Fundraising

What the source does

• FilesystemNone observedNo reads or writes in the source
• NetworkNone observedNo outbound calls in the source
• ShellNone observedNo commands run in the source
• DependenciesPinnedNothing floats
• SecretsNone foundNo keys in source

Five audit layers

Gates applied: no behavioural pass.

Audit 0.4.1 · source sha 118e61cf1c61 · 16 Oct 2026Report an issue or request a re-scan

• Publisherpedronauck GitHub userOwner of the repository this skill is read from
• Source folderpedronauck/skills/skills/marketing/fundraisingThe exact folder we audited
• LicenceNot declaredAs the repository states it
• Commit pinned for this verdict118e61cf1c61A new audit runs when the source changes
• Repository statusNot archivedLast push 31 days ago
• Sandboxed runNot runSkills are read, not executed; layer L4 is skipped

Its description: Plan and run an early-stage fundraising process and produce a Fundraising Pack (raise decision memo, round design brief, pitch narrative + deck outline, investor pipeline + tracker, outreach/follow-up scripts, diligence…

---
name: "fundraising"
description: "Plan and run an early-stage fundraising process and produce a Fundraising Pack (raise decision memo, round design brief, pitch narrative + deck outline, investor pipeline + tracker, outreach/follow-up scripts, diligence checklist). Use for fundraising, raising capital, venture capital, pitch deck, investor outreach, pre-seed, seed. Category: Career."
---

# Fundraising

## Scope

**Covers**
- Deciding **whether** to raise venture funding (vs bootstrapping / delaying / alternatives) and articulating the trade-offs
- Designing a round (amount, timeline, milestone, target investor profile) without pretending to give legal/tax advice
- Building an investor-ready **narrative** and a **pitch deck outline** optimized for first impressions
- Running the fundraising process as a pipeline (target list, outreach, follow-ups, rejection handling, momentum)
- Preparing for diligence (data-room checklist + FAQs/objections) and reducing “unknown unknowns”

**When to use**
- “Should I raise venture capital or bootstrap?”
- “Help me build a pitch deck narrative and a strong first slide.”
- “I need an investor outreach plan and a pipeline tracker.”
- “I’m starting a pre-seed/seed raise; help me run the process end-to-end.”

**When NOT to use**
- You need legal, tax, or securities advice (term sheets, SAFE/notes, incorporation, compliance) — involve qualified professionals.
- You’re raising grants/donations or structured debt (use a fundraising/grants/debt-specific workflow instead).
- You only want visual slide design polish with no strategy/process work.
- You’re in an immediate liquidity crisis where the only viable path is emergency financing within days (this skill can help structure messaging, but you should prioritize urgent financial triage with experts).

## Inputs

**Minimum required**
- Company snapshot: what you build, who it’s for, and why now
- Stage + traction (or pre-traction proof), plus 1–3 key metrics (even proxies)
- Team snapshot (founders, key strengths, gaps you’re hiring for)
- Runway + constraints (cash, time, geography, intro network, fundraising window)
- Fundraising intent: why raise, target amount (or range), and what milestone it buys

**Missing-info strategy**
- Ask **3–5 questions at a time** from [references/INTAKE.md](references/INTAKE.md).
- If specifics are missing, proceed with labeled assumptions and ranges (never invent exact numbers).
- Do not request sensitive credentials or confidential customer/employee data; use anonymized examples.

## Outputs (deliverables)

Produce a **Fundraising Pack** (Markdown in chat; or as files if requested) in this order:

1) **Raise Decision Memo** (VC vs bootstrap/delay; trade-offs; “if we raise” vs “if we don’t” plan)
2) **Round Design Brief** (amount, timing, milestone, use of funds, target investor profile)
3) **Pitch Narrative + Deck Outline** (including a high-signal first slide + talk track)
4) **Investor ICP + Target List + Pipeline Tracker** (with weekly activity targets)
5) **Outreach + Follow-up Scripts** (warm intro ask, cold email, post-meeting follow-up)
6) **Diligence Prep** (data-room checklist + FAQ/objection responses)
7) **Operating Cadence** (weekly dashboard, “100 no’s” resilience plan, next-14-days action plan)
8) **Risks / Open questions / Next steps** (always)

Templates: [references/TEMPLATES.md](references/TEMPLATES.md)  
Expanded guidance: [references/WORKFLOW.md](references/WORKFLOW.md)

## Workflow (8 steps)

### 1) Intake + constraints snapshot
- **Inputs:** user context; [references/INTAKE.md](references/INTAKE.md).
- **Actions:** Capture stage, runway, constraints, timing, and goal. Separate “must be true” vs “nice to have”. Identify what would make fundraising a mistake.
- **Outputs:** Context snapshot + assumptions/unknowns list.
- **Checks:** Timeline has dates; runway is stated (or explicitly unknown); constraints are explicit.

### 2) Decide whether to raise (and why)
- **Inputs:** goals, constraints, risk tolerance, business model.
- **Actions:** Write a Raise Decision Memo: why raise, why not, and the “venture treadmill” trade-off (growth expectations, dilution, speed). Propose alternatives (delay, revenue-first, angels, strategic, debt) where appropriate.
- **Outputs:** **Raise Decision Memo** with a clear recommendation + decision criteria.
- **Checks:** Recommendation is falsifiable (“we raise if X by date Y”); non-VC path is not hand-waved.

### 3) Design the round (make the plan fundable)
- **Inputs:** runway, burn (or plan), milestone, hiring needs, market timing.
- **Actions:** Define raise amount range, timing, and the milestone it buys. Specify investor profile (stage, check size, thesis, geography) and a simple “use of funds” narrative.
- **Outputs:** **Round Design Brief**.
- **Checks:** Amount ↔ milestone is coherent; plan fits constraints; assumptions are explicit.

### 4) Build the pitch narrative + first impression assets
- **Inputs:** product, ICP, wedge, traction/proof, insights from Steps 1–3.
- **Actions:** Draft a crisp one-liner, the “strongest point” for slide 1, and a deck outline that answers: problem, solution, why now, why you, why win, why invest.
- **Outputs:** **Pitch Narrative + Deck Outline** (+ talk track).
- **Checks:** First slide passes the 10-second test (what it is, for whom, why it matters); narrative has evidence, not vibes.

### 5) Build the investor pipeline (target list + math)
- **Inputs:** target investor profile; network; constraints.
- **Actions:** Create an ICP and a prioritized target list. Set pipeline math (how many intros/meetings/week) and define a tracking table.
- **Outputs:** **Investor ICP + Target List + Pipeline Tracker**.
- **Checks:** Targets match round design; outreach plan is schedulable; next 7 days have concrete outreach tasks.

### 6) Execute outreach + meetings (run the “100 no’s” process)
- **Inputs:** scripts; target list; calendar.
- **Actions:** Draft outreach messages, run outreach cadence

Excerpt, first 6,000 characters of SKILL.md, verbatim from the audited commit. It is text from someone else’s repository, quoted so you can judge it before your agent reads it.

git clone https://github.com/pedronauck/skills
git -C skills checkout 118e61cf1c61

Works in

1. 2026-10-16
   ✓SAFE B 89 / 100

   first audit · source 118e61cf1c61

Questions about Fundraising

• github.com/pedronauck/skills/tree/main/skills/marketing/fundrais — the audited source at commit 118e61cf1c61 and every finding aboveObserved · 16 Oct 2026

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