Mastering the Seed Rounds: A Guide to Successful Web3 Investment Fundraising

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18.05.2023

Misha Intro

12 min

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Hey, cryptopreneurs! Today, we're going to discuss one of the most crucial topics that concern everyone starting a web3 startup: how to secure initial investments to launch a project.

It's no longer 2017 when investors were willing to pour money into anything labeled an ICO. The market has stabilized, and now, to attract investments, you need not only an innovative idea but also the ability to effectively sell it to investors.

We've prepared the ultimate guidebook, focusing on the key aspects you need to address in order to secure funding. Let's dive in!

The first and foremost step is to position your project and establish its ideology. Your brand must have a captivating story that not only intrigues others but also entices them to become a part of it. Remember, investors are interested in the team's energy, so ensure that energy is directed in the right direction.

Why should investors believe in you? This is the initial question that will arise in an investor's mind when you present your pitch. To confidently answer this question and avoid getting caught off guard, you need to showcase your team's expertise in a smart and strategic manner. This goes beyond simply listing LinkedIn profiles. Highlight your team's synergy by emphasizing previous successful projects and industry experience, particularly in web3 ventures. If you lack such experience, focus on current achievements to demonstrate your ability to deliver results. By the end of the team presentation, investors should have no doubts about your team's potential to execute the project.

A clear and comprehensive go-to-market (GTM) strategy with calculated costs is essential. Your GTM strategy should align all the crucial elements that drive your business, including marketing, customer information, and brand development. It provides an actionable plan to effectively reach your target customers. A robust GTM strategy enhances market awareness and ensures that you don't waste valuable resources, time, and money by introducing an unnecessary product to the market.

Value: Clearly define what sets your product apart from competitors. Why would someone choose your product over what's already available?
Positioning: Determine your product's position in the market. How do you want people to perceive your product in relation to competitors?
Customers: Identify your target customers. Who are they?
Channels: Understand where your target customers make their purchases and where you should promote your products.
Price: Define your pricing strategy.

A well-defined and detailed business model is crucial for your project. It is essential to have a written plan outlining how your project will generate revenue and sustain itself for at least the next three years. This goes beyond tokenomics and focuses on what your users will pay for. You need to determine whether you'll adopt a freemium model or a subscription-based service, and provide specific details about how these models will work.

Experienced investors pay close attention to tokenomics, as it is an area where fatal mistakes can easily turn off their interest in your project. Your tokenomics should be designed to protect against inflation and provide a clear understanding of how the token's value will grow in the long term. Additionally, ensure that you have included vesting and cliff provisions for team tokens to avoid any skepticism from investors. It is also important to clarify the liquidity arrangements for your tokens.

In addition to tokenomics, it's crucial to provide other investment parameters to align with the evolving market and fundraising practices in web3. These parameters go beyond token price and include:

• Pre-money valuation: Estimate the value of your company in tokens before raising funds in seed, private, strategic, and public rounds. For example, if $1 million has been raised with a 10% TGE token generated event allocation, the pre-money valuation of your startup would be $1 million.

• FDV (Fully Diluted Value): Transparency is key, so it's important to disclose the fully diluted value of your token. This helps investors understand the proportion of tokens in the market at each stage.

• Coefficient of variation: Show the variation in token price for each funding round (seed/private/public) to provide investors with an understanding of the risks involved. Early-stage investors take on more risk, and they should have clarity on the potential returns, considering the waiting time until listing.

• Vesting: Specify the token lock-up mechanism for tokens purchased by investors to demonstrate a serious commitment to long-term growth and stability.

• Utility: Highlight how the token will be utilized, ensuring that it serves as more than just a superficial asset but rather an engaging and valuable component of the ecosystem.

By addressing these basic investment parameters, you can provide investors with a comprehensive overview of your project's financial structure and potential for growth.

To showcase your achievements and demonstrate investor interest, provide concrete metrics such as the number of followers and engagement rate on platforms like Discord, Twitter, and Telegram. Highlight metrics like signed whitelists and connected wallets to demonstrate community involvement. Additionally, mention any partnerships, collaborations with other projects, signed ambassadors, and listings on web3 platforms, as these strengthen your project's credibility in the eyes of investors.

Transitioning from marketing metrics to product metrics, share information about your product's development stage. If you have an Alpha or PreAlpha version, mention how many users have tested it and provided feedback, which informs your product improvements. If you have already released an MVP version and generated revenue from it, emphasize these early successes.

Conclusion

It's important to highlight key points for investors. They are interested in the progress your project has made thus far and, more importantly, the future plans. Investors evaluate the potential value and profitability of the token based on projected events and achievements. Clearly outline your roadmap to provide transparency and instill confidence in potential investors.

Participating in reputable accelerator programs or securing grants is a positive sign for investors. These programs validate your project's potential and increase the likelihood of success. Highlight any notable accelerator programs or grants you have received, as they can significantly enhance your project's credibility and attract investor interest.

Choosing the right ecosystem for your project, unless you are building your own blockchain, is crucial for long-term success. Investors want to see that you have established partnerships or agreements within the chosen ecosystem, as this adds credibility and shows alignment with industry players. Demonstrating ecosystem support strengthens investor confidence in your project's potential.

The increasing importance of project legalization, particularly in the United States, necessitates expertise in navigating legal and regulatory aspects. Prepare yourself with knowledge on the legal requirements specific to your project and the countries involved. Investors will appreciate your understanding of the regulatory landscape and the steps you have taken to ensure compliance.

Preparing for the pitching process is essential to present your project effectively. Pay attention to quality packaging of information in your PitchDeck, ensuring there are no mistakes or missteps. Double-check all details multiple times. Organize meetings promptly, whether in-person or through virtual platforms like Zoom or Google Meet. Pay attention to the appearance and professionalism of your team during the presentation.

Connect with a wide range of fundraisers who can introduce your project to investors and venture capitalists (VCs). It's important to pitch your project consistently and frequently. The more pitches you make, the better prepared you become, and each pitching session can provide valuable insights for improvement. Additionally, reach out to VCs through cold calls, but focus on building relationships rather than a simple "give us money" approach. Regularly update them on your progress, and with persistence and iterations, you may capture their interest and secure a call to discuss details.

Keep in mind that investors prioritize the safety of their investments over potential returns.

Concentrate on demonstrating the seriousness of your intentions and the development of a high-quality product that will meet market demand. By emphasizing these aspects, you increase your chances of success in attracting investment.

If you're ready to take the leap and skyrocket your startup to Crypto RockStar status, don't wait any longer! Hit that button below and let us guide you through the thrilling journey of securing the investment you need.