raising

Definition

In startup context: begging investors for money while pretending your MVP with zero revenue is worth millions. The permanent state of a founder's existence between pivots.

Example Usage

They're raising Series A funding at a $20 million valuation despite being pre-revenue.

Source: Venture capital and startup funding terminology

Related Terms

Beginner

gross margin

Revenue minus cost of goods sold, expressed as a percentage—the fundamental measure of whether your business model makes sense before accounting for all those pesky operating expenses. VCs want this above 70% for SaaS.

🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

runway fumes

The terrifying state of having mere weeks of cash remaining, when every expense is scrutinized and founders start drafting layoff announcements. The financial equivalent of flying on empty while the engine sputters.

🚀 Startup / VC

Beginner

liquidity event

The magical moment when your paper wealth becomes actual money you can spend—typically through an acquisition or IPO. It's what everyone's working toward but few actually experience.

🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

tooling

Shaping materials with specialized equipment, or—in startup-speak—'getting the factory ready before we realize we can't afford it.' The expensive setup phase nobody budgets correctly for.

🚀 Startup / VC

Advanced

vulture capital

Investors who prey on distressed startups, offering unfavorable terms when founders are desperate. They prefer the smell of burning runway in the morning.

🚀 Startup / VC

Intermediate

vest

In startup culture, to gradually earn ownership rights to company equity over time (usually 4 years), ensuring employees don't just grab the cash and run.

🚀 Startup / VC

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