When to Quit: Founder Opportunity Cost
March 12, 2025
You have to be incredibly resilient to build a company from idea to IPO. Almost everyone who has made it will tell you there were many times when their company almost shut down.
Today we’re talking about investor definitions. It’s not always clear what type of check an investor will write, especially in these rapidly changing times. So here’s a rough outline of the definitions for investors based on their initial check size:
Angel Investors — Not to be confused with Angel groups, these are individuals who usually don’t invest fulltime and are investing their own money. You would expect their check size to range from $5k up to $100k.
Micro VCs — These are investors with a smaller fund, usually under $100M. Often a small team of up to 3 partners, investing from $50k to $500k in most cases.
Seed Funds — With a team of 3 to 20+ investing professionals, seed funds usually have more than $100M in their current fund and invest $500k to $5M initially.
Big VCs — You’re likely to see a huge team, numerous different types of funds, investing at various stages and all across the globe. Initial check sizes start around $5M and go up from there.
