How to Make Your Fundraising Journey Smoother

Founded by a team of industry veterans— Jim Odell, Justin Urquhart Stewart, Paul Newsham, Martin Taylor, Michael Mcdowell, and Tony Backhouse—Regionally Ventures is committed to bridging the funding gap for high-growth regional businesses across the UK. With 70p of every £1 traditionally invested in London, regional businesses represent a valuable, yet often overlooked, segment of the market.

Raising capital is probably going to be one of the biggest challenges you will face as a founder, and it’s often more complicated and time-consuming than most will anticipate. I always say that investors tend to take their time parting with their cash, and founders leave fundraising too late piling on unnecessary stress that could have been avoided with a bit of planning.

Here are some useful tips to help make your fundraising journey as straightforward as possible and hopefully set your business up for well-deserved success by being prepared.

1. Secure S/EIS Advance Assurance

Securing Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) or Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) Advance Assurance is a crucial step in appealing to potential investors. This tax relief initiative from HMRC offers investors a significant tax benefit, making investing in your business more attractive. Securing this assurance early in the process means investors can act quickly, confident in the knowledge that they’ll qualify for these benefits.

2. Prepare Your Term Sheet in Advance

A term sheet summarises the key terms of your investment agreement and can streamline negotiations with investors. By preparing it before beginning conversations with investors you demonstrate your readiness and professionalism—traits investors respect. Timing is everything in fundraising, and having your term sheet ready early on ensures you can act quickly when interest is high, keeping momentum on your side.

3. Consider Agile Fundraising Options

Fundraising doesn’t always have to happen in a single round. Using agile options like Advance Subscription Agreements (ASAs) or SeedFASTs allows you to accept investments as soon as an investor is ready, rather than waiting until an entire round closes. Think of this approach as the Uber of fundraising: it’s flexible, efficient, and helps you capture funds as and when they become available. For early-stage companies, this can be a great way to manage your cash flow more efficiently by bringing in capital gradually.

4. Control Your Equity Wisely

Equity is one of your most valuable assets. Each investment round dilutes your ownership, so it’s good to be strategic and clear upfront about how much you’re willing to part with. Ideally, each round of funding should set your business up to grow and, in turn, increase your valuation. This allows you to justify a higher valuation for future rounds, meaning less equity is given away each time. Smart equity management now can give you more leverage further down the line as your business scales.

5. Timing is Everything in Fundraising!

One of the biggest mistakes founders make is waiting until they’re running out of cash to start raising funds. Building relationships with investors takes time and effort, and capital is rarely instant. Begin your conversations early, even if you’re not quite ready to raise so that when the time does come, investors are familiar with your business and more likely to commit. Being proactive about timing reflects well on you as a founder, reassuring investors that you’re in control of your business’s timeline and know your onions.

6. Know Your Business Inside and Out

“People invest in people,” as Warren Buffett famously said. This means investors aren’t just buying into your idea—they’re buying into you. Money is such an emotive topic, and so trust is at the heart of every investment decision. To build that trust, you need to know your business intimately. Warts and all. This includes your financials, market position, growth projections, and even your weaknesses or risks. When you can confidently discuss every aspect of your business, investors are more likely to see you as a capable and trustworthy founder.

7. Build Genuine Relationships, Not Just Transactions

Fundraising isn’t solely about the capital; it’s about finding the right partners. Investors often feel more inclined to invest in founders they know, trust, and believe in. So focus on building those genuine relationships rather than just pitching. This involves keeping investors updated on your progress, even when you’re not actively raising funds. Sometimes, it’s the investors who have followed your journey over time who become your strongest supporters.

8. What Does an Investor Need to Know?

Investors don’t just want to hear about the market potential or the opportunity—they want to understand why your business is the one they should back. To build that connection, you need to personalise your pitch and make it about them. Show them how they fit into your journey and why partnering with you is the right decision.

Think about what they’ll care most about:

• What’s in it for them? Articulate the potential return and timeline clearly.

• Why you? Help them understand what makes your team and vision unique and why you feel they are a fit.

• What’s the plan? Lay out the roadmap for growth and the exit strategy, so they can see their role in the bigger picture.

This isn’t just about numbers or projections; it’s about selling the story of your business and making investors feel like they’re part of something meaningful. When you can communicate your vision clearly and connect it to their goals, you’re not just pitching—you’re inviting them to be part of your future success.

9. Staying Organised and Aligned in Your Fundraising Round

A successful funding round is going to require organisation and alignment across all parties. A helpful way to visualise this process is to think of it as organising a bus trip: you need to get all your investors on board and signed up before the round can be completed. Planning, communication, and coordination are essential to ensuring that everything runs smoothly and that you reach your goal efficiently.

Some final thoughts

Approach your fundraising with some structure and foresight, and a deep understanding of what investors value. It will make a difference to the outcome. Be prepared, control your equity wisely, and focus on building trust and those key relationships, and you’ll be in a much stronger position to secure the right investment for your business’s future.

Fundraising can be challenging, but with the right approach, it can also be one of the most rewarding aspects of building your business.

Get in touch if you think we can help.