Pre-seed & Seed Fundraising
Start learningRaise your pre-seed and seed
You are about to raise your first round and you have no idea what good looks like. Learn the narrative, deck, target list, and process, so you walk into the first meeting knowing what to expect.
Overview
You are about to raise your first round and you have no idea what good looks like. Learn the narrative, deck, target list, and process, so you walk into the first meeting knowing what to expect. Octo builds this course around your role, your experience, and what you already know, so the version you get isn't the same one a beginner across the hall is reading.
Who this is for
You're a working software engineer leveling up beyond CRUD.
You're preparing for senior+ technical interviews.
You're a self-taught engineer filling in the gaps a CS degree usually covers.
Prerequisites
No prior background needed, curiosity and time.
A laptop and the willingness to do small hands-on exercises.
Suggested chapters
This is the typical chapter list. Your version is generated against your background and adapts as you go. It may compress, expand, or reorder these.
- 01
Foundations of Pre-seed & Seed Fundraising
The mental model and shared vocabulary you'll lean on for the rest of the course.
- 02
Core building blocks
The handful of moves that show up everywhere, drilled until they feel obvious.
- 03
Working through real examples
Applied patterns on examples close to the kind of work you actually do.
- 04
Edge cases & failure modes
Where the simple version breaks, and how to recognize it before it bites you.
- 05
Putting it together
Combining what you've learned into something end-to-end and defensible.
- 06
Capstone
A small project tied to your real work that proves you can use the material, not just recall it.
Real-world projects
- 01Apply pre-seed & seed fundraising to a small problem from your actual work or studies.
- 02Produce one written or built artifact you can put on your resume, portfolio, or in a review packet.
- 03Run a self-graded capstone against an Octo-provided rubric.
Common questions
Is this a fixed course, or is it built for me?
Built for you. The chapter list below is a typical outline. Your actual course is generated against your role, experience, and what you already know, then adapts as you go.
How long does it take?
Most learners finish in 2–6 weeks at a normal pace, depending on the topic. Octo compresses where you're strong and slows down where you're weak.
Is there a fixed schedule or cohort?
No. You start when you start. There's no live session, no calendar, no deadline.
Can I ask questions while I'm learning?
Yes, every module has an AI Sidekick in the margin. Ask for a different example, push back, or get a clarifying analogy without leaving the page.
What do I get at the end?
A verifiable, HMAC-signed certificate with a public verify page. It records the modules passed, scores, and capstone, not just attendance.
How much does it cost?
Octo is in research preview, courses are open. We'll be transparent before pricing changes.
More in Fundraising
- Series A FundraisingYou raised seed on a story and the A is going to ask for metrics. Learn the narrative, process, and board construction the A demands, so the round closes instead of stalling.View course
- Founder Pitch CraftYour pitch goes well in the meeting and the term sheet never comes. Spend a class entirely on the pitch, deck through close, so the meetings start converting.View course
- Term Sheets & Cap TablesYour term sheet has clauses your lawyer is too busy to explain properly. Learn to read term sheets honestly and run the cap-table math, so you sign on terms you actually understand.View course