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10 ways startups can prepare for fundraising in 2026

Cake Equity published 10 steps to prepare startups for fundraising in 2026, emphasizing operational readiness for founders targeting seed and Series A rounds.
As standards tighten, investors demand more organized startup equity operations, with fundraising standards raising expectations for accuracy and transparency.
Move your cap table off spreadsheets onto dedicated software to ensure accurate ownership records, update 409A valuation and ASC 718 reporting, and centralize investor documents with dilution modeling tools.
Clean, verified records reduce legal cleanup and common diligence delays, as Cake Equity recommends, helping founders accelerate legal and diligence processes and giving investors clearer financial snapshots through accurate ASC 718 reporting.
Consider QSBS as part of a long-term exit strategy, as it allows eligible shareholders to potentially exclude up to $10 million from capital gains; educating employees and founder networks boosts alignment and fundraise readiness.

Insights by Ground AI