Fundraising and investing, explained. Guides, deep dives, and practical knowledge for founders and investors.
Bootstrapping vs. Raising Capital — When to self-fund your startup and when to bring in outside money — the tradeoffs every founder should understand.
What Is Regulation CF? — Regulation CF is the SEC rule that lets startups raise up to $5 million per year from anyone — accredited and non-accredited investors alike.
Reg CF Investor Limits Explained — How much can non-accredited investors actually invest under Regulation CF? The formula and the current limits.
What Is a Form C? — Every Reg CF raise requires a Form C filing with the SEC. What it includes and how the process works.
How to Run a Successful Reg CF Campaign — Lessons from founders who raised millions online — pre-launch strategy, momentum building, and what separates successful campaigns.
Can International Companies Use Reg CF? — Eligibility rules and workarounds for non-US startups that want to raise from American investors under Regulation CF.
For founders: How Wefunder compares to other fundraising platforms — Wefunder is the place where the best founders raise money from the people who already believe in them — VCs, angels, customers, users, operators, insiders, and their wider network — creating the kind of signal that attracts even more investors and great employees.
Track It or Waste It: Ads for Reg CF & Reg D 506(c) — Run tracking before launching securities ads. Reg CF and Reg D 506(c) have different ad rules, but both require measuring real investors and dollars by source—not clicks or leads.
Crowdfunding Demystified: A Smart Investor’s Guide — A concise guide to startup crowdfunding that helps investors distinguish product preorders from securities and evaluate Reg CF or Reg D deals more wisely.
Private vs. Public Investing: The Key Differences — Public investing offers more liquidity, standardized disclosures, and easier exits, while private investing can provide earlier access but with less transparency and longer lockups.
How Venture Fund Distributions Work — Venture fund distributions are the cash or stock paid to investors after startup liquidity events, turning paper gains into real proceeds. Timing and amount depend on fund terms, waterfalls, and reserves.
From Ad Click to Investment: Your Landing Page Matters — A fundraising landing page turns ad clicks into investor action by matching the ad, capturing intent, and guiding serious prospects to the official offering flow.
Fundraising for CPG Companies — CPG brands can use customer-facing channels to raise capital more naturally, but fundraising still must follow securities laws. Reg CF and 506(c) allow public marketing under different investor rules.
Fundraising for Films — A U.S.-focused guide to film fundraising, explaining the key difference between rewards crowdfunding and securities offerings, and why that legal distinction shapes how movies can raise money.
Donations vs. Investments: Give or Grow? — Donations support a cause with no ownership or financial return; investments seek upside in exchange for equity or other economic interest. Mixing them up can create legal, tax, and compliance risks.
Revenue Share Vs. Simple Loan: Which is better? — Revenue share fits businesses with real but uneven revenue, while simple loans suit steady cash flow and lower fixed-cost borrowing. For pre-revenue startups, neither may be ideal.
How Startup Exits Work: When Angel Investors Make Money — Angel investors usually get paid only at liquidity events—not from paper gains. This article explains exits, payout waterfalls, dilution, and why headline valuations can mislead.
How to Read a Pitch Deck Like an Angel Investor — Learn how angel investors quickly judge pitch decks by focusing on problem, timing, team, and proof. The best decks win meetings through clarity, not polish or hype.
What Makes a Great Founder? A Practical Guide for Angel Investors — Great early-stage founders aren’t the slickest—they learn fast, stay close to users, adapt under pressure, and execute with limited resources. For angels, founder quality is the company’s engine for finding truth and compounding.
Conviction vs. FOMO: How Good Angels Make Decisions — Good angels invest on independent conviction, not hype: they can clearly explain why a founder, market, product, and price fit their strategy. Hot rounds can help signal quality, but should never replace judgment.
Accredited Eyes Only: The Hidden Wording Rules of 506(c) — Rule 506(c) allows public promotion of private offerings, but there’s no special ad-copy safe zone. Any public statement can trigger anti-fraud liability, and sales must be limited to verified accredited investors.
How to Use Your Investors for Hiring, Sales, and Fundraising — Investors are most helpful when you make specific, low-friction asks for hiring, sales, or fundraising. Give clear targets, real fit, and a forwardable blurb to turn goodwill into action.
What Great Founders Ask Their Investors For — Great founders make investors useful by asking for specific, high-leverage help—not vague promises. The best investor asks tap access, judgment, credibility, or accountability.
Reg CF Raise Limits: How Your Financials Set the Ceiling — Under Reg CF, your Form C financials help set your raise cap—not just your disclosures. Higher targets may require reviewed or audited financials, depending on prior Reg CF sales.
Reg CF Investor Hunt: Where to Find Your Crowd — Reg CF opens your raise to a wider audience, but most investors still come from your warm network, customers, and mission-aligned communities. Trust and audience-building drive results.
Ad Budgeting for a Community Raise: Start Small, Scale Smart — For a community raise, treat paid ads as support—not the whole strategy. Start with ~10% of your raise goal (at least $5K to test), then scale only when the funnel proves it works.
How to Build Deal Flow as a New Angel Investor — New angels build deal flow by narrowing their thesis, being genuinely useful, and showing up consistently where target founders are. Good deal flow means earlier, more relevant opportunities—not more noise.
How does a revenue share agreement work? — A revenue share agreement gives a company upfront capital in exchange for a fixed share of future revenue until a repayment cap is reached. It’s non-dilutive, but can be costly and strain cash flow.
Common Mistakes First-Time Angel Investors Make — First-time angel investors often lose money by using the wrong mental model: overconcentrating, following the crowd, and misunderstanding startup investing’s illiquid, power-law nature.
How does a promissory note work? — A promissory note is a written promise to repay a loan under agreed terms like amount, interest, and due date. In startups, it’s debt unless it expressly converts into equity.
What Do Investors Actually Look for in a Startup? — Investors back startups that solve a real problem, show early customer demand, have a strong team, and could grow into a big business. The goal is not certainty, but credible risk reduction.
What Is a Community Round? — A community round lets you raise capital from customers, fans, and supporters — turning your user base into investors who are financially aligned with your success.
What Is Equity Crowdfunding? — Equity crowdfunding lets anyone invest in private companies online, not just wealthy accredited investors — democratizing access to startup investing.
How Much Does It Cost to Raise a Funding Round? — From legal fees and platform costs to time and opportunity cost, here is what founders should realistically budget when raising a funding round.
How to Raise Money for Your Startup in 2026 — A practical guide to the main ways startups raise capital today — from bootstrapping and grants to angel rounds, venture capital, and equity crowdfunding.
What Is a Priced Round vs. a SAFE? — SAFEs are simple, fast, and cheap. Priced rounds give investors more rights but cost more to execute. Here is how to choose.
What Is an SPV and How Does It Work? — Everything you need to know about Special Purpose Vehicles — how they pool investor capital, why they exist, and how to launch one for your next deal.
What Is Securities Law? — A plain-English primer on securities law for founders raising capital — the rules, the regulators, and what you need to know.
What Is the JOBS Act? — How a 2012 law changed startup fundraising forever — creating Regulation CF, updating Reg D, and opening investing to everyone.
What Is a Transfer Agent? — Why every raise needs a transfer agent, what they do, and how to choose one.
Bad Actor Disqualification in Reg D — Who cannot be involved in your Reg D raise and why — the bad actor rules every founder should understand.
Community Round vs. Traditional VC Round — Differences in structure, speed, and investor relationships between community rounds and traditional venture capital.
State vs. Federal Securities Exemptions — How blue sky laws interact with Reg CF and Reg D — federal preemption, state notice filings, and what it means for your raise.
How to Start Angel Investing — A beginner guide to writing your first check — deal sourcing, evaluation, portfolio strategy, and common mistakes.
What Is a SAFE Agreement? — Simple Agreements for Future Equity explained — how SAFEs work, their key terms, and why they have become the standard for early-stage investing.
What Is Pro Rata Rights? — How early investors protect their ownership percentage in future fundraising rounds.
Understanding Liquidation Preferences — What happens when a startup gets acquired — how liquidation preferences determine who gets paid and in what order.
What Is an Investment Memo? — How professional investors evaluate deals — the structure and key elements of an investment memo.
What Is a Capital Call? — How and when funds actually collect investor money — the mechanics of capital calls in venture investing.
SPVs for Secondaries — How to use Special Purpose Vehicles to buy shares on the secondary market — structure, process, and considerations.
How to Run a Clean SPV — Best practices for legal setup, banking, and investor communications when running an SPV.
What Are Management Fees on an SPV? — Typical fee structures for SPVs and what investors should expect to pay — setup fees, management fees, and carry.
Scout Programs and SPVs — How emerging fund managers use SPVs to build a track record and run scout programs for larger funds.
Can I Raise Money from My Customers? — Yes — community rounds let you turn customers into investors. How it works and why it is a powerful strategy.
What Is Regulation D? — Regulation D is the most widely used exemption for private securities offerings, letting startups raise unlimited capital from accredited investors.
How to Update Your Investors — Templates, cadence, and what great investor updates look like — keep your shareholders informed and engaged.
Fundraising for B2B SaaS Startups — Metrics, benchmarks, and the story investors want to hear from B2B SaaS companies raising capital.
Fundraising for Biotech and Deep Tech — How capital-intensive startups raise when revenue is years away — strategies for biotech, hardware, and deep tech founders.