---
title: "Know That Fundraising Is a Full-Time Job"
section: "Fundraising"
sectionId: "fundraising"
date: "2026-05"
---

Fundraising takes you away from building. Plan for it — or it will plan for you.

## Who covers for you while you fundraise?

Before you start, ask yourself: do you have team members who can keep the business moving while you're spending most of your time in investor meetings? This is one of the strongest arguments for hiring a great team early. Solo founders will have a particularly hard time here — there's no one to hold the fort.

This is the Startup Flywheel in action: a strong team enables fundraising, and fundraising enables a stronger team.

## Time commitment

Block off **6 weeks to 6 months** to fundraise. The timeline depends on the round size, market conditions, and how well-prepared you are going in.

## The fundraising funnel

Think of investor outreach as a sales funnel:

| Stage | Target |
|---|---|
| Targets identified | 150 |
| First meetings | 75 |
| Second meetings | 25 |
| Term sheets | 5 |

These are rough benchmarks, not guarantees — but they're a useful frame for managing your pipeline. If you're getting fewer second meetings than expected, that's a signal to adjust your pitch or targeting. If you're getting term sheets from fewer than expected, look at how you're handling the later-stage conversations.

Work the funnel deliberately, just as you would a sales process.