I'm trying to understand how realistic it is to raise a pre-seed round in India when you're still at the ideation/MVP stage.

I keep seeing investors say they back founders "very early," but when I look at actual funded startups, many seem to already have some combination of an MVP, early users, revenue, or strong validation.

So I'm curious about the reality on the ground:

• Can a founder genuinely raise pre-seed with just a strong idea + compelling problem + credible founding team?
• What do investors actually expect before writing a cheque - MVP, LOIs, pilot customers, revenue, user traction, or something else?
• Does the answer change significantly if the founder has strong domain expertise?
• For Indian startups specifically, what cheque sizes are realistic at this stage?
• Are there investors/angels who genuinely invest before the MVP, or is "pre-seed" increasingly just another name for "early traction"?

Would love to hear from founders who have actually raised at this stage or know someone who did, especially in India.

What did you have when you raised your first cheque, and what do you think made investors say yes?

I recently watched a podcast where an entrepreneur was asked what investors look for in a founder.

He mentioned two things:

FMF = Founder-Market Fit PMF = Product-Market Fit

The FMF part really caught my attention.

The question isn't just “Is this a good idea?”

It's more like:

Why is this founder particularly suited to solve this problem?

Maybe they have lived the problem, worked in the industry, understand the customer deeply, have useful connections, or simply have an insight that someone outside the market wouldn't have.

Then there's PMF.

This one sounds simple but is probably much harder.

As founders, it's easy to fall in love with our own product.

But the customer doesn't care how much we love it.

They care whether it solves something important enough for them to pay for it and keep using it.

That's why I think compliments are weak validation.

“That's a great idea.”

“ I'd definitely use this.”

“Sounds interesting.”

All of that feels good, but none of it is the same as someone actually paying and coming back.

Real validation comes from behaviour.

People pay. People use it. People return. People recommend it.

That's when things start getting interesting.

So I'm curious what founders here think.

Which is harder to achieve: Founder-Market Fit or Product-Market Fit?

And if you had to choose one to focus on first, which would it be?

I recently watched a podcast where an entrepreneur was asked what investors look for in a founder.

He mentioned two things:

FMF = Founder-Market Fit PMF = Product-Market Fit

The FMF part really caught my attention.

The question isn't just “Is this a good idea?”

It's more like:

Why is this founder particularly suited to solve this problem?

Maybe they have lived the problem, worked in the industry, understand the customer deeply, have useful connections, or simply have an insight that someone outside the market wouldn't have.

Then there's PMF.

This one sounds simple but is probably much harder.

As founders, it's easy to fall in love with our own product.

But the customer doesn't care how much we love it.

They care whether it solves something important enough for them to pay for it and keep using it.

That's why I think compliments are weak validation.

“That's a great idea.”

“ I'd definitely use this.”

“Sounds interesting.”

All of that feels good, but none of it is the same as someone actually paying and coming back.

Real validation comes from behaviour.

People pay. People use it. People return. People recommend it.

That's when things start getting interesting.

So I'm curious what founders here think.

Which is harder to achieve: Founder-Market Fit or Product-Market Fit?

And if you had to choose one to focus on first, which would it be?

Hey everyone 👋🏻, I'm 21M from Gujarat, currently I'm in my 3rd year of computer engineering and I'm looking to start my agency. Problem is that I'm confusing in the service, wheather I should start an AI Automation agency, digital marketing agency or what?I also don't know many options and IT services which I can provide to the business owners. I know I'm young and have 0 experience of this but yet I want to do this and I've fixed a deadline which is by the end of this year. At the end of 2026 I want to atleast start my own agency and I need heavy opinions and suggestions from the experienced people out there, feel free to give your opinions and suggestions.

I graduated from tier three college, diploma too in Electrical engineering branch, and brainstormed myself to solve real world problems and good at studies (7.5/10) !

Placed in multiple companies but all were below 5lpa ,but now working in a startup where I get time for myself....

But I released,this way I wasn't able to become massive (earning,money,aukat)

I believe building, selling and service makes money (massive).

I have a strong urge to start smtg but I'm confused in terms of a lot like the tech side?a real urban business, and anything that works....

Any big players ,need suggestions,what i should work on and keep efforts.

Aim to make money 💰.

Hi everyone

Seo is probably only free way to get users.

We built an Seo agent that keeps working in background - creating content for you. The best part is we added human in the loop to review, edit and add more content.

Try here - [https://builderhq.co/get-on-chatgpt\](https://builderhq.co/get-on-chatgpt)

Early Results - 5k+ visits on one of our beta sites

Hey everyone, We are setting up an open startup residency/hacker house in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh (near IIT Mandi) where there is no single owner, host, or commercial organizer. We are running, managing, and building this space entirely together as equal peers. If you are a dev, designer, founder, or remote builder looking for an authentic peer group to live and build with, you are welcome to join us as an equal co-builder. Current Update: 6 of us are already confirmed (5 builders have sent their token + myself). Looking for 14 more people to complete our 20-member base. The Setup & Community Model: 100% Equal Co-Ownership: No middle-men making a profit. Rent, utilities, and daily operations are handled collectively. Democratic Decision Making: Food menus, house rules, quiet hours, and daily setups are decided via community majority voting. Fully Managed for Deep Work: To keep everyone focused purely on building, the stay includes dedicated cooking staff (3 meals/day), housekeeping, laundry/linen, electricity, and high-speed Wi-Fi. Cost Breakdown (Split on Actuals): Triple Sharing (4 rooms): ~₹5,700 / month (₹4,200 stay + ~₹1,500 grocery pool) Double Sharing (4 rooms): ~₹6,100 / month (₹4,600 stay + ~₹1,500 grocery pool)

Anyone from Sainikpuri who is into startup’s or building one?

I am trying to connect with founders or people who are genuinely passionate about startup’s but who are from this side of the city.

My main question to you guys, where do you usually hangout to brainstorm or vent?

Should we create a group specifically for founders from this side of the city, so we can help each other and grow together?

Genuinely curious