Fundraising advisory for startups: raise capital smarter

Raise capital without losing control

Raising capital is never just about finding investors; it's about managing strategy, timing, and control. Investors expect clarity, structure, and readiness. Founders want to raise fast, with the right partners, and without losing ownership too early.

At dups, we help startups raise smarter. Our integrated legal and financial team supports you from first strategy session to final signature. We make sure every round strengthens your position, not your dilution. Whether it's your first pre-seed, a Series A, or a bridge round, we prepare your company to face investors with confidence and close on your own terms.

Why founders choose dups

Most fundraising advisors cover only one side of the table: either financial modeling or legal documentation. We do both. That means your pitch, valuation, and term sheet speak the same language, and your deal stays coherent from story to signature.

We've seen too many founders give away too much, too early. Our mission is simple: protect your vision, your leverage, and your equity while keeping your round attractive to investors. We bring the structure that investors respect and the pragmatism founders need.

Our startup fundraising approach

1. Investment strategy and readiness

We start by understanding your business model, growth trajectory, and capital needs. Together, we define your ideal investor profile (angels, VCs, or family offices) and structure a fundraising strategy that fits your timeline and goals.

We build your investment readiness step by step: a solid financial model, a realistic valuation range, a clean cap table, and a refined investor narrative. You leave this phase ready to pitch, with materials that tell your story clearly and numbers that stand up to scrutiny.

2. Investor engagement and term sheet negotiation

Once you're ready, we help you target and engage investors, both local and international. We model your dilution, negotiate valuation and rights, and ensure every clause aligns with your long-term control.

Our dual legal and financial view means we don't just redline documents; we interpret their economic consequences. We translate complex terms (liquidation preferences, anti-dilution, board composition) into real financial impact, so you always know exactly what you're signing.

3. Documentation and closing

When the deal takes shape, we manage the entire documentation and closing flow. That includes the term sheet, subscription agreements, shareholders' agreement (SHA), and any convertible instruments such as SAFEs or notes.

We coordinate with investors, lawyers, and accountants to ensure every step (from fund transfer to signatures) is executed cleanly and on time. You stay focused on your business; we handle the rest.

Fundraising rounds we support

We advise startups across every stage of growth. At the pre-seed and seed stage, we structure convertibles and protect founder equity while cleaning up early governance. During Series A and B, we manage preferred share classes, investor rights, and cap table modeling for future scalability. For growth or bridge rounds, we handle secondary transactions, option pool extensions, and onboarding of international investors.

Whatever your stage, our focus stays the same: raise efficiently, negotiate wisely, and keep control.

What makes dups different

At dups, legal and financial strategy are inseparable. You don't have to juggle between your lawyer and your advisor; we speak both languages and deliver one coherent process.

We move at startup speed but maintain the rigor investors expect. Our experience across European and international transactions means we know what venture capitalists push for and what you can push back on.

We're based in Brussels, but our reach is global. We connect Belgian and EU startups to the capital networks that help them scale across markets.

Deliverables you can expect

Our work doesn't end with advice. We deliver investor-ready documentation that accelerates your process:

• Fundraising readiness report
• Tailored financial model and valuation
• Negotiated term sheet
• Reviewed shareholders' agreement
• Convertible setups (SAFEs or notes)
• Closing coordination

Every deliverable is customized to your stage, your investor type, and your round size, because no two fundraises are alike.