Most early-stage founders worry about where to find investors.
Far fewer ask a more fundamental question:

“Am I actually ready to raise?”

It’s not always an easy question to sit with.

A recent video by Heini Zachariassen, the founder of Vivino, explains this with refreshing directness. It’s worth watching in full, particularly if you’re about to begin outreach.

Watch the video here:

by the Raw Startup Blog

This article distils five of the clearest readiness signals investors look for, why they matter, and how founders can use them to judge whether raising now will actually help.

1. Evidence of execution, not just an idea

Investors rarely fund ideas alone. They look for signs of progress:

• prototypes,
• early users,
• small tests,

or anything tangible that shows you can move from concept to execution.

This doesn’t require a polished product. It simply shows you can build with limited resources, which is a signal investors consistently value.

Consider:

What have we built that someone outside the team can see or try?

What progress have we made without external funding?

2. A model that can scale without linear effort

Investors pay close attention to whether a company’s growth requires increasingly more time, labour or operational overhead.

A scalable product isn’t one that grows quickly.

It’s one that can grow without costs rising in proportion.

Consider:

Which parts of our model scale easily, and which don’t?

What limits growth today, and can those limits be redesigned?

3. Clarity on the founders’ level of commitment

Part-time founding teams often raise questions for investors. It suggests a level of uncertainty or divided focus.

You don’t need to be full-time already, but you do need a clear, credible timeline for when and how that transition happens.

Consider:

If asked directly, can I explain when I’ll be full-time?

What conditions need to be in place for that to be viable?

4. A clear explanation of how capital will be used

Many founders attempt to raise because fundraising feels like a standard milestone. Investors quickly notice when there’s no practical plan for how capital will drive the next stage of growth.

A good plan links the amount you’re raising to the milestones it will unlock and why those milestones matter.

Consider:

Could I explain succinctly what £250k will achieve?

Which specific inflection point does this raise help us reach?

5. Alignment between ambition and the expectations of outside capital

Some founders want a steady, sustainable business. Others want the faster growth journey associated with external investment. Both paths are legitimate but they are not the same.

Misalignment here creates tension between founders and investors, often far earlier than people expect.

Consider:

Do I want the rate of growth typically expected by investors?

Is external capital the right fit for the business I actually want to build?

A simple way to assess your own timing

These five signals are not a checklist of pass/fail attributes. They help you understand whether your story, your timing and your ambition align with the expectations of early-stage investors.

If you are looking for a quick readiness checklist try speed-answering:

1. I have something tangible to show (prototype, users or validated learning).
2. I can explain the scalable part of the model clearly.
3. I have a credible plan for going full-time.
4. I know precisely what the capital will fund and why.
5. My ambition matches the expectations of growth-focused investors.

If several of these resonate, you may be closer to a meaningful raise than you think. If not, you may simply be early- and early is entirely workable with the right foundation.

A final thought

We began with a simple question:

“Am I actually ready to raise?”

With clearer signals, the answer becomes easier to see and by far easier to act on. Good fundraising doesn’t start with outreach. It starts with fit, timing and narrative clarity.

If you’re preparing a SEIS or EIS-friendly round and want a clearer sense of your readiness or story, we run small working groups for UK founders exploring early-stage capital.

Because the real work isn’t contacting investors.
It’s knowing which conversations deserve your time.