This project will support an early-stage commerce technology startup as it prepares for its next phases of capital formation. The company is actively engaged in an initial seed raise and anticipates a significantly larger follow-on round to fund platform development, growth, and international expansion. Students will evaluate the startup’s current positioning, traction signals, and capital needs to design a clear and realistic funding pathways strategy aligned with its growth trajectory. 

Students will research and assess different funding pathways—including angels, venture capital, family offices, and platform-based fundraising networks—comparing tradeoffs related to control, speed, dilution, and strategic value. The project will also examine investor expectations at different stages, identify target investor profiles aligned with agentic AI, logistics/fulfillment, marketplace and commerce technology models, and outline a recommended sequencing strategy for capital raises. The final output will provide leadership with a structured funding pathways roadmap that supports disciplined growth while minimizing unnecessary risk and distraction. 

Establishing a clear path to raise capital including messaging, necessary milestones, appropriate valuation and target investors who are most likely to be interested in partnering with the company as an investor