
Pre-money valuation is how much your company is worth before the investor’s money hits your bank account, while post-money valuation is how much it’s worth after. The valuation you agree to can have an impact on the resulting ownership share.
What is the difference between pre-money and post-money value?
Pre-money and post-money value have a mathematical relationship, so either valuation can be used. But in practice, pre-money value is more often used on term sheets. Using only the pre-money metric will avoid confusion that can arise when both pre-money and post-money values are included.
How do I Raise my pre-money and post-money valuation?
Once your pre-money valuation is determined, you can use it to raise your round and raise your post-money valuation on EquityNet.
Why are post-money valuations important for future investment?
Post-money valuations are important for future investment. If you are looking for money from venture capitalists in the future, one of the first things they will look for is that your current pre-money valuation is higher than your last post-money valuation. It simply means you have grown since your last investment.
How do you calculate the pre-money value of a stock?
If the pre-money valuation is $10 million dollars, and before investment, the number of shares issued is 1 million, you calculate the share price by dividing the pre-money value by the number of issued shares. The current share price is then $10 per share.
Is price per share pre-money or post money?
The price per share (PPS) that an investor will pay for shares in your company is determined using the following formula: PPS = pre-money valuation / fully diluted capitalization. The PPS and pre-money valuation are directly proportional (i.e. as one goes up, the other goes up).
What is the difference between pre-money and post money valuations?
A pre money valuation of a company refers to the company's agreed-upon worth before it receives the next round of financing, while the post money valuation of a company refers to its value immediately after receiving the capital.
How do you convert pre-money valuation to post money valuation?
Calculating post-money valuationPost-money valuation = Pre-money valuation + Size of investment. ... Share price = New investment amount / # of new shares received. ... Post-money valuation / total # of shares post-investment = New investment amount / # of new shares received.
How do you calculate pre-money price per share?
This is simply a function of the formula: per share price = pre-money valuation / total outstanding shares.
Is a higher pre-money valuation better?
Setting aside for the moment fully-diluted capitalization (addressed here), because PPS and pre-money value are directly proportional (i.e., as one goes up, the other goes up), the higher the pre-money value, the more an investor will pay per share for its investment, and thus the fewer shares the investor will receive ...
What percentage should you give an investor?
But what is a fair percentage for an investor? When it comes to angel investors, the general rule is to offer approximately 20-25% of your business earnings.
What is a good post-money valuation?
Saying a startup is worth $1B can mean any number of things. Most often it's interpreted to mean that the startup has a post-money valuation of at least $1B.
How do you value a company pre-money?
Pre-money valuations generally form the basis of what a VC's share in the company is determined to be worth, based on how much they invest. If I invest $250k in a company that has a pre-money valuation of $1M, it means I own 20% of the company after the investment: $250k / 1.25M = 20%.
Is a higher or lower valuation cap better for you?
Investors prefer low valuation caps: the higher the valuation cap, the smaller the percentage of ownership the investor will get. Early funders understand that future funders will also want a portion of the equity in the company and want to make sure they receive a reward for having come in early.
How do you calculate price per share from post-money valuation?
You can calculate what share of the business is being sold You negotiate the pre-money value and add the investment dollars to it to get post-money. Then divide the investment by the post-money value to determine how much equity the investor received in the deal.
How does post-money valuation work?
Post-money valuation is a company's estimated worth after outside financing and/or capital injections are added to its balance sheet. Post-money valuation refers to the approximate market value given to a start-up after a round of financing from venture capitalists or angel investors have been completed.
What does pre-money and post money mean?
Pre-Money Valuation: The value of a company's equity before raising a round of financing. Post-Money Valuation: The value of a company's equity once the round of financing has occurred.
What are the three methods of valuation?
When valuing a company as a going concern, there are three main valuation methods used by industry practitioners: (1) DCF analysis, (2) comparable company analysis, and (3) precedent transactions.
How is pre-money valuation calculated?
Pre-money valuations generally form the basis of what a VC's share in the company is determined to be worth, based on how much they invest. If I invest $250k in a company that has a pre-money valuation of $1M, it means I own 20% of the company after the investment: $250k / 1.25M = 20%.
Does pre-money valuation include options?
One of the more contentious things in the negotiation between an entrepreneur and a VC over a financing, particularly an early stage financing, is the inclusion of an option pool in the pre-money valuation.
Pre-Money and Post-Money Valuation Overview
In venture capital (VC), the pre-money valuation and post-money valuation each represent the valuation of a company’s equity, with the difference being the timing of when the equity value is estimated.
Excel Template Download
Now that we’ve explained the concept of pre-money and post-money valuation in the context of early-stage investing, we can go through an example modeling tutorial in Excel.
Pre-Money Valuation Example
In our example scenario, a hypothetical start-up is raising a new round of financing, in which $6m of new capital will be contributed by venture capital investors.
Post-Money Valuation Example
Next, we’ll calculate the post-money valuation with the assumptions listed below.
What is the difference between pre-money and post-money valuation?
The difference between a Pre-money vs. post-money valuation is that they are the values of a company before and after an investment. They are the two words most commonly used when talking to venture capitalists.
What is pre-money valuation?
Pre-money valuation is the value that is placed on a company before the investment. The number is most often determined after an investor makes an offer. It is one of the most important factors for a venture capitalist when he or she is considering investing.
Why is pre-money valuation important?
They also give the current value of each share that has been issued. This is important because it will decide how many shares the investor receives.
What is liquidation preference?
The liquidation preference means the preferred stockholders has priority for payout when the company either goes bankrupt or is bought out. Once the shareholders receive their cut, the next people to receive money from the "liquidation" of the company are the preferred stockholders.
Pre-Money Valuation
The pre-money valuation is the valuation used to calculate the per share price of the company’s stock, typically a series of preferred stock, sold in a financing round. As its name suggests, the pre-money valuation does not take into consideration any new money the company will receive in the pending preferred stock financing.
Post-Money Valuation
The post-money valuation is also used to calculate the per share price of the preferred stock sold in a financing round but, as its name also suggests, the post-money valuation takes into consideration the new money the company will receive in the pending preferred stock financing, as well as any outstanding convertible securities, such as SAFEs and convertible notes, converting into shares of preferred stock as part of the financing round..
What is the difference between pre-money and post-money value?
Though the essential difference between pre-money and post-money value is the timing of the valuation, these valuations determine the share of the company the investor will acquire for a specified capital investment and the percentage of ...
What is a difference of 5 percent?
A difference of five percent in the ownership stake is significant and can mean the difference between a good investment or a poor one. Therefore, it’s important for all parties to keep the distinction between the two terms in mind when considering how they support any given investment or estimation of value.
Why is the subject company's value negotiated rather than calculated through the market, income, or cash methods of valuation
The reason the Subject Company’s value may be negotiated rather than calculated through the market, income, or cash methods of valuation has to do with the nature of venture investment itself. Venture capital investment is commonly used to fund startup companies. The Subject Company may be a startup which has yet to generate any revenue;
Is pre-money value proportional?
Pre-money value and PPS are directly proportional—as one goes up or down, so does the other. The higher the pre-money value, the more an investor will pay per share, and the smaller the investor’s ownership stake will be due to the acquisition of fewer shares.
Capturing Startup Value at Different Stages of Funding
Rachel Leigh Gross is a writer for The Balance, covering topics ranging from entrepreneurship to small business finance, and business terminology.
Which Is More Important for a Business?
Both a pre- and post-money valuation are important for successfully raising funds—but for different reasons.
The Bottom Line
The post-money valuation pushes your company into a place of scalability after an investment is made. The pre-money valuation represents the tangible assets, intangible assets, and sweat equity (bootstrapping, concepting, personal risk, etc.) you’ve put into the business.
How do you conduct a pre-money valuation?
Once investors offer a price for a percentage of your business, here are some steps to follow:
Which is calculated first, pre-money or post-money valuation?
The post-money valuation is calculated first in order to arrive at the pre-money valuation, or value before the investment is made. Many entrepreneurs go into investment discussions with a post-money valuation in mind and negotiate with investors, using a percentage of ownership as a way to entice investment.
What is pre-money valuation?
Pre-money valuations are typically used to evaluate a company that has been entirely or nearly entirely bootstrapped, or hasn’t yet raised a funding round. Post-money valuations can be used to describe a company in between funding rounds. This is because many investors will use the previous post-money valuation as a benchmark for evaluating ...
What happens to the share price when a company raises funds?
When a company raises funding through the issuance of new shares, the equity value increases (by the amount raised from the new shares), but the share price remains unchanged. Essentially, the amount being raised determines the number of shares being issued, using the pre-money price-per-share as the cost basis.
What happens when you issue new shares?
When new shares are issued, however, the existing shareholders are diluted in their equity percentage. This is why it’s important to understand how dilution works and consider how your fundraise could impact the existing team’s ownership and voting rights, including your own.
When cash is injected into a company’s balance sheet, through a round of financing, what happens?
When cash is injected into a company’s balance sheet, through a round of financing, the subsequent valuation of the underlying equity increases by the same amount, resulting in a post-money valuation.
Why is post money conversion called pre money?
Because the pre-money value does not include the note holders, it gives a fixed price for the new round shares and so post-money conversion is sometimes (confusingly) referred to as "the pre-money method" when looked at from the perspective of the new investors.
What is pre-money conversion?
In a pre-money conversion the notes convert first, and are included as part of your company's value in the pre-money valuation. You may also hear pre-money conversion referred to as "the percentage-ownership method".
Why does the post-money safe price go down?
This is because the more SAFEs (and other converting securities) are sold, the lower the post-money SAFE price goes, and the more shares are issued to the SAFE holders.
Can post money safes dilute founders?
Post-money SAFEs can dilute founders significantly more than pre-money SAFEs. When SAFEs with a valuation cap convert to equity in a future financing, the price at which they convert is determined as follows: The SAFE price is used to determine how many shares the SAFE holders get when they convert. The larger the “company capitalization,” the ...

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Pre-Money vs. Post-Money valuation Example
- In venture capital (VC), the pre-money valuation and post-money valuation each represent the valuation of a company’s equity, with the difference being the timing of when the equity valueis estimated. The pre-money and post-money valuations each refer to different points in the funding timeline: 1. Pre-Money Valuation: The value of a company’s equi...