Category Series A

The State of Seed and Pre-Seed in 2025: Bigger Bets, Leaner Teams, and the AI Distortion Field

State of Seed 2025 VC Cafe

If 2023 and 2024 were defined by correction and caution, 2025 is shaping up to be the year of concentration. 50% of all the venture capital raised in 2025 went to 1% of the companies… and as you may have…

The Series A Crunch Just Got Tighter — Blame (or Thank) GenAI

The series A crunch

The road to Series A has never been easy—but in 2025, it’s steeper, faster, and far less forgiving than before. For founders planning their next funding milestone, it’s not enough to show early traction anymore. You’re being benchmarked—fairly or not—against…

Founders need to adjust to longer cycles between rounds

only 17% of startups that raised seed rounds in 2022 have made it to a Series A after two years, marking one of the lowest progression rates in recent memory. Why the slowdown? Investors are being far more selective, prioritizing strong fundamentals. Startups are focusing on profitability and extending runway, rather than chasing growth. Rising capital costs and cautious market conditions are reshaping how startups grow. For founders, getting from seed to Series A now demands more than just vision — it requires capital efficiency, solid metrics, and clear product-market fit.

“Founders, heads up – if you’re planning to raise a VC round every 18 months, you’re planning to fail these days.” Peter Walker, Head of Insights at Carta The venture capital landscape has shifted. The rapid-fire funding rounds of the…