
Right now is the best time ever to raise the first $500K for your startup.
Narrative violation, I know. And to be clear - this funding environment for Seed, Series A, and beyond is downright chilly.
But check out the black line in the chart. More Carta companies raised between $1,000 and $500,000 using SAFEs than had ever done so before - 568 companies in Q2!
Anticipating a few objections:
If you strip out companies that have raised less than $100K - the change is actually even more positive. So it's not just a couple folks raising tiny checks.
If you strip out companies raising in CA and NY - the change is STILL positive.
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