How to raise investment while your investors are on holiday

Even the glorious British sunshine won’t stop your customers and investors jetting off on their holidays. Summer is a tricky time to raise funding for a startup.

One strategy is to put your fundraise on ice, and ramp up again in September when the investment community returns. But for startups in seasonal sectors like fashion, retail and consumer products, a timely injection of capital is crucial for buying stock in preparation for the next wave of sales.

If you’re up against the clock here’s what you can do to get commitments over the line ASAP.

1. SeedFAST‍

Use this agreement with investors as you find them to get SEIS & EIS compliant investment in now, ahead of a funding round later. The beauty of SeedFASTs is you don’t need to line up all the investors for a funding round. As you find investors you can send them a SeedFAST and get their money in without waiting for others. And since SeedFASTs are short and simple agreements, the investor can even e-sign it on their iPhone while they’re on the beach in Ibiza.

2. Instant Investment ‍

SeedFASTs are great for raising ahead of a future funding round, or when you haven’t yet agreed a valuation with the investor. But if you’ve just had a funding round, then Instant Investment is a great way to top up a round at the same or higher valuation as the round.