The Fundraising Toolkit
Bookmark this page. These are the living documents I use with my advisory clients.
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A quick self-assessment to see if your company is ready for investment.
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A step-by-step reference for founders to design, run, and document validation work that convinces sophisticated investors you have de-risked the core assumptions of your startup.
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This exercise helps you uncover your critical assumptions, the things that absolutely must be true for your business to work, and then ask:
Have we validated this? Or are we flying blind?
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Finding investors is one of the most time-consuming, and critical, parts of the fundraising process. This guide will walk you through where to look and how to qualify the right people for your round.
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Your first message to cold investor contacts is usually the biggest leak in your funnel. This worksheet helps you build the best possible short message.
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This guide shows you how to stay top-of-mind without turning people off, and how to keep momentum moving toward a check.
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A large fraction of your pitches will be online, using Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, or similar services. How you look and sound impacts the effectiveness of those meetings. Now is a good time to create a location and setup that will let you present to best effect.
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You need to know what your company is worth to investors, whether it’s to set your own expectations, defend your numbers, or push back on investor-provided numbers.
This shows you the standard valuation methodologies.
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The Ideal Customer Profile Worksheet is a tool for startup founders to clearly define their Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). It guides you through key aspects like goals, pain points, and buying criteria.
WANT TO GO DEEPER? Work with Lance directly.
One Hour to Get Investor-Ready
Stop working on the wrong things. In a 1-hour Strategic Roadmap Session, I’ll review your materials (deck, story, traction, and toolkit outputs) and we’ll build a prioritized 90-day plan to close your biggest fundraising gaps.
Ready to Raise Soon?
Join the Founder Quest Intensive. A 12-week cohort to validate your model, overhaul your pitch, build your data room, and run a professional fundraising process.
"Founder's Quest is a game-changer for me. Every passing day, I am getting one step closer to closing my first funding round. The feedback I am getting from potential investors and advisors has improved significantly." - Fahad Ausaf, Founder of Lookflock