Should you announce your seed round?

Protecting your startup's edge in the early days

Author

Michael Morgenstern
November 12, 2024

Happy Tuesday Brex community,

Announcing your seed round can feel like a milestone worth shouting from the rooftops. The upside? It can generate buzz, attract talent, and signal to customers that you're gaining momentum. But let's weigh that against the downsides. With over 10,000 seed rounds happening each year, your announcement might just blend into the noise. Worse, you could be tipping off competitors, inviting them to replicate your idea before you've secured your footing.

Consider this: instead of highlighting that you've sold a piece of your company, let your customer wins be the headlines. In a market awash with capital, genuine traction speaks louder than funding news. Focus on building your product, delighting users, and creating real value. That's the kind of announcement that not only sets you apart but also propels you forward.

Disagree? Write me and let me know why!

Growing together, Michael Morgenstern

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Edo Perry, CEO & Co-Founder of Elements

Elements, a climatech SaaS, offers an AI-powered tool that helps companies optimize resources, cut operational costs, and reduce emissions up to 40% from employee activities like business travel, commuting, and remote work. The platform integrates seamlessly with corporate systems, providing strategies to achieve net-zero targets ahead of new regulations while promoting financial incentives for employees.

Ambassador’s Perspective: We foresee that in the next 3-5 years, embedding sustainable practices into the very core of business operations will be indispensable for companies that wish to stay relevant—much like AI has become essential for enterprises today. Elements aims to set the global benchmark as tightening regulations compel corporations to disclose emissions and commit to net-zero goals. Additionally, a powerful groundswell is emerging from within the workforce: Gen Z and millennials, who now comprise over 50% of employees at tech companies, are increasingly vocal about climate action. This bottom-up pressure amplifies the urgency for businesses to integrate sustainability not just as a checkbox, but as a fundamental aspect of their identity.

Bling Capital was founded by Ben Ling


Bling Capital is an early stage venture fund founded in 2018 by Ben Ling, a former product executive at Google, Facebook, and YouTube. Since inception, Bling Capital has backed over 100 companies that have collectively raised over $2B. Bling Capital offers a unique Product Council of 100+ top executives as resources to its portfolio companies. They have honored to have been featured by TechCrunch as “The VCs that Founders Love the Most” and Ben Ling was ranked every year the Midas Seed List has been published, most recently at #4 and #5 (2022, 2023, 2024).

Kyle Lui is a General Partner at Bling Capital. He was previously a Partner at DCM and the co-founder & CEO of ChoicePass (acquired by Salesforce, became Work.com, SFDC's HR cloud). He has invested in companies such as BILL (IPO), Matterport (IPO), SoFi (IPO), Hims & Hers (IPO), DocSend (acq by Dropbox), TravelBank (acq by US Bank), Wrike (acq by Citrix), Musically (became TikTok) and Lime.

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Don’t hesitate to reach out,🦾!