Score your startup against the 24 things pre-seed investors actually check. Get a scorecard, a clear verdict and a step-by-step plan to close every gap before you pitch.
“The course is the clearest explanation of pre-seed I’ve read. Every lesson ends with something you can actually do that week.”
CD
Ciara DoyleFounder, Brightwell Health
★★★★★
“The deck review came back in two days with slide-by-slide notes. It felt like having an investor in our corner.”
TH
Tom HennessyCEO, Northgate Robotics
★★★★★
“Templates, guides and a scorecard that tells you the truth. Worth ten times the price for a first-time founder.”
LH
Leila HaddadCo-founder, Kinfolk Pay
Built by practising venture investors and founders.
6pillars
24investor checks
2downloadable PDFs
3 daysdeck review turnaround
Your scorecard
Lumen Freight
Not yet investable
Your next three actions
The problem
Most founders start raising on opinion. Investors decide on evidence. The gap between the two is where rounds go to die.
1st
Your first meetings are your best shot. Pitch too early and you spend them on a story you can’t yet prove.
24
Investors run the same checks every time: team, product, market, demand, systems and trust. Few founders know what they are.
0
The number of pitches you should make before you know which of those checks you’d fail.
How it works
Learn it. Score it. Fix it. Raise.
01
Learn
Eight practical written modules on what pre-seed investors check and how to prepare for each.
02
Score
Every pillar module ends with its section of the scorecard. Honest answers, instant scores.
03
Fix
Your action plan lists every missing piece in priority order, with templates to close each one.
04
Raise
Rescore as you go. When every pillar hits 4 with no red flags, you’re ready to raise.
The Ready to Raise framework
Six pillars. Twenty‑four checks.
The same six things a pre-seed investor tests in diligence. Four fixed indicators each, and a clear bar for what “ready” means at pre-seed.
How the score works
Six numbers. Never one.
Investors don’t average. A 5 in Product doesn’t make up for a 1 in Team, so neither do we.
Indicators met + 1. Each pillar scores 1 to 5, based on how many of its four indicators you meet.
Red flags cap at 2. One deal-breaker caps that pillar at 2, however strong the rest is.
Investable = 4+ everywhere. Every pillar at 4 or more, with no red flags.
5All four indicators met
4Three of four: the investable bar
3Two of four
2One of four, or any red flag
1None met
What you get
Two documents that change how you raise.
The Scorecard
Your six scores, a radar against the investable bar, and a page per pillar showing exactly what you’ve met.
Ready to Raise · ScorecardAttempt 3
Lumen Freight Not yet investable
The Action Plan
Every missing piece, in the right order: red flags first, then the minimum to get each pillar to 4, laid out over 90 days.
Ready to Raise · Action plan90 days
Your path to investable 4 actions to go
Red flagKnow what the first security questionnaire will ask
TrustMFA everywhere and a one-page security policy
TrustRegulatory position note and plan
Systems18-month cash plan to the seed milestone
StretchFive KPIs: set a baseline for each
StretchValidate reason to win with a second partner
Plus the resource library: deck templates, pitching and presenting guides, cash plan and cap table models, interview scripts, data room checklist and more.
Founders
Fewer surprises in the room.
“We thought we were ready. The scorecard showed a red flag on IP from my old university lab. We fixed it in three weeks. Every investor asked about it, and we had the answer.”
AO
Aoife O’ConnellCo-founder, Tessellate Bio · raised €750k pre-seed
“The action plan was the most useful document we had. It turned ‘get investor ready’ into eleven jobs with owners.”
MK
Marcus KielyCEO, Ledgerline
Team 2 → 5 in 8 weeks
“The deck review was blunt in the best way. Top five fixes, in order. We rebuilt the story around our traction slide.”
SP
Sofia PereiraFounder, Harbourline
Investable on attempt 3
“Fifteen interviews sounded like a lot. It changed our ICP completely. Best two weeks we spent.”
JB
James ByrneCo-founder, Fieldnote
Second meeting: yes
“The 30 minutes with a real VC was the dress rehearsal we needed. The written verdict told us exactly what to tighten.”
RN
Rachel NwosuCEO, Clearpath Care
Pricing
Pick your path to ready.
One-off payment. Prices include VAT. Upgrade any time for the difference.
Founders preparing to raise a pre-seed round, typically in the 6–12 months before they start pitching. It works for any sector, and is most useful if you have at least a prototype and some customer conversations.
How does the scoring work if I’m assessing myself?
You answer specific, evidence-based questions: numbers, documents that exist or don’t, things that have or haven’t happened. We ask you to score as an investor would: if you’d struggle to show it, the answer is no. The scorecard is only as useful as your honesty.
What does “investable” mean?
Every one of the six pillars scores 4 or more (at least three of four indicators met) and no red flags are triggered. It means you meet the pre-seed bar on evidence, not that anyone is obliged to invest.
Can I retake the scorecard?
Yes, as often as you like during your 12 months. Each attempt is saved with its PDFs, so you can see your scores move over time.
What’s in the deck review?
A written report from a practising investor, delivered within three working days: an overall verdict, a score and comment for each slide, your top five fixes, and where your deck claims more (or less) than your scorecard supports.
Who runs the VC pitch session?
A practising venture capital investor. You pitch for five minutes, then get twenty minutes of questions and feedback. They read your scorecard and deck beforehand and send a written verdict afterwards.
Which currency are the thresholds in?
You choose euro, sterling or US dollars when you set up, and every threshold shows in that currency. Plan prices are in euro, VAT included.
Can I get a refund?
Access to digital content starts immediately after purchase, so all sales are final. You’ll confirm this at checkout.
Walk into the room already knowing the answers.
Find out where you stand today, and exactly what it takes to be ready.
