Advanced, and mostly not relevant to you yet. What they are, and the one situation where a first-time founder might meet one.
10 min read · Level 5
Almost no early-stage founder will ever need one, and knowing what they actually do is mostly useful for recognising when someone is selling you something you do not need. Seed and Series A rounds are raised by founders directly — that is the expectation, not a limitation — and a fee-charging intermediary at that stage usually signals they cannot get you meetings you could not get yourself.
An investment bank advises on and executes large financial transactions: mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, and large debt or equity raises. They also do valuation work, run competitive sale processes, and manage due diligence for large deals.
They are paid a fee, usually a percentage of the transaction.
Because the term appears constantly in business media and is rarely explained, and because knowing what they do tells you clearly that you almost certainly do not need one.
And because there is a specific scam-adjacent pattern worth recognising: people offering to 'raise your seed round for a fee'. That is not how early rounds work.
What an investment bank actually does — a company being acquired for $200M:
They prepare the materials, identify and approach potential buyers, run a competitive process to create tension between them, manage due diligence, advise on structure and price, and negotiate alongside the lawyers. Their fee might be 1–2% of the transaction.
For a deal of that size the fee is easily justified — a competitive process can move the price by far more than 2%.
When a startup founder might genuinely meet one: an acquisition offer above roughly $30–50M, an IPO, or a very large late-stage round. All of these are years away for a first-time founder and you will have plenty of warning.
⚠ The pattern to be careful of. If someone offers to raise your seed or Series A for a percentage fee, be sceptical. Reputable early-stage rounds are raised by founders, directly. Placement agents exist and are normal in some later contexts, but at seed stage a fee-charging intermediary is usually a signal that they cannot get you meetings you could not get yourself — and investors often view an intermediary at that stage as a negative.
First-time founders sometimes assume they need professional help to raise a seed round. You do not. Investors at that stage expect to speak with founders directly, and an intermediary reads as a red flag.
The second mistake: confusing an investment bank with a VC. A VC invests money in you. An investment bank advises on and executes a transaction, for a fee. Completely different businesses.
The third: paying an upfront fee to anyone who promises introductions to investors. Legitimate advisors are paid on success, if at all, and reputable ones are rare at seed stage.
VC invests. Investment bank advises on transactions for a fee. Broker or placement agent introduces for a fee.
Seed and Series A are raised by founders directly. This is the expectation, not a limitation.
Legitimate advisors work on success. An upfront fee for investor access is a warning sign.
An acquisition above roughly $30–50M is where a banker starts genuinely earning their fee through competitive tension.
Even before hiring anyone, take advice. An LOI has binding exclusivity and ends your leverage.
Only when facing a large transaction — a substantial acquisition, an IPO, or a very large late-stage round.
Do not engage anyone to raise a seed or Series A for a fee. Raise it yourself; that is what investors expect and prefer.
Legitimate advisors in this space work on success, if at all, and are rare at seed stage. An upfront fee in exchange for investor access is a well-known pattern worth treating sceptically, and investors themselves frequently view an intermediary at early stage as a negative signal.
Raise your own early rounds. If someone offers to do it for a percentage, ask which investors they can reach that you cannot — and check.
In a real sale process at meaningful scale, running a competitive process between multiple buyers can move the price by considerably more than the advisory fee. That is the situation the role exists for, and it is typically years away for a first-time founder.
The value is competitive tension in a real transaction, not access. Below that scale the fee is not earned.
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