I
About
13+ years on the other side of the table — consulting, investing, fundraising, and building. Ran a web3 fund. Knows exactly what investors want to hear (and what makes them hit delete). At Causo, Ivan decides what the product does next and which problem is worth solving — the calls on where fundraising tooling should go, what to build, what to cut. His guides on the Hub come from the same lens: strategic patterns across hundreds of raises, sharpened with AI-enabled research so the advice here stays current, not recycled.
Reviewed & bylined
50 pieces- GuideVC follow up templates for 2026: 4 scenarios that get replies
- GuideWhen to start raising seed in 2026: a calendar math guide
- GuideSecond time founder seed 2026: what changes, what doesn't
- GuideRolling close vs hard close seed 2026: the mechanics
- GuideSeed raise UAE Dubai 2026: ADIO, Mubadala, Hub71 playbook
- GuideSeed raise Germany Berlin 2026: the Munich split and EXIST
- GuideSeed raise France Paris 2026: the non-dilutive stack
- Guide15 questions to ask VC meeting partners in 2026
- GuidePost seed runway management in 2026: the 4-gate model
- GuideMedtech vs digital health fundraising in 2026
- GuideFounder reference calls VC prep in 2026: who to line up
- GuideFirst board meeting startup playbook: the 6-section agenda
- GuideYour first 100 days after seed: the 4-workstream plan
- GuideDecoding VC rejection email meaning: 12 common 'no' phrases
- GuideData room vs deck seed: what goes where in 2026
- GuideCrypto cap table tokens: the three ledgers you actually need
- GuideConsumer seed playbook 2026: what it takes now after 3 years
- GuideAngels vs micro VCs seed: four configurations in 2026
- GuideAI founder seed 2026: what changed and the playbook that works
- GuideNon-US founder US seed in 2026: skip the Delaware flip
- GuidePre-seed vs seed in 2026: when to raise which
- GuideCanadian startup SR&ED VC: flip timing for 2026
- GuideAustralian founder US seed raises in 2026: keep your RDTI
- GuideVC reference calls: what investors really ask in 2026
- GuideUsage based pricing fundraising: when UBP helps and hurts in 2026
- GuideThe 6-week fundraise timeline: week-by-week what to do
- GuidePre-money vs post-money SAFE: the silent dilution gap in 2026
- GuideProduct market fit signals seed VCs screen for in 2026
- GuidePLG vs enterprise motion at seed: you can only pick one
- GuideVC partner meeting: what changes at the full partner room
- GuideIP assignment agreement for startups: what to sign before hire one
- GuideGrowth rate benchmark seed rounds need in 2026
- GuideFounding team equity split: 50/50, 60/40, or never even?
- GuideThe first 10 hires startup order: roles and triggers in 2026
- GuideFiring a co-founder: the legal mechanics and the emotional playbook
- GuideHow much dilution at seed is too much in 2026?
- GuideConsumer DAU/MAU at seed: what counts as engagement in 2026
- GuideCohort retention seed: the 3 chart shapes VCs ask for
- GuideCAC payback seed SaaS: 2026 benchmarks that matter
- GuideBridge round seed: valuation strategy when Series A is still out of reach
- GuideBoard composition seed: observer, seat, or neither?
- GuideWarm intro vs cold email VC: when each wins at seed
- GuideWarm intro portfolio founder: the two-email pattern
- GuideThe VC fundraising process in 2026: inside the firm
- GuideTraction metrics for VCs in 2026: what IC memos screen for
- GuideSeed valuation 2026: fair ranges, SAFE caps, and dilution math
- GuideSeed MRR benchmarks: what VCs expect in 2026
- GuideGo to market strategy seed founders can execute in 2026
- GuideDelaware C-corp founder setup guide for 2026
- GuideCompetition slide pitch deck: kill the 2x2 in 2026