Where should a startup begin? From pre-seed to finding first investors — your real-world advice?

Hey PH community 👋

I’m building a startup and reaching the point where I need to better understand the early-stage funding landscape — especially around pre-seed and first checks.

There’s a lot of theory online, but I’d love to hear your real stories and practical tips:

• How did you raise your first funding?

• What helped you get those initial intros to angels or micro-VCs?

• Is it worth bootstrapping until MVP? Or better to start building relationships with investors earlier?

• What were your biggest mistakes (or wins) at the early funding stage?

My product is in the creative tools space (AI for designers), and I’m figuring out what a smart early-stage path looks like — including whether I need funding right now or just strong advisors.

Any advice, playbooks, or lessons would be incredibly appreciated 🙏

Let’s make this thread a helpful place for other early founders too.

p.s. Looking for the mentor and co-founder