A US seed round: $4M priced, $10k–50k monthly revenue, domain experts
Market position
Expect a valuation close to the median for US seed rounds.
- Low
- $14M
- Base
- $19M
- High
- $27M
Pre-money valuation
Ask for $27M pre-money; hold firm above $19M.
Free tool · For founders
What valuation should you raise at?
- Free, without email
- Valuation position against the market.
- With your email
- Your range, what to ask for, dilution and a PDF memo.
Coverage and sources
Answer seven quick questions about your round, and see straight away how it compares with real rounds. Add your email for your full range, what to ask for, and what would move your number.
- Free. The verdict needs no email.
- Pre-seed, seed and Series A, in the US and Europe
- Data as of Q2 2026: Carta and PitchBook
Question 1 of 7
What stage is your round?
How it works
A market range, adjusted for your company
The calculator places your company among rounds like yours, then checks the answer against the size of your round.
- 01
The market
We start from the latest figures for your stage, region and sector: Carta for the US, PitchBook for Europe. Data as of Q2 2026.
- 02
Your position
Traction counts for 60% of your score and the team for 40%. An average company lands on the median; the range runs from the 25th to the 75th percentile, and only top traction with repeat founders reaches the 90th.
- 03
Your round size
We also work out what your raise implies at a typical dilution for your stage. When the two agree, we blend them. When they're far apart, the market sets your range, and the round-size figure gets its own line.
- 04
What you get
The verdict is free. With your email: your low, base and high valuation, what to ask for, what would move your number, how much of the company the round sells, and a PDF memo.
| Founding team | Points |
|---|---|
| First-time founder, solo | 15 |
| First-time founders | 30 |
| Domain experts | 60 |
| Repeat founders | 90 |
| Monthly revenue | Pre-seed | Seed |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-revenue | 40 | 15 |
| Under $10k | 60 | 35 |
| $10k–50k | 80 | 55 |
| $50k–100k | 100 | 80 |
| Over $100k | 100 | 100 |
Series A scores annual revenue and growth, half each: annual revenue Under $1M 15, $1M–2M 45, $2M–5M 75, Over $5M 100; growth Under 2× 20, 2×–3× 60, Over 3× 100. Points are out of 100, and amounts are in euros for Europe.
The market
What rounds are priced at now
| Round | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| US seed | $10M | $18.4M | $32.2M |
| US seed, AI-native | $11M | $18.6M | $32.3M |
| US Series A | $27.3M | $46M | $100M |
| US Series A, AI-native | $34M | $57.3M | $109.2M |
| Europe, pre-seed and seed | €2.4M | €4.8M | €9.5M |
| Europe, Series A and B | €23M | €47.8M | €120M |
US rows are Carta's Q1 2026 figures, its latest; US seed and Series A rows exclude AI-native companies unless marked. European rows are PitchBook's H1 2026 medians, with the quartiles estimated from them.
Sources: Carta, State of Private Markets: Q1 2026; PitchBook, Q2 2026 European VC Valuations Report
| Amount raised | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under $250k | $5.3M | $10M | $15M |
| $250k–$500k | $7.2M | $12M | $18M |
| $500k–$1M | $8.8M | $12.5M | $23M |
| $1M–$2.5M | $12M | $18M | $30M |
| $2.5M and up | $23M | $35M | $58M |
Post-money valuation caps. The medians are Carta's for Q2 2026; the 25th and 75th percentiles are its figures for several quarters together, scaled to Q2 2026.
Sources: Carta, State of Pre-Seed: Q2 2026
Worked examples
Three rounds, checked
A US seed round: $3M priced, no revenue yet, a solo first-time founder
Tough position
Expect investors to push for a valuation below the median for US seed rounds.
- Low
- $7.9M
- Base
- $12M
- High
- $17M
Pre-money valuation
Ask for $17M pre-money; hold firm above $12M.
A European Series A: €12M, €2M–5M annual revenue growing over 3×, repeat founders
Strong position
You can ask above the median valuation for European Series A rounds.
- Low
- €69M
- Base
- €120M
- High
- €230M
Pre-money valuation
Ask for €230M pre-money; hold firm above €120M.
Questions
Valuations, dilution and the AI premium
- What's the difference between a SAFE cap and a valuation?
- A SAFE doesn't set a price today. Its cap is the highest valuation at which it later converts into shares, and a post-money cap includes the SAFE money itself. A priced round sets a pre-money valuation: what the company is worth before the new money comes in. The calculator gives a cap for a SAFE and a pre-money valuation for a priced round, so the number matches the document you'll sign.
- Pre-money or post-money?
- Post-money is pre-money plus the round. A company priced at $16M pre-money that raises $4M is worth $20M post-money, and the new investors own 20% of it ($4M ÷ $20M).
- How much of the company should a round sell?
- In Carta's latest figures, the median US seed round sold about 19% of the company, and the median Series A about 18%. In Europe, a typical pre-seed or seed round sells about 26%, going by PitchBook's median round size and valuation. Selling much more than that early leaves less room for the rounds to come.
- Do AI startups raise at higher valuations?
- At Series A, clearly: the median US AI-native round was priced at $57.3M pre-money, against $46M for other companies. At seed the gap is small: $18.6M against $18.4M. In Europe, the median Series A or B round of an AI company was €55.2M, against €47.8M for all companies. Choose "AI-native" as your sector and the calculator uses the AI figures wherever the source publishes them.
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