Startup Basics

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re not trying to raise just yet. You’re still early. Still building. Still figuring things out before the big checks come in. That’s smart. Because raising too early can hurt more than it helps. Especially if you haven’t yet proven what matters, or protected what’s valuable. At Tran.vc, we […]

Raising a round is just the start. Once the money lands, the real work begins—and so does the quiet judgment. Your first 100 days after a fundraise set the tone for everything that follows. Investors are watching. Not just for results, but for rhythm. For decisions. For the way you move. They don’t expect you

In the early days, people don’t invest in your product. They invest in your story. They back your edge, your insight, your energy. That’s why brand matters—especially before revenue. Not logos. Not fonts. But brand as trust. Brand as clarity. Brand as something investors want to say yes to, even when the tech is raw.

Raising money for a deep tech startup is different. It’s not about shiny demos or big market promises. It’s about clarity. About showing that you’re not just building something smart—you’re building something real, something defensible, and something that can scale. That means your positioning has to work harder. It has to cut through the noise.

The hardest time to fundraise is when you’re standing still. Momentum changes everything. It makes you feel real—even if you’re early. It draws people in. It opens doors before you even ask. But here’s the thing: momentum isn’t magic. It’s not about press. It’s not about followers. It’s about motion—stacked step by step before your

Raising money is never just about money. It’s about momentum. Energy. Perception. And in early-stage fundraising, nothing drives those faster than scarcity. Scarcity makes investors move. It pulls them in. It turns a maybe into a yes. But here’s the secret most founders miss: scarcity isn’t luck. It’s a skill. It’s something you can build—even

When you’re building something hard—something truly new—getting founder-market fit right might matter more than anything else. It’s not just about knowing the market. It’s about living it. Feeling the pain. Obsessing over a problem for years before you ever sketch out a solution. It’s the kind of deep, natural alignment that makes the work feel

Every startup begins with a decision. Not just about the product. Not just about the market. But about the person you choose to build it with. Your co-founder isn’t just your partner—they’re part of your pitch. Investors don’t just back ideas. They back teams. And if you get that team wrong early, everything else—your story,

Most founders wait too long to test. They build first—then ask if anyone cares. But by then, they’ve spent time, energy, and often capital building the wrong thing. There’s a better way. If you’re a technical founder, it’s tempting to dive into code. You want to see it run, see it move, see it solve

When you’re building early, especially in deep tech or AI, it’s easy to feel like you have no metrics worth showing. No revenue. No viral growth. Maybe not even a product in the wild yet. But here’s the truth: investors don’t just fund startups with traction. They fund startups with signals. You don’t need scale