The founders
Raising Stars is run by experienced founders who have pitched, negotiated and closed their own rounds. As sparring partners we don't sit on the sidelines — we work through the equity story, the pitch deck and the outreach with you.
Raising Stars
Network meets technology.
Probably Europe's largest network of venture capitalists and business angels — combined with an AI-powered investor data pool. So we find the investors who actually fit, and approach them the way they want to be approached.
Three strengths. One team.
Fundraising rarely fails because of the product. It fails because of the wrong conversations. So we combine our own founder experience, an investor network built over years and an AI-powered data pool — technology and people that make each other better.
The network
Probably Europe's largest network of venture capitalists and business angels — built personally, out of our own rounds and exits. We know who is actually writing cheques right now, how decisions are made internally, and who picks up the phone.
The data pool
We are building one of the most comprehensive data pools on European investors: investment profiles, ticket sizes, sector focus, portfolios, activity. Our AI matches your company against it — and returns a prioritised shortlist with tailored outreach instead of a form letter.
Better matching, a higher probability of closing — and far less time burned in conversations that were never going to fit the investment profile.
From pitch to close.
Four steps, no theatre. Capital-market impact comes from preparation and precision — not mass emails to the wrong desks.
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Investor readiness
Product, team and competition first: is the company at a point where someone would invest today? Then we review and sharpen the pitch deck and financial plan so the materials hold up in the meetings.
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Data-driven matching
The data pool and our AI produce a prioritised longlist: investors that fit sector, stage and ticket size — not whoever is trending this quarter. Every name is checked by us by hand.
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Tailored outreach
Every first contact is cut to the recipient's investment profile — prepared with data, sent personally. Plus call prep and disciplined follow-ups, so founders stay free to run the company.
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Dealmaking
Support through advanced talks on term sheets and investment agreements. Not legal advice — experience from our own rounds and exits.
Founded by founders.
Raising Stars is run by experienced founders. We have raised capital ourselves, negotiated term sheets and then had to deliver operationally. That is the perspective we bring as sparring partners — not outside advisors, but people who have sat on both sides of the table. And if the round is too early, we say so before you lose months in it.
Product & team
First the uncomfortable question: would anyone invest today? We go through product, team and competition with you and name what is missing. In our experience most startups still have one or two things to solve before the round — often the secret sauce that sets them apart.
Equity story
Then whether market, positioning and numbers actually carry the investment case. We pressure-test whether your traction holds up in front of an investment committee — before an investor does, and we tell you straight.
Pitch deck
The deck has to work without you. The associate you convinced will present you at their next internal meeting. With nothing but your slides. Whatever is missing from them is missing in that room. So we read your deck the way it lands there.
Investor outreach
Only then does it go out. The same company needs a different narrative for a seed fund than for a business angel. We sharpen the story per recipient — informed by data, decided by people.
Free & no strings attached
Your deck. Our honest read.
Upload your pitch deck and get a free first assessment within 48 hours: first impression, gaps, readiness and an early read on the investor type that fits.
How we work with founders.
We are a fundraising boutique, not a scaling model: few mandates at a time, and close work with the founders. We challenge your deck, sharpen the argument and stay with the round until it is signed.
Fundraising sparring
- Product, team and competition challenged: what is still missing before the round starts?
- Pitch deck and financial plan reviewed in detail — slide by slide, assumption by assumption
- Equity story sharpened: market, traction, pricing, capital need
- First matching analysis from our investor data pool
- A clear read on whether the round is ready to start — or what has to happen first
Running the round
- Sparring until story and materials are investor-ready
- AI-powered matching from data pool and network
- Tailored outreach, through a personal introduction wherever possible
- Preparation for every investor meeting, debriefs, disciplined follow-ups
- Guidance on term sheets and investment agreements
Consulting & special cases
- Sparring for follow-on rounds, bridges and insider rounds
- Fundraising for new funds
- Support with distressed assets