Building a startup from scratch to IPO? The funding journey is full of twists and turns, and each stage brings new players, new stakes, and less ownership for the founders. This infographic breaks it down: - Idea Stage: 100% ownership means nothing if there’s no growth. You and a co-founder share the sweat equity. - Friends & Family: The early believers. They invest when no one else will, often at the lowest price. - Angel Investors: They take a bet on your vision, bringing their own money and connections. - Venture Capitalists: Big money for big growth, but it’s a trade-off. They take a larger piece of the pie, betting on scalability. - IPO: By the time you hit this stage, the founders typically hold just a slice of the initial pie – but that slice can be life-changing in a big company. Key takeaway? 🔑 You can’t do it alone. Each funding stage means giving up some control, but it also brings expertise, validation, and resources. Starting a company is never easy, but it’s exciting to see how small pieces of the pie can still add up to big outcomes. If you’re on this journey, remember: 100% of nothing is worth less than a small piece of something big. What stage is your startup in, and how are you navigating the funding journey?

My first attempt at launching a tech company didn't go as planned. A significant factor was outsourcing the technology to a company that primarily developed tech for others. If you search online, you'll find countless of these firms. I aimed to partner with a European company, believing they would better understand the problem I was tackling. I chose an Italian firm, only to discover later that they outsourced their work to a team in Pakistan. They assured me they were building the tech from scratch, but after over 12 months of frustration and little progress, I terminated the contract. I then brought what they had delivered to a British company, which revealed that the Italian firm had simply tried to copy and paste my ideas into an app template. This explained why much of what I needed wasn't functioning correctly. Overall, my experience was disappointing. Have any of you had better outcomes with outsourcing your tech? Additionally, I faced challenges with incubators and accelerators, as they were hesitant to engage with a project lacking a technical founder on the team. This experience led me to step back and seek out a new problem to solve.

Hi everyone! 👋 I'm so excited to kick off this journey with you all. As non-tech founders, we know the unique challenges (and wins!) of building in the tech space without a coding background. This is a space for open sharing, questions, insights, and support as we grow together. To get started, let’s introduce ourselves: - Your name & what you're working on - What brought you here? - What’s one thing you're hoping to learn or share with the group? Can’t wait to hear your stories and start building our community!