National, 4th October:- Eximius Ventures, India’s premier pre-seed fund, has partnered with WeWork Labs to launch The Pre-Seed Playbook: A Guide to Raising Pre-Seed Funding in India. As India’s startup ecosystem experiences unprecedented growth, early-stage founders still face challenges while securing initial funding to bring their ideas to life. To address this critical need, Eximius Ventures and WeWork Labs have introduced the first comprehensive resource focused on pre-seed funding in India.

The playbook offers valuable insights into navigating the evolving pre-seed landscape, where smaller cheque sizes, drip capital, and backing unconventional founders have become vital. With this emerging asset class often misunderstood, the playbook arrives at a crucial moment to provide clarity and support to founders. With growing cheque sizes at the seed stage, early-stage founders are under enormous pressure to scale quickly, often at the expense of long-term sustainability. This haste to expand has caused numerous firms to reach the “valley of death,” a critical period in which a lack of early finance leads to hasty scaling, unsustainable growth ambitions, and eventual collapse. This issue is particularly acute in India, where the startup ecosystem is still emerging and institutionalised pre-seed investment is rare.

A recent poll of over 500 founders found that, while 83% are ready to secure pre-seed capital, more than 60% struggle to connect with suitable investors. Furthermore, more than 70% identified credibility as a major barrier, particularly for first-time founders. This data underlines the critical need for organised pre-seed support, which is currently underserved in India’s developing finance sector.

“Our goal with this playbook is to demystify the pre-seed stage, which is often the most challenging phase for founders,” said Pearl Agarwal, Founder and Managing Partner of Eximius Ventures. “Pre-seed is about more than just capital; it’s about providing founders with the right guidance, networks, and resources to build a solid foundation for their startup. This guide is our effort to support India’s next wave of entrepreneurs and fuel the country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem from the ground up.”

The increasing inflow of capital into later-stage investments in India has unintentionally increased the funding gap for early-stage entrepreneurs. While capital available for seed and subsequent fundraising rounds has increased, pre-seed financing is under-represented continuously. This is an excellent opportunity for the ecosystem to focus on developing pre-seed firms, resulting in a solid pipeline of low-risk ventures ready for larger investments.

The Pre-Seed Playbook is more than just a handbook; it’s a thorough plan to help founders secure their first cheque and set a solid platform for long-term success. It delves deeply into the pre-seed stage’s specific issues, providing insider insights, strategic frameworks, and expert comments. The playbook guides founders with actionable tactics for overcoming major challenges such as locating the proper investors, fine-tuning their pitch, and dealing with rejections—critical areas where many first-time entrepreneurs struggle. Using this resource, founders can avoid typical pitfalls and position themselves for long-term growth.

“India’s startup ecosystem has evolved significantly, but the pre-seed stage remains underserved,” said Arvind Radhakrishnan, Head of WeWork Labs, WeWork Labs. “This playbook is an essential resource for founders who need guidance on navigating this complex yet pivotal stage of their startup journey. We’re excited to make this resource available at WeWork Labs locations across India, further strengthening our commitment to supporting early-stage entrepreneurs.”