Welcome to Pre-Seed to Succeed
Helping Early-Stage Founders Navigate the Minefield of Fundraising
Hey 👋 Whether you’re a startup founder, a tech enthusiast, a seasoned investor, or all three at once - we’re happy to meet you!
We are the co-founders of the Pre-Seed to Succeed (P2S) investment program, and we’re here to help you navigate the twists, turns, and dead ends of early-stage fundraising.
Every couple of weeks we’ll share real fundraising use cases, behind-the-scenes details and actionable tips to help you build a resilient, fundable startup. No fluff, no over-the-top hype - just lessons we’ve gathered from backing founders at the very first stages of their journey.
Are you with us? ✅ Push the subscribe button below and get a squeeze of the hands-on expertise to start your fundraising journey on the right foot 👇
Meet the People Behind P2S
We’re a group of startup enthusiasts with 57 years of overall investing experience, who also happen to be managing partners at four funds: AltaIR Capital, Yellow Rocks, Smart Partnership Capital, and I2BF Venture Capital.
Let us quickly introduce ourselves:
🦄 Igor Ryabenkiy (AltaIR Capital)
Connect in LinkedIn
Over 20 years of investment experience
9 unicorns in the portfolio (6 backed at seed)
Focuses on AI, productivity tools, future of work, B2B SaaS, fintech, insuretech, and digital health
⛵ Sergei Bogdanov (Yellow Rocks!)
Connect in LinkedIn
Founder of Venture Regatta and Venture Trip
Passionate traveler and poker enthusiast
Focuses on AI, B2B SaaS, fintech, edtech and the future of work
💼 Nikolay Kirpichnikov (Smart Partnership Capital)
Connect in LinkedIn
Expert in M&A, PE and asset management
Focuses on B2B, SaaS, Fintech, Future of Work, Productivity Tools and digital health
🚀 Alexander Korchevsky (I2BF Global Ventures)
Connect in LinkedIn
5 unicorns in the portfolio
Mentor in 500 Startups and Alchemist accelerators
Focuses on vertical software
We are different, but our collective backgrounds let us look at each deal from multiple perspectives and hopefully spot hidden gems. 💎
Follows P2S on LinkedIn to keep up with our day-to-day 🙌
So, what is Pre-Seed to Succeed?
P2S is neither a classic VC fund, nor an accelerator. ❌
It’s an investment program, which involves two investment commitments - pre-seed and seed. ✅
We don’t believe in a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Instead, we handle fundraising so you can stay laser-focused on growth. Here’s how we do it:
1. Personal Support 🤝
Each project is paired with one of the P2S co-founders who acts as your curator throughout the program. That means you get someone personally invested in your success.
2. Tailored Expertise 🧠
Our experts become fractional members of your team, customizing their advice for your exact stage and needs. Whether you need help with sales, marketing or product development, we roll up our sleeves to assist.
3. No Batches, Start Here and Now ⏳
We work on a project-by-project basis so you never have to “wait for the next cohort.” You get our undivided focus from the moment we start.
4. Initial Funding 💸
We’ll help you get off the ground (and stay there).
5. Fundraising Guidance 👉
From pitch decks to investor matchmaking, we’re in your corner.
6. Built-In Follow-On 🌱
For companies that prove traction, we commit up to 50% of your next round.
What We Look For in a Startup ✅
We keep it simple:
1. Strong Team - Do you have a committed, full-time crew with at least one “Hacker” (technical lead) and one “Hustler” (business lead)?
2. Clear Business Idea - Are you solving a problem people truly have?
3. Defined Funding Needs - Know how much you need and how you’ll use it to hit your next milestones.
4. USA as Main Market - That’s our sweet spot.
5. Sectors We Love - B2B, SaaS, fintech, AI, future of work, productivity tools and digital health.
If that sounds like you, apply here to join P2S 👇
Networking opportunities 🎉
We believe good business relationships start with genuine connections. Sometimes a conversation over a casual drink does the trick better than a thousand Zoom calls.
Pitch&Drink
We decided to unite quality networking and pleasant pastime and launched a global series of “Pitch&Drink” events.
Why “Pitch & Drink”?
Live Pitching: Founders get immediate feedback from real investors.
Networking: You’ll meet potential co-founders, mentors or even future customers.
Fun Environment: exchanging ideas in a relaxed setting is more memorable (and more human).
At our last Pitch & Drink, we had over 700 sign-ups and 80+ investors in the room. It’s not about cramming in as many people as possible - it’s about helping founders make meaningful connections.
📅 So make sure not to miss the next event:
• May 12, 2025 - San Francisco (SaaStr)
• June 10, 2025 - London (London Tech Week)
• October 27, 2025 - San Francisco (TechCrunch)
• November 10, 2025 - Lisbon (Web Summit)
Meet Us Sooner:
Join us on April 3rd, 2025 in London for the exclusive Offline Pitch Session (in partnership with Eurasian Startup Hub) 👇
💼 Portfolio Spotlight: Jupid.Tax
The Problem
If you’ve ever launched in the US, you know each state has its own tax rules and business regulations. Scaling across different states can feel like fighting 50 different battles at once.
The Solution
Jupid built a team of AI agents that manage everything from company formation to ongoing tax compliance. Think of it as an on-call 24/7 finance and admin department integrated right into your company’s systems.
Why We Invested 💰
1. Tackling Real Pain
The patchwork of US regulations is a huge headache, so the market is there.
2. Clear Value
Founders showed how Jupid saves time and money by eliminating manual processes.
3. Scalable Tech
Their AI foundation can adapt to different states quickly, paving the way for rapid expansion.
Takeaway for Founders: Show how you’re solving a genuine, widespread problem in a way that’s hard to replicate. If your product genuinely lowers costs or boosts revenue, investors pay attention.
One Last Thought 📚
“Remember things are always darkest before the dawn.”
- Marc Andreessen, quoted in The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz (as often mentioned by Denis Kalyshkin from I2BF).
📢 We repeat this to founders who feel they’re at the edge of failure - often a breakthrough is just around the corner. If you’re pushing through real challenges, odds are you’re learning lessons that will make your startup stronger.
Thanks for Reading - Stay Tuned
We hope this gave you a better sense of who we are and how we do things. In future posts, we’ll share more behind-the-scenes details on fundraising, highlight additional portfolio wins (and near-misses) and give you more free resources to help you navigate the pre-seed stage.
• Subscribe for our upcoming newsletters 👇
• Follow us on LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and Facebook to see what we’re up to in real time.
Until next time - stay focused and keep building 💪