Reference01
Venture Dictionary
Plain-English explanations of the terms used by founders, angels, and venture investors—from financing mechanics to fund economics.
Open the dictionaryStartup · Angel · Venture Capital
A clearer view
of venture.
Understand the language. Connect the ideas. Prepare for better conversations about building, funding, and investing in early-stage companies.
Explore the resources For founders & early-stage investors
Learn / Explore Venture Decoded
The language. The bigger picture.
Clear definitions, guided explanations, and worked examples for understanding the language and decisions of venture.
Guide02
Venture Ready
Explore funding fit and what makes an opportunity compelling. Work through the questions to address before approaching investors.
The investment case, in context
Illustrative milestones, funding options, and a reflection tool to build your discussion notes.
Investor education03
Investor Fundamentals
A foundation for learning about early-stage investing. Connect an opportunity with the risks, economics, and relationship that come with an investment.
Questions behind an investment
A starting point for newer angel and early-stage investors, with sources and related dictionary entries.
Explainer04
Deal Terms Explained
Understand what is being issued, how ownership can change, and how economic and governance rights shape the investment.
Follow the investment
Compare instruments and follow hypothetical funding and exit examples into the numbers.
Guide & interactive models05
Debt & Venture
Follow what the money funds and what repays it. Explore venture debt, revenue-based financing, working-capital credit, and fund borrowing.
Tools / Venture Math
Change an input.
Understand the effect.
Explore ownership, cash runway, investment proceeds, and liquidation preferences in Venture Math. Work through RBF remittances and loan payments in Debt & Venture.
Explore Venture Math Explore the two debt models →An illustrative priced round20% → 16%
A $2M primary round at $8M pre-money reduces an existing 20% holding to 16%, before any pool increase or convertible conversion.
Why Venture Decoded
Better understanding.
Better questions.
An independent educational resource for the people building and backing early-stage companies.
Venture brings together unfamiliar language, different funding paths, and decisions with long-term consequences. Venture Decoded makes those ideas easier to understand and discuss.
For founders
Understand funding fit, connect capital to business progress, and prepare a focused investor conversation.
For investors
Build familiarity with venture terminology and the questions to explore when learning about an opportunity.