Tips on how to time your Collection A fundraise – theinformationsuperhighway

Jake Saper from Emergence Capital goes through the basics

When founders start Fundraising is as important as the way in which you address investors.

Timing is important and more complicated than the founders might think, but it's not just about choosing the right month or time of day. According to Jake Saper, to find the right time to collect donations, a strategy on a micro and macro level is required of Emergence Capital, who attended theinformationsuperhighway's virtual early stage event last week.

"There are really two perspectives," said Saper. The first is the macro perspective, which takes into account the general flow of business in the industry. Then there is the micro-timing that is specific and different for each startup, he added.

While Saper focused in particular on giving advice to start-up founders who have already started a start-up and are preparing to increase a Series A, he said that most of his guidelines can be applied to companies in different funding phases. Let's start with the basics.

Peak pitch deck

The reality is that founders collect donations in every season. However, there are certain seasons when investors are more active in checking pitch decks.

January and February, followed by September, are the most active months for investors, based on DocSend data that measures visits per pitch deck that are sent out every month by entrepreneurs.

Credit: Jake Saper / Emergence Capital

This fits with the anecdotal evidence from Emergence. The company sees founders who spend a lot of December preparing for a big start or fundraiser in January and February, Saper said. By the time the founders start sending out decks in January, VCs will be back from vacation vacations or other technical events like CES. The same rhythm starts in summer when founders use these months to prepare for fundraising in autumn.

While this is a common time to place VCs, remember that you are also fighting for their attention, Saper said.