Pre-seed was originally a negative label for failed seed fundraisers
Gaurav Jain · We Turned Pre-Seed Into a $10 Billion Category | Gaurav Jain, Afore Capital · Jul 17, 2026 · at 3:10
Gaurav Jain, managing partner at Afore Capital, discusses founding Afore and the perception of pre-seed funding in venture capital a decade ago.
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“When we started Afford 10 years ago, this year will be 10 years for us pre-seed, which has now become a category, was not a category back then. You know, it was actually a negative term, right? It was reserved for founders who could not raise a seed round, and were forced to raise a small pre-seed round”
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