I shared a concise pre‑seed funding checklist on LinkedIn on 2026‑10‑14 and 2026‑10‑13, pairing step‑by‑step actions with hard‑won advice about how founders should treat verbal commitments and co‑founder decisions.
don't celebrate at the verbal yes.
you can have two founders and still lack execution.
a co-founder is not a shortcut to building a startup.
- Pre‑seed checklist steps:
- term sheet → valuation, dilution, investor rights.
- due diligence → company docs, cap table, financials, ip ownership.
- investment agreement → read every clause, check the terms match what you agreed.
- legal review → get a startup lawyer to review before signing.
- closing → signatures, approvals and required filings.
- money in the bank → confirm the amount received and update your records.