First Round

Get early-stage capital and hands-on expertise to navigate company-building challenges and find product-market fit.

Build investing skills, connect with experienced angels, and prepare to source, evaluate and support early-stage companies.

Prepare for and access technical sales roles through screening, practical training and placement.

Strengthen your VC pitch and prepare to raise follow-on capital.

Apply practical guidance from experienced company builders to the challenges of starting and growing a company.

Pooled investment vehicles providing investors with exposure to pre-seed and seed-stage private companies through managed selection, underwriting, and portfolio construction.

Products: Early-stage venture capital and founder support

Hands-on company-building support delivered alongside venture investment, helping portfolio founders address recruiting, positioning, go-to-market execution and subsequent fundraising.

Products: Early-stage venture capital and founder support

Structured education for investors learning to evaluate startups, assess deal terms, conduct due diligence, and build investment portfolios.

Products: Angel Track

Early-stage venture capital and founder support

First Round invests in companies from the earliest stages of company creation, including angel, pre-seed and seed rounds. Alongside capital, its former-founder partners and operating team work closely with founders on company-building challenges and finding product-market fit. Support can include focused working sessions, recruiting, product positioning, marketing, sales and go-to-market execution, and fundraising preparation. Its PMF Method offers early B2B founders a structured experience covering customer discovery, market selection, founder-led sales, positioning, product iteration and product-market fit, with a four-day retreat and follow-up support. First Round’s initial investments have ranged from $100,000 to $20 million, with the same founder-support experience regardless of check size.

Category: Venture Capital Financing

• Secure Early-Stage Capital
  Access investment from a firm focused on companies at the earliest stages, with reported initial investment sizes ranging from $100,000 to $20 million.
• Work Through Critical Challenges
  Use focused sessions with a First Round partner to work through major challenges and get ongoing, hands-on support beyond board meetings.
• Build A Focused Path To Product-Market Fit
  Apply structured approaches to customer needs, market choice, product development and early sales to assess progress and build a more focused path toward product-market fit.
• Build Repeatable Sales
  Get practical guidance and execution support across early customer outreach, sales processes and go-to-market planning as the company works toward repeatable revenue.
• Build Your Early Team
  Get help sourcing and reaching qualified candidates for important early roles, including support to fill gaps while the company builds its own team.
• Clarify Your Product Story
  Develop clearer product messaging and positioning, and get help communicating the company’s story as it prepares to reach customers.
• Prepare For Your Next Round
  Strengthen fundraising materials and delivery with help refining the company narrative, coordinating investor introductions and practicing the pitch.
• Handle Early Operating Priorities
  Get help with concrete company-building work across areas such as pricing, planning, customer development and board management, drawing on First Round’s operating team and expertise.
• Work Through Early Challenges In Person
  Spend focused time at an in-person retreat applying practical guidance to the challenges of finding product-market fit.
• Keep Your Equity And Avoid Program Fees
  Participate without paying a program fee or giving up company equity. First Round covers housing, food and activity costs at the retreat.
• Continue Learning With Founder Peers
  Continue working through customer discovery and go-to-market questions after the retreat, while reconnecting with other founders through follow-up sessions and events.

Angel Track

Angel Track is an education program and community for founders, operators, builders, creators and other promising angel investors who want to sharpen their investing skills and better support early-stage companies. Its tactical curriculum draws on First Round’s more than 20 years of pre-product-market investing and covers sourcing and positioning, evaluating teams, markets and products, portfolio construction, and tax and estate planning. Participants learn through interactive sessions, small-group discussions, real-investment case studies and an in-person retreat with a cohort of experienced peers. The program focuses on education and community; it does not provide investment capital.

• Build Practical Investing Skills
  Learn core angel investing practices across opportunity evaluation, sourcing, portfolio construction and planning.
• Learn From Two Decades Of Investing
  Use First Round’s experience and real investment examples to study how investors source, evaluate and support early-stage companies.
• Build Lasting Angel Relationships
  Connect with committed peers through the cohort and retreat, and continue building relationships within a growing alumni community.
• Practice Through Real Cases
  Engage with investing concepts through discussion and real-investment case studies, rather than only listening to lectures.
• Support Founders More Effectively
  Develop practical approaches to working with founders beyond writing a check, including how to position yourself and structure working sessions.
• Access Relevant Deals And Referrals
  Alumni may be invited to fill out relevant rounds and can refer promising founders to First Round.

First Round Sales Combine

A free, competitive program that screens, trains and places exceptional people from all backgrounds and experience levels into technical sales roles. It seeks people with strengths in the human art of selling and trains them to use AI in sales mechanics.

• Identify Potential Sales Talent
  The program looks beyond conventional credentials and sales experience to find people with strengths in the human side of selling.
• Build Practical Sales Skills
  Participants develop sales craft beyond basic mechanics, with training focused on the behaviors and practices that help sellers excel.
• Access Technical Sales Roles
  The program connects trained participants with technical sales roles, creating a path into the field for people with varied backgrounds and experience levels.
• Build Trust With Customers
  Develop customer-oriented behaviors and human skills that help sellers understand buyers, create trust and support customers in solving important problems.
• Use AI In Sales Work
  Learn to bring AI into sales mechanics while focusing effort on the human skills the program identifies as central to exceptional selling.
• Join Without Program Fees
  Participants can apply to the program without paying a program fee; admission is competitive and spots are limited.

Pitch Assist

Pitch Assist is a First Round program that helps startup founders prepare to raise follow-on capital and improve their venture capital pitch. First Round’s fundraising support includes shaping the company narrative, crafting pitch deck slides, arranging investor introductions and practicing the pitch.

• Strengthen Your Fundraising Strategy
  Get guidance to shape your company narrative and prepare the materials needed to raise follow-on capital.
• Refine Your VC Pitch
  Improve your pitch with help shaping its content, crafting slides and practicing its delivery.
• Connect With Investors
  Prepare for fundraising conversations with investor introductions as part of First Round’s support for founders raising their next round.

The Review

The Review is First Round’s publication featuring tactical advice and lessons from exceptional founders and company builders. Its articles share practical guidance on building and growing companies, including detailed stories about how startups found product-market fit.

• Apply Practical Company-Building Advice
  Find tactical guidance for challenges involved in building and growing a company, including product, hiring, fundraising and go-to-market.
• Learn From Experienced Builders
  Learn from the experience of founders and operators through their lessons and advice on building companies.
• Understand Product-Market Fit Journeys
  Detailed company stories help readers explore the specific steps and experiences behind companies’ paths to product-market fit.