Pre-Seed Funding

The earliest stage of funding a new company comes so early in the process that it is not generally included among the rounds of funding at all. Known as "pre-seed" funding, this stage typically refers to the period in which a company's founders are first getting their operations off the ground.

The most common "pre-seed" funders are the founders themselves, as well as close friends, supporters and family. Depending upon the nature of the company and the initial costs set up with developing the business idea, this funding stage can happen very quickly or may take a long time. It's also likely that investors at this stage are not making an investment in exchange for equity in the company. In most cases, the investors in a pre-seed funding situation are the company founders themselves.