Practical guides on startup fundraising, capital strategy, and financial decision-making.https://www.withguideboat.com/https://www.withguideboat.com/guides/returning-capital-without-exit/https://www.withguideboat.com/guides/returning-capital-without-exit/If you raise a small round from your network, can you pay investors back through dividends and buybacks instead of selling the company? The answer depends on your margins.Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.withguideboat.com/guides/financial-model/https://www.withguideboat.com/guides/financial-model/A financial model is a demonstration that you understand your business. Here's what investors are looking for, what most founders get wrong, and how to build a model that earns trust.Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.withguideboat.com/guides/how-investors-make-money/https://www.withguideboat.com/guides/how-investors-make-money/Understanding how venture funds, angel investors, and family offices make money changes how you negotiate. Here's the math behind their decisions.Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.withguideboat.com/guides/should-you-raise-venture-capital/https://www.withguideboat.com/guides/should-you-raise-venture-capital/Venture capital is designed for a specific type of company. Here's how to know if that's yours, what you're signing up for, and what happens if you get it wrong.Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.withguideboat.com/guides/unit-economics-for-non-saas-businesses/https://www.withguideboat.com/guides/unit-economics-for-non-saas-businesses/Unit economics for CPG, manufacturing, services, and restaurants. How to calculate margins, CAC, and contribution by business type.Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.withguideboat.com/guides/what-is-a-cap-table/https://www.withguideboat.com/guides/what-is-a-cap-table/What a cap table is, how to read one, and what it looks like at each stage. Cap table examples from formation through Series A.Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.withguideboat.com/guides/accredited-investors/https://www.withguideboat.com/guides/accredited-investors/What an accredited investor is, why it matters for your fundraise, and what paperwork to collect. A founder's guide to the SEC requirements and how to stay compliant.Sat, 04 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.withguideboat.com/guides/safe-vs-convertible-note/https://www.withguideboat.com/guides/safe-vs-convertible-note/SAFEs, convertible notes, and priced equity rounds each have different mechanics and consequences. Here's when to use each one, what to negotiate, and how to avoid the traps.Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.withguideboat.com/guides/data-room/https://www.withguideboat.com/guides/data-room/A startup data room is the organized collection of documents investors review during due diligence. Here's what to include, how to organize it, and how to use it strategically.Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.withguideboat.com/guides/what-investors-look-for-in-a-startup/https://www.withguideboat.com/guides/what-investors-look-for-in-a-startup/What investors evaluate in a first meeting: communication, founder-market fit, traction, unit economics, defensibility, and whether the ask is reasonable.Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.withguideboat.com/guides/llc-vs-scorp-vs-ccorp/https://www.withguideboat.com/guides/llc-vs-scorp-vs-ccorp/Which business entity should you choose? If you plan to raise outside investment, the answer is almost always a Delaware C-Corp. Here's why, and what happens if you choose wrong.Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.withguideboat.com/guides/how-to-build-a-pitch-deck/https://www.withguideboat.com/guides/how-to-build-a-pitch-deck/How to build a pitch deck that gets meetings. What investors look at, how long they spend, the slides you need, and the mistakes that kill raises.Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.withguideboat.com/guides/sbir-grants-non-dilutive-funding/https://www.withguideboat.com/guides/sbir-grants-non-dilutive-funding/SBIR grants, founder fellowships, state programs, and corporate credits. How non-dilutive funding works for startups, who qualifies, and how investors view it.Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.withguideboat.com/guides/sba-loans-startups/https://www.withguideboat.com/guides/sba-loans-startups/SBA loans for startups explained: 7(a) loans, venture debt, working capital financing. When debt makes sense, when it doesn't, and how to qualify.Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.withguideboat.com/guides/how-to-find-investors-small-business/https://www.withguideboat.com/guides/how-to-find-investors-small-business/How non-tech businesses actually get funded. Capital options, investor types, and a decision framework for the other 98%.Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.withguideboat.com/guides/how-to-raise-money-for-a-startup/https://www.withguideboat.com/guides/how-to-raise-money-for-a-startup/A step-by-step fundraising checklist covering preparation, investor targeting, running a tight process, and closing. With frameworks from Klinger, Kevin Ryan, NFX, Techstars, Mark Suster, Sahil Lavingia, and Jason Yeh.Tue, 24 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.withguideboat.com/guides/tam-sam-som-market-sizing/https://www.withguideboat.com/guides/tam-sam-som-market-sizing/A practical guide to TAM, SAM, and SOM for founders raising capital. Includes a bottoms-up case study with real data from a hardware startup.Tue, 17 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.withguideboat.com/guides/best-startup-fundraising-guides/https://www.withguideboat.com/guides/best-startup-fundraising-guides/A curated reading list for founders raising their first round. The best guides, frameworks, and contrarian takes on startup fundraising.Tue, 10 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.withguideboat.com/guides/what-a-fractional-cfo-actually-does/https://www.withguideboat.com/guides/what-a-fractional-cfo-actually-does/What does a fractional CFO do for a startup? Financial modeling, cash flow forecasting, fundraising, and strategic finance. What it costs, when to hire one, and how to evaluate fractional CFO services.Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT