Tran VC Content Team

You don’t have a full product. You don’t have revenue. Maybe you don’t even have a team yet. But you’ve got an idea—and maybe a prototype that kind of works. Now you’re asking the big question: Can I raise money with just this? The short answer? Yes. But it’s not easy, and it’s not about […]

Pitching without revenue can feel like walking into a room without your shoes on. You’ve got code. You’ve got insight. Maybe even a prototype that works. But no customers are paying yet. And every investor asks the same question: “What traction do you have?” It’s enough to make any founder feel behind. But here’s the

When you’re raising for the first time, the hardest part isn’t explaining your product. It’s getting investors to care right now. The truth is, most early-stage rounds don’t stall because of the idea. They stall because there’s no urgency. No clear reason to move today instead of next week. No signal that says: this one’s

Early investors don’t just invest in markets, tech, or traction. They invest in you. But not the resume version of you. Not the LinkedIn summary. Not the pitch deck bio. They invest in the story behind the startup—the reason you’re building this, in this way, at this moment. That’s your founder narrative. And when done

Most early-stage founders know this: the big VC firms aren’t writing your first check. The ones who do? Micro VCs. Solo capitalists. Operator-angels who move fast, write small checks, and often go deep when they believe in something early. But getting on their radar isn’t about being loud. It’s about being sharp. These investors see

If you’re building something real, but don’t come from the right school or know the right people, fundraising can feel impossible. You read about rounds closing in days. Founders getting oversubscribed with just an idea. Intros being passed around like trading cards. And you wonder, what if I don’t have any of that? The truth

Most founders hear this advice early: “Get a warm intro.” It sounds simple—like all you need is the right connection and the money will follow. But the truth is, warm intros are more than just a path into someone’s inbox. They’re a test. They test how well you’ve built relationships. How clearly you can explain

When you’re raising a pre-seed round, you don’t have much. You might have a prototype. Maybe a few users. Maybe nothing built yet—but you’ve got conviction, and you’re moving fast. The mistake most founders make is thinking investors want to see polish. What they actually want to see is signal. Not noise. Not pitch flair.

A pitch deck doesn’t close a round. But it starts the right conversations—the ones that lead to checks, momentum, and real partnerships. Most founders make the mistake of treating a deck like a brochure. They pack it with buzzwords, big visions, and flashy slides. But good investors don’t invest in flash. They invest in clarity.

Getting traction is one thing. Getting investors to care about it is another. You might have users. You might have revenue. You might even be growing. But if investors don’t feel your traction, they won’t lean in. It’s not about what you’ve done. It’s about what your progress signals. Traction is proof that something is