Startup Cases
Startup Valuation
The context:
A pre-seed founder needed a valuation that balanced ambition with market realism. They knew that a valuation based on hope rather than market logic risked "inflated expectations" that could lead to impossible milestones and a damaging down round later.
Our perspective:
We used TAM, SAM, and SOM analysis to define their addressable market opportunity, then stress tested this against comparable early-stage deals to ensure the valuation remained on scale with the market's current mood.
The result:
The founders entered investor conversations with a defensible framework. By grounding their ask in specific market capture potential, they protected their ownership stake and set milestones that were ambitious yet realistic enough to maintain investor trust for future rounds.
Fundraising Financial Model
The context:
A startup with a prototype but little revenue needed to raise. The founders were stuck in the "hope and potential" phase and could not justify their valuation or funding request to investors who were asking for concrete proof of viability.
Our perspective:
We helped them move from "hope to metrics" by building a model focused on unit economics and burn rate. We reverse engineered their fundraising ask by calculating exactly how much cash was needed to reach their next milestone, providing a rational basis for the ownership stake they were offering.
The result:
The founders shifted from guessing to negotiating from strength. They secured a credible view of their runway and milestones, ensuring their fundraising request was strategically sized to justify the board seat and investment time their investors were looking for.
Investor Ready Support
The context:
A founder had a pitch that generated buzz but lacked the financial depth to back it up. Their valuation logic and growth projections were misaligned, creating the kind of friction during due diligence that often causes investors to walk away.
Our perspective:
We stress tested the entire investment case. We reconciled their valuation and dilution strategy with their growth projections, ensuring the numbers supported the "story" the pitch deck was selling. We treated the financials as the "reality check" investors use to judge a founder's judgment.
The result:
The startup entered the market with a clean, credible investment case. By removing the financial friction and mixed messages, the founders moved through fundraising discussions with the momentum that comes from having a story backed by rigorous analysis.