Fundraising in September? Most founders miss this window

Read time: 4 min

So.

You're planning to raise in September?

Good.

That’s arguably one of the best windows of the year to do it.

But if you want to land that term sheet when the fundraising gods are awake, you’ve gotta start planning now.

Here's how to get strategic, seasonal, and sharp as hell.

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1. Expect a 6-month journey

Some founders close in 3 weeks.
Others in 12 months.

That’s the brutal and beautiful truth of raising:
No playbook works for everyone.

It depends on:

• How much warm intro capital you’ve built

• How hot the deal is

• How clearly your traction speaks

• And yeah… a bit of sheer fucking luck

But rule of thumb?

Budget for a 6-month raise.

That means:

You better have 6+ months of runway before you open the round.

Because nothing makes VCs vanish faster than the smell of despair.

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2. Respect the seasons (but don’t wait for them)

Fundraising follows the rhythm of the calendar, whether you like it or not.

Here's the hard truth:

❌ July & August: Dead
❌ December: Dead
⚠️ May: Slow (holidays + VCs mentally checked out)
⚠️ November: Thanksgiving kills momentum
⚠️ Early January: Mostly people getting back into gear

So what’s good?

✅ September–October
✅ Mid-Jan to early May
✅ Early November (if you're lightning fast)

VCs are people. With families. With inboxes. With wine tastings in Tuscany.

And more importantly?

A term sheet isn’t just one investor’s decision.
It’s a mini-symphony of lawyers, analysts, LP updates, and co-investors.

If one cog is out, it stalls the machine.

So yeah, seasonality matters.

But.

If you’re hot, VCs will find a way.
They’ll take calls from Burning Man, Aspen, a ski lift, their kid’s graduation.

Emerging managers especially.
They’re hungry. Scrappy. Not bound by committee inertia.

Angels too.
They might move fastest on nights, weekends, or long weekends.

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3. Don’t spray. Move in waves.

This is where good founders separate from desperate ones.

Do not mass-email your entire investor list on day 1.
(Please. Just don’t.)

Instead?

Work in cohorts. Strategic waves.

Wave 1:
The warmest.
People who already know you, trust you, or have backed you before.
Get those early yes’s.
Momentum is your best friend when raising.
Even a signed SAFE changes everything.

Wave 4+:
Your dream leads.
The hard-to-reach ones. The logos you want on your deck.
Why last?

Because by then:
(a) You’re sharper in your pitch.
(b) You’ve got traction in the round.
(c) You’re the one holding the cards.

Everything in between?
Build it as you go. Stay loose.
This game never plays out how you expect anyway.

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Bottom line?

Your September raise starts today.

The best founders are already warming up investor relationships.
Perfecting decks.
Running mock pitches.
Extending runway so they’re not begging, they’re choosing.

You don’t get to choose the market.
But you do get to choose how you show up to it.

And showing up early, clear, and calm?

That’s what sets you apart.

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Not because you couldn’t find the right people.

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