Oversubscribed

Instead of trying to aggregate 15 blog posts and add my own layer of color, it's way easier to direct people here. There's clear, actionable insight and no bs. You don't need to be independently wealthy or fantastically connected to raise seed $.

Pros:

A clear, one-stop shop for those considering raising seed money

Cons:

Most applicable to the broader tech sector (eg less for cpg, biotech), but can be referenced for all industries.

Hey PH, Oversubscribed is the book we wish we’d had when we were first raising money for our startups. It starts with the basics—should you even raise money at all?—and goes on to cover preparing your narrative, finding and engaging investors, and actually getting money in the bank. After raising a combined $4M for our seed rounds, Mike and I found ourselves answering the same questions for other founders over and over. While there are some good fundraising resources out there already (we link to many in the book), we realized that there wasn’t a good source for the kind of guidance we’d needed when we were first raising our companies’ rounds. For example, there are lots of great blog posts about setting terms and negotiating with investors. But when we were twenty-somethings outside of Silicon Valley with limited experience and connections, we needed help just figuring out how to even get in touch with angel investors in the first place. Oversubscribed is free through September. We’d love to hear what you think, and we’re here to answer questions about the book, our stories, fundraising in general, or anything else you’d like to ask!

Skimmed through -- love that it's by founders, for founders. That's rare actually, since most fundraising advice is given by VCs (which is fully backwards). The specific founder anecdotes were terrific.

This is a one stop shop for founders looking to raise a seed round. My advice would be to read this well before you plan on raising and consult as needed along the way. Even if you've raised before you're sure to find a wealth of helpful information in Oversubscribed.

Pros:

Comprehensive and approachable. Filled with best practices and advice that will move founders along the fundraising path faster.

Cons:

Should have been written a few years ago - would have saved me a lot of time!

I'm a first time founder working on several projects at the moment. I am realizing that if I ever want to give my ideas a shot, I need to raise money. I held out for a few months... but alas raising money is a necessity unless you're loaded or have friends/family willing to pay your rent, living costs, and initial business expenses for a while. I've never done this before and am not connected in the Silicon Valley scene. So, what do I do? This book is for people like me. It's approachable, filled with real advice from real founders, and easily digestible.

Having had the opportunity to read an early-access copy, I really wish we had a resource like this, the first time we raised funding. Trying to parse dozens of disparate blog posts and overly general advice as first time founders resulted in more mistakes than I care to count, and though we successfully raised funding, it took too long and left us needing to raise the next round too soon afterwards, rather than focusing on our business. Most resources give general advice like "create urgency" (how?), "set deadlines" (around...what?), etc, but that's not enough. Oversubscribed gives both the why and the how, so you have the exact tactics to execute your fundraise quickly, and the deep understanding to know what to do when the unexpected happens. If you are a first-time founder, or someone thinking about starting a venture-backed company, this is a must-read.

I read a pre-release version and found it invaluable in understanding the journey a CEO takes when raising a seed round for their company. Hoping to put it to use myself one day!

Pros:

Easy to read, comprehensive, specific, battle-tested

Cons:

Doesn't cover priced rounds or using an attorney, but you probably don't need either of those for a seed round!