Pre-seed round

Also called: pre-seed

In one line

The earliest, smallest funding stage — typically friends, angels or micro-funds backing an idea before real traction.

In plain English

Pre-seed money gets a startup off the ground before a seed round. It's the riskiest, earliest capital, often on SAFEs with generous caps.

If you were explaining it to a 5-year-old

The tiny bit of coins a few friends chip in just to help the club get started, before it's really making toys.

Why it matters when you sell

Very early employees and backers hold the oldest shares; their value depends heavily on how many rounds and how much dilution followed.

Related terms

Seed round Series A SAFE Dilution

Put it to use

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Sources

A general market-practice term. See how we define and source the glossary in our methodology. General information, not advice.

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