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Module 1: The Funding Landscape

Module 2: The Pre-Seed and Seed Stage

Module 3: The Series A Stage

Module 5: The Fundraising Process

Content

Assignment

By the time you reach the later stages of funding, your startup is no longer a small, uncertain venture. It is a well-oiled machine with a proven business model and a clear path to growth. Later-stage funding is all about providing the capital needed to dramatically scale that success.

1. Series B: The "Scaling Up" Round

A Series B round typically follows a successful Series A. The purpose is to scale the business to meet the growing market demand. Investors at this stage are looking for:



  • A Proven Business Model: You have a strong, repeatable sales and marketing machine.


  • Expansion: You have a clear plan to expand your product, team, and market share.


  • Predictable Growth: Your metrics show consistent, predictable, and accelerated growth.



Funding from a Series B round is used to build out departments (e.g., sales, marketing, engineering) and to grab a dominant position in the market.



2. Series C and D: Accelerating Growth

Once you've secured Series B, later rounds like Series C and D are all about accelerating growth and preparing for an exit.

a row of dominos sitting on top of each other

Purpose:
The goal is to pour gasoline on the fire. This funding is used for things like global expansion, mergers and acquisitions, and developing new products to maintain a market-leading position.

a row of dominos sitting on top of each other

Investors:
The investors in these rounds are larger, more established venture capital firms, as well as growth equity and private equity firms. They are less focused on the risk and more on the opportunity for a massive return.

a row of dominos sitting on top of each other

Check Size:
The check sizes for these rounds are significantly larger, often ranging from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of dollars.