How Do Investors Determine a Startup's Valuation Before Revenue?
Pre-revenue startup valuations aren’t built on revenue multiples—they’re built on risk and upside. This post breaks down the 7 frameworks investors use (Berkus, Scorecard, Risk Factor Summation, Cost-to-Duplicate, Market Comparables, VC Method, and Founder Equity at Risk), plus what each one actually rewards—team quality, market size, proof points like prototypes/LOIs/pilots, and competitive fundraising dynamics. It also shares typical ranges (often $3M–$10M pre-seed and $8M–$15M seed), explains why overvaluing early can trigger flat or down rounds, and ends with a practical prep checklist and decision framework for negotiating terms with confidence.