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A Step by Step Execution Guide to Raising Your First Round of Venture Capital
This free toolkit from Founder Institute helps New Zealand startup founders raise global capital with confidence. Whether you're pre-raise or in the middle of a round, this page pulls together the exact resources to move you forward.
Most New Zealand founders delay raising because they’re unsure what investors actually want. Others pitch too early, without clear traction or preparation — and get told “come back later.” This free toolkit, powered by the Founder Institute, helps you avoid both scenarios. It includes everything you need to self-assess your readiness, meet NZ investor benchmarks, and confidently build your pitch — using globally proven tools adapted for local success.
Founder Institute’s mission is to “Globalize Silicon Valley “by helping founders build fundable, scalable companies anywhere in the world. This toolkit brings that mission to New Zealand with structured, self-guided tools backed by investor data, global benchmarks, and real founder journeys.
What You Will Get From This Page:
A complete, investor-aligned toolkit to help you:
- Understand what traction you need to raise capital
- Build a pitch that actually gets investor interest
- Benchmark your startup against fundable standards
- Learn from real examples and proven templates
- Access legal and operational tools used by other successful NZ founders
The Founder Institute Startup Glossary
https://fi.co/startup-glossary
Essential terms every entrepreneur should know.
Real Examples of Pitch Decks that Raised Money
fi.co/pitch-deck#pitching-to-investors
Watch or read real decks that raised funding.
Quick Navigation
- Founder Institute ANZ: 90 Days of Opportunities
- Fundraising, A Bird’s Eye View: How to Raise Startup Capital Step-by-Step
- Fundraising Benchmarks: How Much Traction Do I Need to Raise?
- How to Pitch Your Startup – Templates, Tips, and Real Examples
- Core Pitch Materials
- Types of Startup Pitches
- Real Examples and Investor Context
- Use AI to Build Faster and Make Your Life Easier
- Founder Institute Free Tools and Templates for NZ Founders
- Ready to Raise? Not Ready to Raise Yet? What To Do Next
- How to Move Your Startup Forward in the Next 90 Days - Founder Institute ANZ Checklist
- Master List: Founder Institute Tools for Fundraising & Pitch Readiness
Founder Institute ANZ: 90 Days of Opportunities
- Using Agentic Workflows to Automate Repetitive Tasks: Jul 24, 2025 🤖
- Apply to the Founder Institute Accelerator → Next Cohort: Aug 04 - Nov 18, 2025 🌱
- How to Come Up with Great Startup Ideas: Aug 12, 2025💡
- Co-Founder Networking - Find a Business Partner: Aug 19, 2025 🤝
- Raise Your Next Round of Funding with Funding Lab → Next Cohort: Aug 28 - Oct 30, 2025 🤑
- Startup Pitch Practice - Share Your Idea and Get Expert Feedback: Aug 26, 2025 💬
🌍 Startup World Cup – Regionals Open in 75 Locations.
Still time to compete for $1M in investment in the Startup World Cup! Apply to compete in the regionals and get a shot at the finals in October → Apply here: Startup World Cup
❤️ Social Shifters Global Innovation Challenge.
Up to $15k in grants available for social impact startups. Apply by August 29th → Learn More: Social Shifters Challenge
👋🏻 I’m Rafael Castillo, Co-Lead of Founder Institute ANZ and Founder of TalentDojo.
Role: Founder, TalentDojo | Co-lead, Founder Institute NZ
Track record:
- Developing Products that People love for companies like Paypal, EzyVet, ASB, Westpac...
- Helping Entrepreneurs build robust companies, designed to go global.
Specialty: Product Development, Test Automation, DevOps, Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)
Connect: LinkedIn | Founder Institute ANZ
👋🏻 I’m Laurent Simon, Co-Lead of Founder Institute ANZ, 3x Founder and AI & Digital Transformation Expert
Role: Founder, Digital Pathways | Co-lead, Founder Institute NZ
Track record:
- 10+ years helping Accelerators and Entrepreneurs develop lovable Products that can scale into Ventures.
- 15+ years helping clients like StanChart, WestPac, NAB, Bank of Africa, Axa, Allianz, EDF.
Specialty: Outcome-focused Transformation, Corporate Entrepreneurship programs, Venture building
Connect: LinkedIn | Founder Institute ANZ
1. Fundraising, A Bird’s Eye View: How to Raise Startup Capital Step-by-Step
A clear breakdown of the startup funding process — prepare your business, set your raise, find investors, and close the round.
Built for NZ founders raising capital for the first time.
Step | Topic | What You’ll Learn | Link |
Step 1 | Preparing for Fundraising | Understand what you need in place before raising: legal structure, team setup, and business model clarity | |
Step 2 | Setting Fundraising Goals | Learn how much to raise, what it will fund, and how to align your ask with traction and timeline | |
Step 3 | Finding Investors | Strategies for identifying, qualifying, and approaching the right investors for your stage and sector | |
Step 4 | Closing The Round | What to expect once you’re in the room: term sheets, negotiation tips, and how to get to “yes” faster |
2. Fundraising Benchmarks: How Much Traction Do I Need to Raise?
This section answers two critical questions: How much should I raise? and What do I need to show investors to raise it?
NZ founders often underestimate the traction and progress investors expect before committing capital. Use these benchmarks to:
- Quickly self-assess whether you're fundable right now
- Set realistic traction goals to align your raise with investor expectations
Deal terms and funding requirements are constantly shifting. These benchmarks are updated from dozens of live deals across global markets to reflect real investor expectations.
Topic | What You’ll Learn | Link |
Funding Milestones | Typical raise sizes, round stages, and capital targets by startup maturity | |
Traction Metrics | What metrics (MRR, growth, activation) founders need to show by stage | |
State of Funding | What’s happening in the market right now — deal volume, terms, and founder sentiment | |
Methodology | How these benchmarks were gathered and what types of companies they represent |
3. How to Pitch Your Startup – Templates, Tips, and Real Examples
Everything you need to know: from pitch deck templates to delivering strong investor presentations.
This section walks you through exactly how to structure your pitch, what to say, and how to say it — using proven formats and real examples. Whether you're building your first deck or refining your messaging, these links will help you deliver what investors actually want to see.
Core Pitch Materials
Section | What You’ll Learn | Link |
Introduction to Pitch Decks | Overview of how investors review decks and what founders often get wrong | |
Pitch Deck Guidelines | Clear, slide-by-slide deck structure based on investor best practices | |
Telling a Story | How to frame your pitch around traction, not fluff, using clear storytelling | |
Acing Your Presentation | Practical tips for delivery, pacing, and handling live investor Q&A |
Types of Startup Pitches
Pitch Type | When to Use It | Link |
One-Sentence Pitch | For quick intros, DMs, or cold emails | |
Elevator Pitch | For demo days, panels, or short-format interviews | |
One-Minute Pitch | For founder events, warm intros, or early-stage pitch meetings |
Real Examples and Investor Context
Section | What You’ll Learn | Link |
Examples of Successful Pitches | Watch or read real decks that raised funding | |
How to Pitch to Investors | What investors look for and how to align your messaging with their expectations |
How to Start a Global Startup from NZ
Founder Institute (FI) is a global network of startup Founders, Accelerators, and Investors on a mission to activate and empower communities of entrepreneurs worldwide. Since 2009, the Founder Institute has helped over 8,000 startups raise over $1.85BN and build some high growth companies like Udemy, CheckBox, Instant Teams 👉🏻 https://fi.co/graduates…
Many of the world's fastest-growing companies have used the Founder Institute's hands-on accelerator programs to get funding, build a strong team and join a global network needed to build a meaningful business.
4. Use AI to Build Faster and Make Your Life Easier
Building a startup is tough – finding the right AI tools shouldn’t be.
AI won't raise capital for you — but it can help you build faster, validate smarter, and reduce overhead.
- Create content that ranks
- Build MVPs without writing code
- Automate repetitive work with agents
Crowdsourced AI Tools for Startup Founders
This living spreadsheet helps founders navigate the growing number of AI tools available for startup ideation and validation, organised by task.
Community contributions are welcome to keep this resource up to date and valuable for all founders.
Bonus: Free AI Vibe-Coding Bootcamp!
https://fi.co/bootcamp/ai4founders
Join the next AI vibe- coding Bootcamp 2025. A free, four-part series of events to help entrepreneurs utilize AI to:
- Create content that reads well and ranks high
- Build MVPS, even if you don't know how to code
- Use Agentic workflow to automate repetitive tasks.
- Boost your Productivity
5. Founder Institute Free Tools and Templates for NZ Founders
Founder Institute tools, curated for NZ founders. Global best practice legal, fundraising, and operational templates that are founder-tested, investor-aligned, and ready to use.
These curated templates from Founder Institute cover the legal, financial, and operational essentials every NZ founder needs. From advisor agreements to SAFE docs and investor prep tools, everything here is designed to help you move faster and raise smarter — without starting from scratch.
Diagnostic & Self-Assessment Tools
Tool | What You’ll Get | URL |
Entrepreneur DNA Assessment | Benchmark your founder profile against 190,000+ global entrepreneurs and identify your innovation strengths and gaps | |
Startup Glossary | Quick-reference guide to startup and fundraising terms every NZ founder should understand |
Legal & Fundraising Documents
Tool | What You’ll Get | URL |
Founder Advisor Standard Agreement (FAST) | Standardised founder–advisor agreement with equity terms and goal clarity | |
SAFE Financing Documents | Y Combinator’s official SAFE templates for early-stage startup fundraising | |
Equity Agreement for Service (EASE) | Free legal template to issue equity to service providers instead of cash |
Founder Perks & Credits
Tool | What You’ll Get | URL |
FI Alumni Perks | Over US $2M in startup credits and discounts from AWS, Google Cloud, Stripe, and more |
Ready to Raise?
Raise Your Next Round of Funding with FI’s Funding Lab
Funding Lab is an advanced accelerator program that helps FI Alumni raise capital.
Over the course of 10 weeks, Founders will work closely with the Founder Institute's Silicon Valley HQ team on a proven, step-by-step process to raise their pre-seed and seed rounds. Founders will build an investor pipeline, improve their pitch materials, create their data rooms, pitch to angels and VCs, negotiate terms, and generate strong investor interest.
Funding Lab is 100% virtual and is only available to Alumni of the Founder Institute Accelerator program.
- Build a full investor pipeline
- Improve pitch materials
- Negotiate your next round
Not Ready to Raise Yet?
Turn Your Idea-Stage Startup Into an Investable Company with the ANZ FI Core Program
The Founder Institute's hands-on accelerator program is now offered in the ANZ region.
Designed to adapt to the specific needs of your startup, the program is offered online, organised around 12 weekly sprints and 3 different tracks: Validate, Launch, Traction.
FI’s Core Program is 100% virtual and is open to any Founder who wants to get funding, build a team and join a global network needed to build a meaningful business.
- Validate your idea
- Build early traction
- Become investable
How to Move Your Startup Forward in the Next 90 Days - Founder Institute ANZ Checklist
A tactical checklist for NZ startup founders — whether you're still validating your idea or actively raising capital.
Benchmark yourself against 190,000+ global founders. Understand your strengths and gaps as a founder.
Entrepreneurs will meet Founders accepted to join the next FI cohort (starting 6/08/2025), Mentors and Alumni. The ANZ VIP Launch Mixer is both an in-person and online event → July 29, 2025, at 5:30 PM (Australia/Sydney) and 5:30 PM (NZ/Auckland).
12-week virtual accelerator, built for NZ and Australian founders. Three different tracks (Validate, Launch, and Traction), depending on your current stage of your startup.
10-week fundraising accelerator for FI alumni. Build your investor pipeline, pitch deck, data room, and raise your round.
Learn how to build MVPs, write better content, automate tasks, and work with agentic workflows.
Master List: Founder Institute Tools for Fundraising & Pitch Readiness
Every resource NZ founders need to prep for capital, build a fundable startup, and pitch with confidence.
Includes step-by-step guidance, benchmarks, real deck examples, and investor insights — all in one place.
Title | What You’ll Get / Learn | URL |
Preparing for Fundraising | Understand what you need in place before raising: legal structure, team setup, and business model clarity | |
Setting Fundraising Goals | Learn how much to raise, what it will fund, and how to align your ask with traction and timeline | |
Finding Investors | Strategies for identifying, qualifying, and approaching the right investors for your stage and sector | |
Closing The Round | What to expect once you’re in the room: term sheets, negotiation tips, and how to get to “yes” faster | |
Funding Milestones | Benchmarks to determine when you’re ready to raise and what you should have achieved | |
Traction Metrics | Compare traction expectations across verticals and round types | |
State of Funding | Current insights on global investor behavior and capital flows | |
Methodology | Understand how the benchmark data is sourced and analyzed | |
Intro to Pitch Decks | Overview of what goes into a startup pitch deck and how to structure it | |
Pitch Deck Guidelines | Slide-by-slide breakdown of an effective fundraising pitch deck | |
Telling a Story | How to structure a compelling founder narrative that drives investor interest | |
Acing Your Presentation | Tactical guidance to deliver your pitch with clarity and confidence | |
One-Sentence Pitch | Craft a crisp, investor-ready one-line pitch | |
Elevator Pitch | Structure a 30-second spoken pitch for meetings and networking | |
One-Minute Pitch | Build a short, persuasive pitch to get investor attention | |
Examples of Successful Pitches | See real startup pitch decks that helped raise funding | |
How to Pitch to Investors | Understand what investors are looking for and how to tailor your pitch to them |
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