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How to raise a Series A round  

Elad Gil offers some structured advice for how to raise a Series A round, and how it differs from angel funding. The headlines:

  1. Line up all the meetings in a short period of time.
  2. Create an auction.
  3. Make the first 2-3 meetings "practice meetings" if at all possible.
  4. Find the right partners at the right firms to talk to.
  5. Use back channels to your advantage.
  6. Treat the pitch as a product - iterate on it until it is great.
  7. Know what you are optimising for (control, valuation, expertise, etc).

The best advice missing from the list? As with many tricky aspects of stating up, get advice/mentoring from someone who's familiar with the process.

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