fit, and need capital to scale from 10 to 100 customers. Most successful seed raises happen at $30-50K MRR with 10-20% monthly growth.
Typical seed rounds in 2025 are $1.5-3M, providing 18-24 months of runway. Raise enough to reach Series A metrics: $1.5M+ ARR with strong unit economics.
Pre-seed is $250-500K for building MVP and finding first customers. Seed is $1.5-3M for scaling from product-market fit to $1M+ ARR. Pre-seed uses SAFEs, seed uses priced rounds.
Seed valuations in 2025 range from $8-12M pre-money for companies with early revenue. High-growth companies in hot sectors can achieve $15-20M valuations.
Use SAFEs for pre-seed and early seed investments under $1M. Convert to a priced round when raising $1.5M+ from institutional investors who want board representation.
Start with warm intros from other founders, advisors, and angel investors. Target seed funds that have invested in similar companies. Use platforms like AngelList and Signal NFX.
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