# Decide how much to raise and what it will get me to

Ties the raise amount to milestones, runway, and dilution so you can explain your round with confidence.

- Topic: Business Strategy & Startups
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Finance, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/decide-how-much-to-raise-and-what-it-will-get-me-to

## Prompt

```text
Help me decide how much money to raise in my first round and what it needs to achieve.

**What we do and stage:** [PRODUCT, customers or users, revenue if any]
**Current monthly burn and cash in the bank:** [AMOUNTS]
**Team today and planned hires:** [ROLES, rough cost]
**Other big costs ahead:** [inventory, tools, marketing, regulatory]
**Milestones that would make the next round or profitability possible:** [e.g. "$30k MRR", "pilot with 3 hospitals"]
**Round type I'm considering:** [friends and family / angels / pre-seed / seed; SAFE, convertible note, or priced]

Do this:
1. Build a month-by-month spend plan to the milestones, and calculate runway with a 3-6 month buffer for things taking longer.
2. Give a low / target / high raise amount, with what each version funds and gives up.
3. Explain dilution with simple examples at a few valuation caps or valuations I give (if I haven't given any, show how to calculate it with placeholders, not market figures).
4. Write the "use of funds" summary (percentages by category) and the one-sentence ask for my deck.
5. List the questions investors will ask about these numbers and the evidence I need for each.

Output: the spend and runway table, the three raise scenarios, the use-of-funds summary, and the question list. Mark any figure I didn't provide as [ASSUMPTION]. This is general information; have a lawyer and accountant review terms and financials.
```

## What to fill in

- PRODUCT, customers or users, revenue if any
- AMOUNTS
- ROLES, rough cost
- inventory, tools, marketing, regulatory
- e.g. "$30k MRR", "pilot with 3 hospitals"
- ASSUMPTION

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