
We have started our Seed fundraising round two weeks ago - YamRegev
ut the way we are undertaking this fundraising round is somewhat different.<p>Would love to get feedback from the HN community.
-----<p>Since we launched Zest.is one year ago, we have been able to create a professional and influential content arena driven by 16k weekly active members operating around the world as a cohesive and coordinated elite unit.<p>After such a crazy period, with no external funding and with the support from hundreds of amazing volunteers, we decided to start raising money to support the platform&#x27;s substantial growth in a cross vertical manner and meet the demands of both our community and potential clients.
-----<p>Raising funds with a twist of lemon:<p>In contrast to the standard format used in the start-up world, we decided to share intimate information in order to reach the right eyes and to open a new channel that is transparent and authentic, while documenting the growth process and receiving ongoing feedback.<p>Beyond data and demographics, in our Investor Dashboard, you will also find our Investor Deck and the Onepager. Open to the general public.<p>Our tagline for this round is: “Open for All”. 
Not in the crowdfunding aspect of it but as a part of our sharing and openness mindset.
https:&#x2F;&#x2F;investor.zest.is&#x2F;
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wjossey
Thanks for sharing.

First thought is that I was disappointed with a google login blocking access.
I used a throwaway gmail account as I’m not interested in getting hammered
with marketing emails until I like a service. If you’re truly seeking
investment with this page, someone interested will reach out.

On the deck:

Given your user traction, I think you’d benefit from more user quotes. Why do
people love your service? Why can’t people live without what you’re doing?
What were they doing before that now if they had to go back to they’d be
miserable? [Live editing this. I just saw you had quotes cycling through with
animations. I missed that in the first viewing. Might want something more
concrete as investors skim these decks]

Your burn rate is pretty significant right out of the gate for only a $1M
round. Is that the right amount of capital? Will you be able to hit the
milestones you need to achieve to raise your next round or become self
sustaining? Is your plan to be profitable near term? When my cofounder and I
did our pre seed round we were upfront that we felt there was a good chance we
would only do one raise, and wanted investors who were aligned with that
philosophy. Even if you choose to raise an A eventually, it’s helpful to have
alignment if you don’t.

I don’t think it’s clear to me what your revenue model is from the deck.

I’ll keep skimming your info but these were my top of mind thoughts.

