Startup funding is a crucial step for entrepreneurs looking to grow their businesses. However, before seeking investment from venture capitalists (VCs), it is important for founders to understand the nuances of business valuation. Two key terms to keep in mind are pre-money and post-money valuation, which refer to a company’s worth at different stages.

Pre-money valuation refers to a company’s worth before it raises investment from VCs. On the other hand, post-money valuation is the company’s worth after adding the financing received from investors. It is important for founders to understand these concepts because they play a crucial role in determining the equity offer to investors.

As a startup founder, it is important to have a clear understanding of the type of valuation your company is considering before raising funds. This is where the expertise of someone like Sharda Balaji comes in. With her experience as an in-house attorney for various multinational corporations, as well as her roles as founder, angel investor, independent director, and trustee, Sharda has helped nurture many young entrepreneurs through their startup journey.

As part of the Start-up 101 series, this guidebook offers solutions to hundreds of questions that novice entrepreneurs may have, and even some they haven’t thought of yet. The goal is to condense the vast experience of various mentors and founders into a user-friendly manual that can help young entrepreneurs navigate the complex world of startup funding and business valuation.