Series A

Series A comes after: You've raised seed ($500k-$2M), built the product, found product-market fit, and have real traction. Now you need capital to scale—hire sales, expand marketing, build the team. Series A requirements: No hard rules, but typical expectations: (1) $1M-$3M ARR for B2B SaaS, (2) Strong growth (3-5x year-over-year), (3) Proven unit economics (CAC < LTV/3), (4) Clear path to $10M+ ARR, (5) Experienced team that can execute at scale. Series A valuations: Typically $10M-$40M post-money valuation. VCs invest $5M-$15M for 20-30% equity. Higher traction = higher valuation. Bootstrapped profitability gives you leverage—you don't need their money, they need your deal. What changes post-Series A: (1) Board seats—VCs join your board, you report to them, (2) Expectations—growth targets, KPIs, quarterly reviews, (3) Hiring—VP of Sales, VP of Marketing, senior hires, (4) Burn—you're expected to spend to grow, not stay profitable, (5) Exit pressure—VCs need 10x+ return, your timeline is now tied to theirs. Series A crunch: Many seed-funded startups fail to raise Series A. Why? (1) Didn't find PMF, (2) Growth stalled, (3) Market too small, (4) Competition intensified, (5) Raised seed at inflated valuation, can't meet Series A bar. This is normal—only 10-20% of seed startups raise A. Alternatives to Series A: (1) Stay bootstrapped—if profitable, skip VC entirely, (2) Raise smaller bridge round to extend runway, (3) Revenue-based financing (no equity dilution), (4) Acquihire or pivot if traction isn't there.

Airbnb raised $7.2M Series A in 2010 after proving hosts would rent and guests would book. Slack raised $42.8M Series A in 2014 after explosive team adoption and word-of-mouth growth.