You’ve got the tech. Maybe even a few users. You’re building something real. But when it comes to raising seed funding, there’s one question that keeps popping up: “How much traction do I need?”
It’s a fair question. And a tricky one.
Because truth is, traction means different things to different investors. Some want proof of revenue. Others care more about your tech or team. And then there’s the question no one really answers well: What kind of traction matters most when you’re still figuring things out?
This article breaks that down—clearly, simply, and without the fluff. Whether you’ve just written your first line of code or already have early users, you’ll learn how to frame your progress the right way. You’ll learn what investors are really looking for. And how to use what you’ve built so far to raise on your own terms.
Let’s dig in.
What Do Investors Really Mean by “Traction”?
It’s Not Just About Revenue
A lot of founders think traction means one thing: money in the bank.
But for most early-stage investors, especially at seed, that’s not the whole story. In fact, many great companies raise before they make a single dollar. That’s because early traction isn’t always measured in revenue.
It’s measured in proof.
Proof that people want what you’re building. Proof that you’re solving a real problem. Proof that you can build fast, learn fast, and adapt.
Think of Traction as a Story
Seed investors are looking for signals. They want to believe you’re on a path to something big—even if it’s early days.
So what counts as a signal?
Maybe it’s early users who can’t stop talking about your product. Maybe it’s a waitlist that’s growing faster than you expected. Or a pilot with a well-known company. Or even just a prototype that solves a real, obvious pain.
The key is to show forward motion. That you’re not standing still. That you’re not guessing.
Traction Is Also About You
Founders matter more than numbers.
If you’re a technical founder who can ship fast and think clearly, that’s a huge part of traction. Especially if you’re solving a hard problem in AI, robotics, or deep tech.
Seed investors know the numbers will come later. But a strong founder who understands the market? That’s traction they can believe in.
What Kind of Traction Gets Attention?
Show You Understand the Problem Deeply
Investors back clarity.
If you can explain the problem better than anyone else, that shows traction in itself. It means you’ve talked to users. It means you’ve felt the pain. It means you’re not guessing or building in a vacuum.
This is especially true for technical products. A demo is great—but the story behind it matters more.
What are you solving? Who needs it? Why now?
Those answers build trust. Even without metrics.
Product Signals: What You’ve Built So Far
Even if it’s just a prototype, what you’ve built tells a story.
Did you hack together something useful in a weekend? That’s traction. Did you launch a private beta that got people excited? That’s traction too.
The product doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be real. Investors want to see that you’re not stuck in theory. That you’re shipping and learning.
Bonus if your users are asking for more.
Market Signals: Who’s Paying Attention?
Sometimes the best traction comes from outside your product.
Maybe you posted a demo video and it went viral in your niche. Maybe a well-known CTO reached out after seeing your GitHub. Maybe a company asked for a pilot or said they’d pay if you built the next version.
These are signals. They show the market is pulling you forward. That you’re not pushing uphill alone.
You Don’t Need to Be “There” Yet
Traction at Seed Isn’t the Same as Series A
At Series A, investors want growth charts and revenue lines. At seed? They want momentum.
Think of seed traction as momentum signals. The little signs that things are working, even if they’re early.
You don’t need $100K in ARR. You don’t need a polished go-to-market. You need motion. You need curiosity from the right people. You need signs that this thing might just work.
That’s enough to get attention.
Focus on the Right Things Early
If you’re pre-revenue or pre-product-market fit, don’t worry. That’s normal.
Instead of chasing vanity metrics, focus on signal-rich progress. Talk to users. Build fast. Test your ideas. Document what’s working—and what’s not.
Show that you’re not afraid of the work. Show that you’re learning fast. Show that your insight is real.
That’s traction investors can feel.
What If You’re Still Pre-Product?
You Can Still Raise—If You Show the Right Proof
Many technical founders worry that if they don’t have a working product yet, they can’t raise. But the truth is, plenty of early-stage teams raise before launch. What matters most isn’t whether your product is live—it’s whether your thinking is sharp, and your plan makes sense.
Pre-product traction is all about clarity and credibility. Can you show that you deeply understand the problem space? Can you map out your first steps in a way that’s logical, fast, and focused? Have you talked to potential users, and do their problems line up with what you’re building?
You might not have users yet, but you can show investor conversations, user discovery interviews, early Figma flows, technical validation, and IP work already in motion. These things prove you’re not just dreaming—you’re building.
Signal Strength Over Signal Volume
A lot of founders get stuck trying to show more. More traffic, more likes, more meetings. But seed investors aren’t scoring you on how many things you’ve done. They’re looking for strength—signal that hits hard and shows there’s real demand or deep insight.
For example, let’s say you’re working on a robotics product and one key player in your target industry has already offered to test it. That’s stronger than a hundred survey responses. Or maybe you’re building AI tooling and one expert contributor from Hugging Face has starred your GitHub. That tells a bigger story than vague buzz.
If the right people are showing interest, even quietly, that’s stronger than the loud noise of weak signals.
What Kind of Metrics Actually Help?
Metrics Matter—but Only the Right Ones
Not all traction metrics are equal. Some show real progress. Others just look good on paper.
At seed stage, most investors aren’t looking for perfect conversion funnels or polished revenue models. But they do want to see signs that what you’re building is landing with the right people.
That might mean early signups, engagement over time, feature usage, time to value, or referrals. If users keep coming back, or if they tell friends, that says more than a single top-line number.
Even if your user base is small, what matters is depth. Are people using your product in ways you didn’t expect? Are they begging for features? Are they sharing it with their team? That’s sticky. That’s real.
The Most Trusted Metric: Speed of Learning
One of the most underrated signals of traction is how fast you’re learning. Early-stage startups don’t have all the answers, and investors know that. But they pay attention to how quickly you discover them.
Are you testing, iterating, and adapting week by week? Can you clearly explain what worked and what didn’t in your last sprint? Have you changed course based on something you learned from a customer call?
When you show that kind of feedback loop, it builds confidence. It shows that even if you’re not scaling yet, you’re heading in the right direction. That momentum is often more attractive than early revenue.
What If You’re Building in Deep Tech?
You’re Playing a Different Game
If you’re building in AI, robotics, or core infrastructure, your path to market may take longer. That’s normal. And good investors understand that.
In deep tech, the most powerful traction signals often come from technical validation and protectable work. Maybe you’ve written a core algorithm that solves a long-standing problem. Maybe you’ve built a working prototype that’s years ahead of what’s out there. Or maybe you’ve already filed your first patent.
That’s the kind of traction that doesn’t show up in user dashboards—but it turns heads.
Investors in deep tech are often more interested in defensibility than distribution. They want to know: is this breakthrough real, and can anyone else copy it?
If the answer is yes and no—in that order—you’re in great shape.
Intellectual Property Is Early Traction
At Tran.vc, we believe IP is one of the strongest early signals a startup can show. That’s why we invest up to $50,000 worth of in-kind IP strategy and patent services in early-stage founders.
When you protect your ideas early, you’re not just guarding your work—you’re telling a story. A story of thoughtfulness, of clarity, of long-term vision.
Filing patents shows investors you’re not here to build a quick feature. You’re building a moat. That kind of traction gives you real leverage in your seed round.
And the best part? You don’t have to do it alone. If you’re a technical founder with a bold idea, we can help. Just head to tran.vc/apply-now-form to get started.
What Do Investors Want to See First?
Show What You’ve Proven, Not Just What You’ve Built
In the early stages, investors aren’t investing in the product as it exists today. They’re investing in what it proves. That means they’re looking for evidence—not just effort.
If you’ve built an MVP, that’s great. But it’s even better if you can say what you learned from it. Did five companies try it and love it? Did one major user ask to use it in production? Did you discover that one key assumption you had was wrong—and then you adapted?
That kind of insight proves you’re not just building blindly. It shows you know how to navigate uncertainty. And it builds real trust.
A simple, imperfect product that teaches you something is more powerful than a polished one that sits untouched. What matters most is how you use your progress to sharpen your direction.
It’s Okay to Be Early, If You’re Intentional
A lot of founders are afraid to approach investors before they feel “ready.” But the truth is, most seed investors don’t expect you to have it all figured out.
What they want is a clear direction. A reason to believe you can get there. And proof that you’re the kind of founder who learns quickly and doesn’t wait around.
When you show that kind of momentum, you shift the conversation. It stops being about “when will this work?” and starts being about “how can we help this go faster?”
That’s a powerful place to raise from—even if you’re still early.
How Much Traction Is “Enough”?
It Depends on Your Story—and Your Market
There’s no magic number. No metric that flips a switch and says: now you’re fundable. That’s because traction isn’t just a number—it’s context.
What’s “enough” depends on the kind of product you’re building, the type of customer you’re serving, and the story behind your progress.
If you’re building dev tools, a few hundred users with strong engagement might be a great sign. If you’re building B2B automation, two strong pilots might mean more than 10,000 website hits. If you’re in AI infra, having a working engine and a filed patent could outweigh any growth number.
It’s not about how big the number is. It’s about how clearly it supports your story.
That’s why smart investors care more about traction quality than traction quantity. A single, powerful signal in the right context can be enough to get the conversation started.
You Don’t Need All the Signals—Just One Strong One
You don’t have to check every box. You don’t need a user base and revenue and a viral launch and technical milestones.
In fact, most early-stage companies have only one or two of those things when they raise seed.
What you need is to lean into your strongest signal—and make it clear why that signal matters. Why it proves something that most people have missed. Why it’s not just interesting—it’s important.
That clarity is rare. And when you have it, you stand out.
How to Talk About Traction (Even If You Think It’s Not Impressive)
Don’t Undersell What You’ve Done
Founders often talk down their own progress. They’ll say, “we only have 50 users,” or “it’s just a prototype.”
But what feels small to you might be huge to someone else. Especially if it proves that something hard or risky is working.
If you’ve gotten 50 users in two weeks with no marketing, that’s not “just 50.” That’s proof of pull. If your prototype works in a lab when no one else has solved that piece before, that’s not “just a demo.” That’s edge.
So when you talk about traction, focus less on apologizing—and more on what it means.
What did it prove? What changed because of it? Why does it matter now?
Those are the questions investors care about most.
Make Your Traction Part of a Bigger Story
Traction isn’t a final result. It’s a stepping stone. So when you present what you’ve done, always connect it to what’s next.
If you’ve run a small pilot, explain what it unlocked. If you’ve had early signups, explain what you learned. If you’ve filed IP, explain how it protects your long-term edge.
When you do that, you make your traction not just about the past—but about your future.
And you give investors a clear reason to want in.
The Hidden Traction Most Founders Miss
Your Thinking Is a Signal
Traction isn’t just what you’ve built. It’s how you think. Smart investors pay close attention to how you frame your insights, how you make decisions, and how you handle uncertainty.
If you can clearly explain what’s working, what’s not, and why you’re focused on this exact path, that’s a strong sign. It means you’re not just building out of excitement. You’re building with intention.
Even if you’re pre-revenue, a clear, focused narrative shows you’re thinking like a founder—not just an engineer.
IP Strategy Shows Long-Term Thinking
If you’re working on something technical and you’re already thinking about patents, licensing, and protecting your work, that sends a powerful signal. It shows you’re not just chasing traction for the sake of it—you’re building something that’s meant to last.
That’s why at Tran.vc, we invest IP services upfront. Because it tells investors you’re playing the long game. It tells them this is real tech, not just a trend. And that makes a difference when you’re pitching a seed round.
Founders often think traction is about what they can show today. But it’s also about how far you’re thinking ahead.
What Traction Looks Like for Different Kinds of Startups
B2B Startups
If you’re building for businesses, your best traction is usually direct engagement. That might be early pilots, LOIs, paid trials, or even deep discovery calls with real buyers. You don’t need a hundred customers. You just need to show that a few real companies care enough to engage.
And if they don’t? Then you show that you’re close. That you’ve talked to ten prospects, identified what’s missing, and now you’re building exactly what they need.
Clarity like that goes a long way with B2B investors.
Deep Tech or Robotics
Here, traction often means technical milestones. Can your robot move safely in a real-world environment? Does your model outperform a baseline in lab conditions? Have you solved a physical constraint no one else has?
These wins may feel small, but they matter. Especially when they’re paired with protection—like early patents or trade secret strategy.
Investors in deep tech know the road to market is long. But if you can prove technical progress now, and show a plan to own it, that’s enough to start raising.
Developer Tools and AI Infra
For technical tools, usage and excitement from early adopters is key. Maybe that’s stars on GitHub, maybe it’s Discord activity, maybe it’s a few power users giving detailed feedback.
Investors want to see that you’re building something other engineers reach for. If they’re using it, breaking it, requesting features—those are strong early signals.
You don’t need tens of thousands of devs. You need the right five.
Use Traction to Raise on Your Terms
Traction Isn’t Just a Box to Check
It’s easy to feel like you’re not “ready” until you hit some magic threshold. But the truth is, most of what makes you fundable at seed has nothing to do with hitting perfect metrics.
It’s about showing momentum. It’s about proving you can build, learn, and move quickly in the right direction. It’s about showing that the right people already care about what you’re building—and that they’ll care even more once you take the next step.
You don’t need to be “done.” You need to be in motion.
Seed Funding Should Fuel Progress—Not Validate It
Don’t wait until everything’s figured out to raise. At Tran.vc, we believe early capital should help you go faster, not come after you’ve already done it all.
That’s why we offer $50,000 of in-kind IP services before you raise. So you can build with confidence. Protect what matters. And use your traction to tell a sharper, stronger story.
If you’re a technical founder building AI, robotics, or hard tech, this is your edge. We help you turn your work into real, protectable value—before you ever pitch a VC.
And that makes your traction matter more.
You can apply anytime at tran.vc/apply-now-form. Let’s build something defensible—together.