How to Use the Design 1st Funding Tool
Fill out your location, select your product stage, and describe your startup in detail. The more specific you are about your business model and funding needs, the more targeted and relevant recommendations I can provide.
Get personalized funding sources in under 2 minutes. Results organized by Local, National, and Global opportunities.
Required Fields:
- Location: City, state/province, country (affects local funding opportunities)
- Product Stage: Select from dropdown - idea, bench model prototype, functional prototype, low volume production, or selling in market
- Startup Description: Detailed description of your business
Include These Key Details in Description:
- Problem & Solution: What problem your startup solves and how
- Target Market: B2B/B2C, industry vertical, customer segments
- Funding Amount: Specific amount needed and funding round type
- Use of Funds: How you plan to use the investment
- Traction: Existing customers, revenue, partnerships, team size
- Industry/Vertical: Tech sector, market category, business model
Good Example:
“AI-powered inventory management for small retailers. B2B SaaS with 3 pilot customers generating $5K MRR. Looking for $500K pre-seed funding to hire 2 developers and expand our sales team.”
Avoid This:
“Need funding for my startup.” — Too vague! No details about the product, market, stage, or funding amount needed.
Funding Stage Examples:
Pre-Seed / Idea Stage:
“IoT sensor for agriculture. Validated problem with 50 farmer interviews. Need $100K to build MVP and conduct field trials.”
Seed Stage:
“HealthTech wearable with 1,000 beta users. Seeking $1M Series Seed to scale manufacturing and expand to retail partnerships.”
Growth Stage:
“B2B robotics company with $2M ARR across 20 enterprise customers. Raising $5M Series A for international expansion and R&D.”
Tip: Mention any specific requirements like investor type preferences, geographic focus, or industry expertise you're seeking.