Callum Laing

Pre-Seed Funding for Startups: A Strategic Guide for Entrepreneurs

Q: What is a pre-seed startup?

A pre-seed startup represents the absolute genesis of a venture. This is the stage where an idea begins its transformation into a tangible business by validating core assumptions, proving market need, and establishing the initial groundwork. Pre-seed funding supports this exploratory phase, covering costs like market research and prototype development, and is often sourced from personal funds, friends, family, or early angel investors. Unlike seed funding, which targets companies with proven traction, the pre-seed stage focuses on achieving product-market fit and validating the core value proposition. Key milestones to achieve before seeking seed funding include: a validated problem and solution, a functional MVP, early customer engagement, a clear market opportunity, a foundational team, a business model hypothesis, and initial legal and IP protection. Successfully hitting these milestones demonstrates operational discipline and positions a startup for successful seed funding and future growth.

Q: How to Secure Pre-Seed Funding: An Entrepreneurial Investor's Framework

Securing pre-seed funding demands a strategic shift beyond relying on immediate personal connections like friends and family. To achieve true scale and international reach, entrepreneurs must build a sophisticated investor network. This type of network provides more than just capital; it offers invaluable insights and mentorship.

Home Startup Ecosystem and Funding Pre-Seed Funding for Startups: A Strategic Guide for Entrepreneurs

Pre-seed funding is the earliest stage of capital a startup raises, often from founders, friends, family, and angel investors. It’s used to validate the core business idea, develop a minimum viable product (MVP), and prepare the company for its first official seed round.

For ambitious founders, securing pre-seed funding for startups is more than just raising capital. It’s a key moment that shapes your company’s future growth, M&A potential, and eventual exit. Many entrepreneurs see this stage as just a hunt for a check. This mistake can lead to giving up too much equity, poor partnerships, and slow growth. The real challenge is attracting smart capital from a sophisticated investor network. This means building relationships that are more than just financial. This early investment phase requires a careful approach, not the generic advice you often hear. It’s about building a foundation for long-term value and global reach.

This guide is for entrepreneurs, executives, and investors who know that early decisions have a lasting impact. We go beyond common advice to introduce our Access Engineering method. This approach helps you build a strong community of private investors. Our framework empowers you to not only get pre-seed funding for startups but also to build strong, long-term partnerships. We focus on investors who offer more than just money. They provide valuable deal flow, access to international networks, and clear paths to future growth, an IPO, or a profitable exit. This prepares your venture for success, from Singapore to the UK business listing services.

In this guide, we’ll explain what a pre-seed startup is. We will also outline the key milestones you need to reach before seeking investment. You will learn practical ways to secure pre-seed funding, build investor networks, and use the Access Engineering approach to get past traditional funding barriers. We cover everything from setting realistic timelines and founder pay to structuring your company for global scale from day one. This article provides the insights needed to make your pre-seed phase a launchpad for M&A success and lasting business growth. Let’s start by defining this early stage and the goals you need to hit before seeking your first major round of funding.

What is a pre-seed startup?

Defining the Earliest Stage of Your Venture

A pre-seed startup is the very beginning of a new business. It’s the stage where an idea starts to become a real company. Founders test their core ideas. They prove a market need exists and set up the basics for their operations. Think of it as laying the foundation for a building. Skipping this step can create serious problems down the road.

Pre-seed funding helps startups during this early testing phase. It covers key costs, including market research, prototype development, and initial legal fees. The money usually comes from personal funds, friends, family, or early angel investors. This capital gives founders the time to test ideas. It also allows them to build a minimal viable product (MVP) without outside pressure. Securing this early backing is a crucial step. It makes the venture less risky for later, larger investment rounds. Many successful companies started with less than $50,000 in pre-seed funding ^[1].

The pre-seed stage is different from the seed stage. Seed funding is for companies with early customers and a clear plan to grow. Pre-seed, however, is about finding product-market fit. It confirms your product solves a real problem people care about. This is a time for careful testing and making quick improvements. Our Access Engineering methodology shows why testing your idea is so important at this stage. It helps prove your venture is a real business opportunity, not just an idea.

Key Milestones to Achieve Before Seeking Seed Funding

To succeed in the pre-seed stage, you need to reach clear goals. These milestones are critical. They prove your business is making progress. This lowers the risk for investors who might provide seed funding. These goals are not optional. You must meet them to get the funding you need to grow. Our approach focuses on these early proofs of concept to help you build your board and investor network. Therefore, founders must focus on achieving real results.

Before you ask established investor networks for seed funding, aim to achieve the following:

Validated Problem and Solution: Confirm there is a real market problem. Show that your solution fixes it. You can do this with customer interviews and feedback.
Functional MVP or Prototype: Build a working version of your product. This MVP should be simple and usable. It needs to show the main features to your first users.
Early Customer Engagement/Traction: Get your first users interested. This can be through sign-ups, beta testing, or even pre-orders. Any early numbers are important, even small ones.
Clear Market Opportunity: Define your target customer and market size. Know who your competitors are. Explain clearly what makes your business unique.
Foundational Team: Build a small, skilled team. You need people with key business and technical skills. Co-founders must be fully committed.
Business Model Hypothesis: Explain how your company will make money. This is your first guess at a business model. It should be something you can test. You need a clear starting point, even if it changes later.
Initial Legal & IP Protection: Set up the right legal structure for your company. Protect your ideas and inventions (intellectual property). This shows you are professional and planning ahead.

Hitting these milestones builds a strong foundation for your company. It shows you are disciplined in how you operate. This also puts your startup in a great position for a successful seed funding round. It prepares you to scale the business and explore future M&A opportunities. If you skip these early steps, it will be hard to attract investors. This can hurt your company’s growth and exit plans. According to industry reports, startups that test their concept pre-seed are 3x more likely to get follow-on funding ^[2]. This early validation is core to our investing approach and helps solve the challenge of scaling a small business.

How to Secure Pre-Seed Funding: An Entrepreneurial Investor’s Framework

A strategic multi-stage infographic detailing the entrepreneurial investor's framework for securing pre-seed funding, using interconnected geometric shapes and directional arrows. — A clean, executive-level infographic. Visualise a structured, strategic flow chart or layered framework illustrating ‘How to Secure Pre-Seed Funding: An Entrepreneurial Investor’s Framework’. The visual should progress from foundational elements like ‘Idea Validation’ and ‘Team Formation’ to ‘Market Analysis’, ‘MVP Development’, ‘Traction Metrics’, and culminate in ‘Investor Engagement’ and ‘Funding Secured’. Use interconnected geometric shapes, directional arrows, and a clear, logical flow. Incorporate subtle metallic textures and a color palette of deep navy blues, graphite, white, and silver accents. Maintain ample negative space for concise labels. Style: minimalist, vector-based, professional, premium, high-clarity layout. No human elements or marketing clichés.

Building Sophisticated Investor Networks Beyond Friends and Family

Securing pre-seed funding requires looking beyond your personal connections. While friends and family can offer initial capital, real growth and global reach require a strong investor network. This network provides more than just money. It offers valuable advice, mentorship, and connections that are crucial for early growth.

Building this kind of network isn’t about mass outreach. Instead, it focuses on targeted connections with private investor groups, experienced angel investors, and venture capitalists. These investors understand early-stage risks and long-term potential. They are often looking for new deals that fit their investment style.

To build these essential relationships, consider these steps:

Targeted Professional Events: Attend exclusive investor meetings and industry conferences in hubs like Singapore and Dubai, as well as globally. Focus on events known to attract serious investors.
Strategic Introductions: Use your existing professional contacts for warm introductions to established investors. This is more effective than cold outreach and helps build trust quickly.
Showcase Thought Leadership: Establish yourself as an expert in your field. Share your insights on an entrepreneur podcast or a business blog. This attracts investors who are looking for founders with a clear vision.
Specialised Programs: Take part in investor programs designed for high-net-worth individuals or join angel investor training to understand how they think.
Investor Network Building Platforms: Use platforms that help you connect with a private investor community. These sites often offer curated investment opportunities.

My Access Engineering method focuses on building these powerful global investor connections. It ensures you connect with the right type of capital for your needs. This smart approach to networking is essential for pre-seed startups that want to achieve significant growth.

The Access Engineering Approach to Bypassing Traditional Gatekeepers

Traditional funding channels often have gatekeepers that create friction for promising pre-seed startups. The Access Engineering method provides a direct route to exclusive investment deals and strategic partners. This unique framework offers a practical alternative to generic business coaching.

Many entrepreneurs get frustrated, even with a strong business plan. They struggle to get in front of investors or secure enough company growth funding. Access Engineering removes these barriers by focusing on direct, high-value connections. It is about networking without the BS.

Our approach simplifies your path to capital and influence:

Strategic Authority Building: Build your executive authority by refining your personal brand and positioning yourself as a thought leader. Investors back founders they trust and respect.
Direct Investor Engagement: Instead of using intermediaries, we arrange direct introductions to relevant angel investors and private investor groups. This cuts through the red tape.
Progressive Partnerships: Focus on finding investors who can also become strategic partners. They can offer more than just capital, such as mentorship or market access.
Leveraging Niche Expertise: Highlight what makes your business unique and the problem it solves. This appeals to investors looking for distinct opportunities with a clear edge.
Global Network Access: Use our international entrepreneur network, including the Singapore entrepreneur network and Dubai investor community, to broaden your reach for funding and advice.

This method helps you bypass typical delays. You secure not just pre-seed funding for startups, but also important long-term partners for scaling your business and a potential public listing. It’s about using your professional network effectively.

Pitching for Strategic Partnership, Not Just a Cheque

When seeking pre-seed funding, shift your mindset from just getting capital to building strategic partnerships. A cheque provides cash, but a strategic partner brings valuable experience, contacts, and guidance. This approach greatly helps with future M&A deals and successful exit strategies.

Smart investors want to do more than get a return on their money. They look for opportunities to make a real contribution to a company’s success. Your pitch should show this deeper value. Explain how a partnership can speed up growth and help you appoint key advisors to your board.

To create a pitch that attracts strategic partners, focus on these elements:

Beyond the Financial Ask: Clearly state the non-financial value an investor can bring. This could be their industry expertise, mentorship, or network access.
Aligned Vision and Values: Show how your startup’s long-term vision matches the investor’s strategic goals and interests.
Defined Partnership Roles: Be clear about how you see them being involved, whether as an advisor, board member, or active partner. This shows you have thought carefully about the partnership.
Future Growth Trajectory: Connect their involvement to specific goals, such as global expansion or preparing for an IPO.
Risk Mitigation Through Expertise: Explain how their experience can help reduce common startup risks. This makes your request for company growth funding much stronger.

This strategic approach ensures that early funding relationships are built on mutual benefit. It prepares your pre-seed startup for strong growth and sets you up for better outcomes, from successful M&A deals to an eventual public listing.

Common Funding Mistakes That Jeopardise Future Scaling and M&A

Early decisions when securing pre-seed funding can deeply affect your long-term growth and potential M&A options. Many founders focus only on their immediate need for cash. In doing so, they make mistakes that create major problems for future growth, company valuations, and business exit strategies.

Avoiding these traps is vital for any startup that wants to grow internationally or plan a future IPO. Strategic thinking at this stage is more valuable than raising money quickly without a plan.

Be aware of these common funding missteps:

Undervaluation: Accepting too low a valuation gives away too much equity early on. This reduces founder ownership and can limit future fundraising.
Unfavourable Term Sheets: Signing term sheets with clauses that give too much control to early investors can limit your autonomy and hurt future investment rounds ^[3].
Misaligned Investor Goals: Partnering with investors whose goals don’t match your vision for growth or exit can lead to conflicts down the road.
Ignoring Legal Due Diligence: Neglecting a thorough legal review of investment agreements can lead to unexpected liabilities or IP issues.
Lack of Scalability Planning: Raising funds without a clear plan for business scaling and entering new markets limits the investment’s impact.
Ignoring Board Readiness: Not thinking about how early investors might affect future board decisions can weaken your strategic leadership.

Careful attention to these details ensures that your startup’s pre-seed funding helps you grow, rather than creating new problems. My expertise helps founders navigate these complex issues, ensuring their decisions support a clear path towards an M&A or public listing.

How long should pre-seed last?

A minimalist timeline infographic illustrating the typical duration and key milestones of the pre-seed funding phase. — A clean, executive-level infographic. Create a minimalist, vector-based timeline or segmented progress bar illustrating the typical duration and key milestones of the pre-seed phase. The visual should depict a horizontal progression, clearly segmenting the pre-seed lifecycle into phases such as ‘Initial Validation’, ‘MVP Build’, ‘Early User Acquisition’, and ‘Seed Round Preparation’, with a clear indication of ideal timeframes (e.g., 6-18 months). Use clean geometric shapes, subtle glass textures, and a professional, premium aesthetic. Color palette: deep navy blues, graphite, white, with subtle gold accents for milestones. Ample negative space for concise labels. No human elements or marketing clichés.

Setting a Realistic Timeline for Your Pre-Seed Phase

How long should your pre-seed phase be? This needs a smart plan, not a random deadline. There is no one-size-fits-all timeline. Think of it as a focused sprint to hit key goals. Taking too long can burn through your cash and lose investor interest.

My approach focuses on moving quickly. The goal is to go from an idea to real progress, fast. This speed attracts the right kind of experienced investors. Your timeline should be ambitious but achievable.

Several factors influence this duration:

Product Complexity: A simple SaaS MVP might take less time than deep tech.
Market Validation: How quickly can you prove there is a real need and that people will pay?
Team Execution: The speed and skill of your core team are very important.
Available Capital: Your funding determines how long your money will last.

Some pre-seed phases last 12-18 months. But smart founders often finish in just 6-9 months. This lean approach keeps costs low. It also sets you up for better talks about seed funding. Focus on getting real results quickly. This prepares you for future growth and even a public listing.

Metrics That Signal Readiness for the Next Funding Stage

Moving from pre-seed to seed funding requires clear, measurable progress. Investors want solid proof that your product fits the market and can grow. It’s about more than just a good idea or a story. You need real results. These results show you are ready for major funding. They also build your reputation with private investors.

My approach focuses on key metrics. These numbers make the investment safer for both new and global investors. They are essential for attracting smart investors. They also prepare you for a future sale or a successful exit.

Key metrics signalling readiness for seed funding include:

Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Validation: You have a working product with key features that users are starting to engage with.
Early Customer Acquisition: You have real users or customers. A few paying clients is a great sign. This proves your product has value ^[4].
User Engagement & Retention: Data shows that people are actively using your product and not leaving.
Clear Market Fit: Users confirm your product solves a real problem for them.
Initial Revenue Traction: You can show how you will make money, even if it’s a small amount at first.
Team Development: Your core team is committed, has clear roles, and gets things done.
Defined Business Model: You have a clear plan to make money and grow that is hard for others to copy.
Strategic Partnerships: Early partnerships prove your idea works and open doors for future growth.

These metrics are more than just checkpoints. They are the foundation for your future growth. They help you get past the usual gatekeepers and access exclusive investment deals. This connects you with the top investors needed for long-term success. This is a core part of my investing approach.

How much do startup CEOs make at pre-seed?

Balancing Personal Salary with Company Growth

Deciding a founder’s salary is a key choice for a pre-seed startup. The goal is not to get rich quickly. Instead, you should focus on making the company’s money last longer. This shows potential investors you are wise with spending.

Many pre-seed founders take low salaries to extend their runway ^[5]. This lean approach helps the company reach key goals. It gives them more time before needing more pre-seed funding for startups or moving to a seed round.

Experienced founders know every dollar spent affects the company’s future value. It also impacts its appeal to `sophisticated investor programme` participants. As part of an `entrepreneurial investing approach`, founders should see their salary as an investment back into the company.

Here are key things to think about when balancing your pay with company growth:

Extend Your Runway: A lower salary leaves more cash in the business. This gives you more time to build your product and find customers.
Build Investor Confidence: Investors look closely at founder pay. A reasonable salary shows them you are committed and manage money well.
Cover Living Costs: Make sure your salary is enough to live on. Too much financial stress can hurt your focus and your decisions.
Trade for Equity: A lower cash salary is often traded for a larger ownership stake. This connects your success to the company’s long-term growth.

This careful financial management is a key part of effective business scaling strategies. It sets an example for how to use resources, which is vital for future steps like M&A advisory services or a collaborative IPO strategy.

Communicating Founder Compensation to Early Investors

Be open and have a good reason for your salary when talking with investors. This is a chance to show your business skills and build trust for progressive partnerships.

When you seek pre-seed funding for startups, investors want a clear reason for all costs, including your salary. They want to see that your pay aligns with the company’s long-term goals. This fits the Access Engineering methodology of being open and building trust.

To talk about founder pay effectively, you should:

Be Transparent: Share all founder salaries and benefits openly. Hiding these details will break trust.
Justify with Data: Compare your salary to what is normal for founders in your industry and area. Use examples from the Singapore entrepreneur network or UK business listing services.
Explain Runway Impact: Clearly explain how your salary helps the company’s money last longer. Show what choices you made to save cash.
Link to Milestones: Connect any pay raises to hitting specific company goals. This shows you are focused on results.
Discuss Equity vs. Cash: Explain the balance between your cash pay and ownership stake. Highlight how this motivates you to create long-term value.
Show it in Your Financials: Put founder salaries in your complete financial plans. Show how they fit into your company’s total spending (burn rate).

Sharing this information with confidence makes you look like an experienced founder. It helps speed up the investment deal sourcing process and builds your credibility in a private investor community.

From Pre-Seed to Public Listing: Setting the Right Foundations

A layered infographic illustrating the progressive stages from pre-seed funding to public listing, emphasizing foundational elements at each step through an ascending architectural design. — A clean, executive-level infographic. Design an ascending architecture or multi-layered framework illustrating the journey ‘From Pre-Seed to Public Listing: Setting the Right Foundations’. The visual should represent a vertical progression through funding stages: ‘Pre-Seed’, ‘Seed’, ‘Series A’, ‘Series B’, ‘Series C’, leading to ‘IPO/Public Listing’. Each layer or step should be a distinct, clean geometric block, with foundational elements (e.g., ‘Product-Market Fit’, ‘Scalability’, ‘Governance’) visually underpinning the progression. Use subtle glass or metallic textures, directional arrows, and a structured hierarchy. Color palette: deep navy blues, graphite, white, and silver accents. Maintain ample negative space for clear, concise labels. Style: minimalist, vector-based, professional, premium, high-clarity layout. No human elements or marketing clichés.

How Early Decisions Impact Future M&A and Exit Strategies

The pre-seed phase can feel like a race to survive. But smart founders know it’s the foundation for everything to come. Early decisions have a big impact on a future sale or exit. Every choice you make affects your company’s final value.

Think about your legal setup. A company based in only one country can struggle to expand abroad. It makes it harder to attract global investors or buyers. Unclear shareholder agreements can also lead to disputes. These problems can ruin a profitable sale down the road.

Key Areas for Early Strategic Consideration:

Legal Structure: Choose a strong legal structure that works globally. This helps you connect with international investors and prepare for a future sale.
Intellectual Property (IP): Protect your IP around the world from the start. Strong IP protection greatly increases your company’s value in a sale [source: https://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/]. It’s a key part of any exit plan.
Founding Team Agreements: Clear roles and vesting schedules are essential. They help avoid future arguments. They also give confidence to potential buyers.
Cap Table Management: Don’t give away too much of your company in early funding rounds. This protects the founders’ ownership. It also helps attract future investors.
Governance Framework: Set up good board management early on. This prepares the company for future independent directors. It also helps you plan for an IPO.

We believe in planning for the long term. We tell founders to build their company with the final sale in mind. This could be a public listing or a sale to another company. It is crucial to know how early funding affects your future. Callum Laing’s Access Engineering method helps founders with these challenges. It ensures your startup doesn’t just survive, but grows toward a great exit.

Structuring Your Startup for International Scale from Day One

Many startups wait to go global. They focus on their local market first. This approach can lead to expensive changes later on. It also makes it harder to grow. That’s why it’s best to plan for international scale from the start.

Building your startup for global scale gives you an edge. It opens the door to more investors worldwide. It also helps you enter new markets faster. This kind of planning sets you apart.

Crucial Elements for International Readiness:

Global Legal & Tax Planning: Talk to experts on global rules. Plan for taxes in different countries early. This helps you avoid legal problems later.
Scalable Technology Stack: Build your product so it can be used worldwide. Think about different languages and data privacy rules (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).
Diverse Talent Acquisition: Build a team with global experience. This gets your company ready to operate in different countries. It also improves your company culture.
Strategic Partner Networks: Build a global network of entrepreneurs. Connecting with people in places like Singapore, Dubai, or the UK is helpful. These contacts are key for entering new markets and finding partners.
Investor Network Access: Look for investors around the world. Our Access Engineering method helps you get funding from global private investors. This helps you get past the usual barriers to funding.

This way of thinking is different from typical business advice. It offers real strategies for growth. Callum Laing’s work shows why this planning is so important. Getting ready for global business is more than just having a big idea. It requires careful decisions about your company structure. This foundation makes it easier to expand. It also prepares you for a successful international sale.

Frequently Asked Questions about Pre-Seed Funding

What are the 7 stages of startup?

Knowing the startup lifecycle is key to growing your business and attracting investors. We define the main stages, from the first idea to a final sale or public listing. This guide helps smart entrepreneurs navigate each step.

Ideation: This first step is about developing an idea and proving a problem exists. You define the market and create an early solution.
Validation: Here, you prove people need your product and that it works. This means building a simple version (MVP) and getting feedback from early users.
Pre-Seed: At this stage, you have proven your solution solves a real problem. You now need early funding to build the main product and get your first users. This is where pre-seed funding for startups is vital.
Seed: You have a working product and some early data to show it’s working. Now you raise seed money to reach more customers and improve the product.
Series A & Growth: The goal now is to grow quickly and expand into new markets. You need to show strong revenue and a plan to become profitable. This is when you get larger funding from big investors.
Scale & Maturity: The company becomes a leader in its market and grows its operations. The focus turns to running the business efficiently, forming key partnerships, and expanding globally.
Exit/Public Listing: This is the last stage, where founders and investors get their return. This can happen through a sale to another company (M&A) or by listing on a public stock market.

What is the difference between pre-seed and seed funding?

It’s important for founders to know the difference between pre-seed and seed funding. Each stage is for companies at different points in their growth. Knowing what investors expect at each stage is key to successfully investor network building.

Characteristic	Pre-Seed Funding	Seed Funding
Company Stage	Early idea, building the first version (MVP).	Working MVP, first users, finding market fit.
Objective	Proving the idea, building the product, hiring a team.	Finding product-market fit, getting more users, growing the business.
Typical Amount	£50k – £500k.	£500k – £2M+.
Investor Profile	Angel investors, early VCs, key partners.	Angel investors, seed VCs, experienced private investors.
Valuation	Lower, based on potential and early signs of success.	Higher, based on proven numbers and potential to grow.
Key Milestones	Finishing the MVP, getting first user feedback, forming early partnerships.	Product-market fit achieved, strong user growth, making money.

Pre-seed money helps you test your idea and build the basics. Seed funding then helps you grow much faster, preparing your business for the next big steps like a sale or further expansion.

How much funding is typical for a pre-seed round?

The amount raised in a pre-seed round can vary a lot. It depends on the industry, location, and the team’s experience. Usually, pre-seed rounds are between £50,000 and £500,000. But they can be £1 million or more for fast-growing industries or founders with a strong background [source: https://www.crunchbase.com/about/crunchbase-venture-program/venture-funding-reports].

This money is meant to help you hit key goals. These goals include building a solid MVP, getting your first users, and proving your market ideas are correct. How much you ask for should match these goals. This shows investors you are careful with money. Using pre-seed funds well sets you up for future growth.

How do you find legitimate pre-seed investors?

Finding good pre-seed investors takes a smart, planned approach. It’s more than just going to networking events. You need to build real trust with the right kind of investors. The Access Engineering method shows you how to connect with the right investor community.

Build a Smart Investor Network: Focus on quality, not quantity. Look for investors who know your industry. Use professional sites and private investor groups.
Show Your Value, Not Just Need: Investors want to see a clear vision and a solid plan. Explain what makes you unique, what you know about the market, and how you will grow. Show them how they will get a great return.
Leverage the Access Engineering Methodology: Build relationships directly instead of going through middlemen. Our method helps you find, connect with, and get money from top private investors and family offices. This is a core part of investment deal sourcing.
Find Investors Who Are Also Entrepreneurs: Look for people who offer more than money. These investors can give you great advice, guidance, and share their contacts. It’s a true partnership.
Join Special Investor Programs: Take part in invite-only investor programs and events. These events can connect you with investors in places like Dubai and Singapore, or with a global network looking for new companies to fund.
Show You’re an Expert: Build a strong professional reputation. Investors need to trust and respect you. Prove you have what it takes to build a successful company.

Getting pre-seed funding for startups is about building the right relationships. You need to share a strong vision and show a clear plan for making a great return for your investors.