Imagine a playground. But instead of swings and slides, you have tools, mentorship, and resources helping you pitch funding opportunities. The WTE Solutions Incubator is a sanctum for fledgling ventures and new businesses, complete with tech aid, business savvy, and that oh-so-precious office space. At its heart, it's where your minimal viable product (MVP) evolves, finding its voice, its tribe.
In the intricate dance of bringing an idea to life, startups waltz through a series of funding stages, each with its rhythm and challenges. From bootstrapping and pre-seed, to seed, Series A, Series B, Series C and further, or once your business reaches late stage, private equity, or IPO - no matter the stage your startup is in, WTE is positioned to bring our expertise to your business venture.
Bootstrapping & Pre-Seed
This initial stage usually gets fueled by sheer grit and you, your friends, or your parent's saving's accounts. Founders dive into their pockets to give their dream its first breath. Be sure to read our 5 Things You Need To Know about Crowdfunding if you're thinking about GoFundMe, KickStarter, or other crowdfunding platforms.
Seed
Here, your idea sprouts with early product development, market exploration, a business plan, and minimal viable products (MVPs). Angels, early-stage venture investors, and even the crowd may join your journey in the seed round. Equity and control are usually retained unless early supporters require special agreements.
Series A
A pivotal moment. With a viable product and vision, startups invite traditional venture capitalists to invest to refine, expand, and develop their companies. VC investment usually dilutes founder equity from 10% to 25%. It can come with other conditions, such as board seats or veto rights on decisions such as hiring C-level executives, marketing campaigns, or expensive tech licenses.
Series B
Now your startup is cooking with gas kicking ass and taking names, but rocket fuel is needed to cross the Chasm. It's not just about growth; it's about significant, purposeful expansion. Here, startups might branch into uncharted territories or deepen their roots. At each round of funding startups give up equity usually an additional 10% to 25% with stricter terms, convenants, and protective provisions (for the VC).
Series C and Further
This stage is about fortifying your place in the market, innovating anew, or even thinking globally. The stakes are high, and the backers are the big-league players of the investment world. Founder equity stakes vary, but entrepreneurs may only retain a minority stake in their company, but a small piece of a big number works for many founders as company restructuring and management changes are common at this stage.
Late-Stage & Private Equity
A mature startup at this juncture is gazing towards a public offering or perhaps a merger in sight.
IPO
Initial Public Offerings are public crescendos. A startup, now matured, steps onto the public stage, shares its narrative, and invites the world to invest in its story.