Introduction

Hello and welcome to lore.vc, also known as the Fundraising Lore. I wrote this book in the hopes of helping founding startup CEOs successfully raise early-stage VC financing from Silicon Valley investors.

What sets this guide apart from other similar materials is that it does not assume any prior knowledge about or experience with fundraising. The Fundraising Lore describes a structured process geared in particular towards first-time founders, who are starting a fundraising effort armed only with their grit and vision.

Founders tend to be busy, so here is a quick visual summary of the Fundraising Lore framework:

I suggest you begin by learning more about who this guide is for, how it can help, and how to use it.

For founders still wondering whether to pursue venture capital financing or in the early stages of figuring out their fundraising strategy, Deciding to Fundraise offers some thoughts with The Purpose of Fundraising being particularly important.

If you want to dive right in, then you can fast forward to Fundraising Strategy Overview, which expands on the visual summary above. The following sections beginning with Phase I - Preparation elaborate on the core concepts in greater detail.

I should also add that Preface contains a bit about my qualifications and motivations as well as some important disclaimers and licensing information. There are also links to provide feedback and track updates to this guide.

I hope you find this book helpful. If you do and have feedback, comments, or suggestions, please drop me a note. I’d love to hear from you.

Happy reading and good luck with your fundraise!