Pre-Money and Post-Money Valuation Basics

ambient dub techno, new orleans cajun, house roots reggae · 3:47

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Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Sarah's startup needs a million bucks to scale
Investors circle like sharks around her tale
Before they write a check, the value's on the table
Twenty million pre-money, that's the fable

[Chorus]
Pre before, post after, money flows between
Ten percent of twenty equals two point clean
Add them up together, now you've got the scene
Post-money valuation, crystal mathematical machine

[Verse 2]
Take that million dollars, drop it in the pot
Pre-money stays the same, but ownership's been swapped
Twenty plus one million makes twenty-one complete
The investor owns five percent, now the math's concrete

[Chorus]
Pre before, post after, money flows between
Five percent of twenty-one, the fraction's crisp and clean
Add them up together, now you've got the scene
Post-money valuation, crystal mathematical machine

[Bridge]
Dilution hits the founders when the cash arrives
Sarah's slice gets smaller but the company thrives
Pre-money sets the baseline, post-money shows the growth
Investment equals ownership, remember this oath

[Verse 3]
Million dollar investment in a five-mil pre
Gives you twenty percent, simple as can be
Six million post-money when the deal is sealed
Percentage calculations, that's your valuation field

[Chorus]
Pre before, post after, money flows between
Twenty percent of six million keeps the ratio keen
Add them up together, now you've got the scene
Post-money valuation, crystal mathematical machine

[Outro]
Pre-money plus investment equals post-money sum
Divide the cash invested, ownership will come
Remember this equation when the term sheets fly
Valuation mastery beneath the CFA sky

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