I. Word from the author

I am a serial entrepreneur. I have started many companies in my life some innovative, others absolutely not. Like many entrepreneurs, I struggled with the fact that I had the desire to act and the vision of the company I wanted to create, but lacked the money to do so. Or at least that’s what I thought.

For the startups I created and co-founded, I raised money from angel, from small and large funds, and by other means (more or less creative). I received funds from public funds, from partners or suppliers, as well as from customers. The smallest amount I raised was 23.4 thousand euros from a business angel, and the largest was 100 million euros from a fund!

In addition to being an entrepreneur who raised funds for his startups, I also invested in other people’s companies myself. I have started my own small fund and have been invited many times to join many top venture capital (VC) funds.

Through these experiences, I learned the perspectives of both sides and came to understand the rules and mechanisms at work in this world. I learned how to raise funds for my own projects and what this entails.

In this book, I have compiled my knowledge, experience and numerous examples I have come across while operating in the startup industry. I invited familiar funds to co-create this item, so that it would present the topic of raising funds from investors (especially venture capital funds) as fully as possible.

Some of this information may change over time, so along with the book I am also providing free online materials. Among them you will find examples of documents and knowledge that are an extension of the topics in the book. Information on where to find them is at the end of the book.

I want to share with you not only how to raise funds, but also explain why we should not always do it. Or at least why we should think about this issue many, many, many times before we decide to make this move.

For several projects, I have raised capital from business angels and funds from Europe and even beyond. Most of my knowledge is based on experience in raising money from funds in Sweden and Poland. I’m convinced that these experiences will be helpful to you in the process of arranging funds for your companies, or will allow you to make an informed decision not to do so after all.

However, the most important thing is that, regardless of your financial situation, you should always allow yourself to dream, set exciting goals and constantly try to achieve them.