Ask HN: Seed Funding for Solo Founder?
Are there any funds/programs that provide seed funding to solo founders so they can leave their jobs to build a new product?
An open Ask HN community consultation from 2019 where @fundingForSolo convened hundreds of developers and bootstrappers to share real experiences, hard numbers, and tactics.
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CATEGORY Ask HN Roundtables →
HISTORICAL ERA Cloud & Mobile Era (2014–2019)
COMMUNITY SCORE 11 points
TOTAL DISCUSSIONS 8 comments
Generally, seed funding is difficult to obtain through institutions. If you are an expert in your field or have compelling career experience coupled with a novel and provable idea you may have luck through institutions.
However, you are more likely to build relationships with individuals who can afford to give you money. You'll likely end up with better terms and you'll have a better experience. I tried to raise through a regional angel program and we backed out as their terms were troubling and their lead fund manager difficult to deal with. I've heard similar stories from others as well.
If you can, find people who care about the field you are starting up in and get to know them. This is also a good litmus test for the potential of your idea.
Yes, check out TinySeed [1], Earnest Capital [2], and Startup Chile [3]. There's also Indie.vc [4] for companies that are a bit further along.
[1] https://tinyseed.com ↗
[2] https://earnestcapital.com ↗
[3] http://www.startupchile.org ↗
[4] https://www.indie.vc ↗
Pieter Levels does it. He is the kind of a guy you'd want to take money from.
Take a look https://twitter.com/levelsio/status/1131797489818882049?s=20 ↗
Consider WHO your product might be for?
WHO are the players in that industry/vertical/market?
Ex: members of the board for early-stage firms serving the same industry. Not only are these guys active investors. They're amazing plugged-in to the broader community.
https://robwalling.com/2018/10/12/my-next-act-the-first-startup-accelerator-designed-for-bootstrappers/ ↗