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Practical guides, comparisons and tools for founders and sales teams: prospecting, presentations and pitches, funding and fundraising, plus organisation and documents.

GuidesOrganisation and documents

Techstars vs YC: Comparing Terms, Dilution, and SAFEs

Compare Techstars and Y Combinator deal terms to evaluate how MFN SAFEs impact your startup equity. See how check sizes and conversion terms drive dilution.

8 min read
GuidesFunding and fundraising

Post-money SAFE: how much stays fixed until the Series A?

A post-money SAFE sells a known share at signing, yet the Series A still dilutes it: new money, option pool, pro rata. Worked example from the YC guide.

6 min read
GuidesFunding and fundraising

LinkedIn Scraping: What LinkedIn's Own Contracts Say

User Agreement, API terms and community policies: what LinkedIn prohibits when it comes to scraping, and the questions to ask any prospecting tool.

7 min read
GuidesFunding and fundraising

Use British Business Bank data to frame a UK fundraising round

Use 2026 British Business Bank publications to frame a UK raise without mistaking market totals for your company valuation.

8 min read
ComparisonsFunding and fundraising

Cofounder Departure: SeedLegals or Ember for Your Cap Table?

Clean dead equity from your cap table to protect founder control before raising capital. Learn how SeedLegals and Ember align legal records with funding strategy.

7 min read
GuidesOrganisation and documents

Protecting Founder Equity in a Shotgun Buy-Sell Clause

Protect your startup equity from predatory buyout tactics in a shotgun clause. Discover essential safeguards like valuation floors and flexible payment terms.

8 min read
GuidesOrganisation and documents

How the 2025 QSBS Tax Rules Benefit Startup Founders?

New Section 1202 tax rules allow founders to exclude capital gains starting after a three-year holding period. Explore higher $15M caps and tiered exit options.

8 min read
ComparisonsFunding and fundraising

SeedLegals vs Ember: Choosing the Right Funding Platform

Compare SeedLegals and Ember to prevent cap table dilution and pick the best path for early-stage funding. Balance strategic modeling with legal paperwork.

7 min read
NewsletterFunding and fundraising

The Ember Brief #23: Winning an Investor Pitch's First 5 Minutes

Master the opening five minutes of your investor pitch to capture partner attention before interest decays. Use Sequoia's 3-slide framework to start a dialogue.

5 min read
GuidesFunding and fundraising

SAS vs SARL: Choosing the Best Executive Status in France

Choose between a SAS and SARL to minimize executive social charges and protect your initial cash runway. Compare salary levies, zero-pay rules, and dividends.

8 min read
GuidesFunding and fundraising

How to Protect Your Business from Operational Illiquidity

Protect your business from cash flow collapse by identifying working capital friction before reserves run out. Learn how to stress test runway and stay default alive.

8 min read
GuidesFunding and fundraising

Pennylane vs Agicap: Which Tool Protects Your Runway?

Choose Pennylane for unified accounting compliance or Agicap for complex multi-bank cash flow forecasting. Compare features and pricing to secure your runway.

8 min read
GuidesFunding and fundraising

How to Raise EU Retail Equity and Keep a Clean Cap Table?

Raise retail equity across the EU while protecting your cap table for future venture capital rounds. Explore ECSP rules and SPVs to avoid governance bottlenecks.

8 min read
GuidesFunding and fundraising

Guide to Bourse French Tech Emergence Deeptech Grants

Explore Bpifrance's Bourse French Tech Émergence for deeptech projects : eligibility, eligible expenses and a non-dilutive grant of up to 90,000 euros.

8 min read
GuidesPresentations and pitches

How to Price an Early-Stage Round Using VC Benchmarks?

Learn how to decode aggregate venture data to set a defensible valuation and round size. Separate mega-round distortions from early-stage fundraising realities.

8 min read
GuidesOrganisation and documents

Combining CIR and JEI to Maximize French R&D Incentives

Combine CIR and JEI status to lower payroll charges and recoup eligible French R&D expenses. Explore core rules, spending ratios, and social exemption limits.

8 min read
GuidesFunding and fundraising

Is Your Business Default Alive or Default Dead?

Find out if your business is default alive by testing your runway against real cost pressures. Learn how to audit your burn rate and protect your cash.

8 min read
GuidesFunding and fundraising

Regulation D vs Regulation A+: How to Choose Your Raise

Compare Regulation D and Regulation A+ to choose the right fundraising path for your speed, budget, and investor base. Review SEC rules, costs, and reporting.

8 min read
GuidesFunding and fundraising

SBA 504 Loans for Major Fixed Assets and Real Estate

Finance commercial real estate and heavy equipment with long-term fixed rates while preserving company equity. Learn how the dual-lender SBA 504 program works.

8 min read
GuidesFunding and fundraising

How to Choose Between Rule 506(b), 506(c), and Reg CF?

Choose the right seed round exemption between Rule 506(b), 506(c), and Reg CF. Balance public solicitation rules, investor verification, and disclosure costs.

8 min read
GuidesFunding and fundraising

Financial Modeling for Debt and Revenue-Based Financing

Build a financial model that proves debt service coverage and cash payback to win non-dilutive capital. Stress test cash reserves to pass lender underwriting.

8 min read
GuidesFunding and fundraising

How the Option Pool Shuffle Lowers Effective Valuation

Learn how pre-money option pools dilute founder equity and how to negotiate a fair reserve during fundraising. Use hiring models to prevent excessive dilution.

8 min read
GuidesFunding and fundraising

How Startups Use Section 195 and Form 6765 for Tax Savings?

Pre-revenue startups can protect cash runway using Section 195 deductions and Form 6765 credits. Learn how to deduct pre-launch costs and offset payroll taxes.

8 min read
GuidesFunding and fundraising

YC vs Sequoia Pitch Deck: How to Choose the Right Framework

Compare Y Combinator's 7 questions with Sequoia Capital's 10-slide outline to structure a compelling investor pitch deck that drives conviction.

8 min read

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Topics: guides, comparisons and tools for founders | Ember