As we look ahead to 2026, the data from our latest global founder survey makes one thing clear: the “spray and pray” approach to fundraising is dead. Successful founders this year won’t just be the ones with the best ideas, but the ones with the most discipline.

To help you navigate the year ahead, we’ve turned the key findings from over 1,000 global startups into six essential New Year’s Resolutions. Backed by the hard numbers, here is how you can transform your investment journey in the new year.

1. Do your due diligence on investors

The data from our research shows that while founders spend hundreds of hours pitching, they are surprisingly lax about researching the people they are asking for money.

• 43% of US founders and 37% of UK founders admit to doing zero or only cursory research on potential investors before a meeting.
• Only 30% of US founders carry out “serious” due diligence, such as checking references with an investor’s existing portfolio companies.

The Takeout: Stop “spray and pray” pitching. Investors in 2026 are looking for relevant experience and industry fit. Vetting an investor’s track record before you meet can save you weeks of wasted time.

2. Make your cashflow your primary obsession

Optimism is high about fundraising next year, but the fear of running out of money is the primary factor keeping founders awake at night. Investors will also want to see evidence of a well run and managed business. Financial acumen now is a crucial indictor or future success.

• 84% of US startups cite cashflow as their biggest potential risk for the coming year.
• Despite this, nearly half of all founders are currently self-funding their businesses while working other jobs just to maintain that cashflow.

The Takeout: Cash is king. Investors are increasingly wary of “growth at all costs.” Your business plan must demonstrate cashflow resilience. Aim to show a clear path to a 3–6 month cash buffer to prove your business is “recession-proofed.”

3. Master the ‘realistic’ pitch that shows you are credible

Our separate survey of the investor community revealed exactly what kills a deal in the first five minutes: unrealistic expectations.

• 21% of investors named “over-optimistic financials” as the biggest flaw in current pitches, followed by an “unrealistic path to profitability” (20%).
• Conversely, 70% of successful commitments were driven by a “clear value proposition.”

The Takeout: Ground your pitch in realism. Model three scenarios: conservative, realistic, and optimistic. Investors would rather see a believable 5x return than a fabricated 20x projection.

4. Be “Deal-ready” from day one

Fundraising is a time-sink that is actively harming growth. 45% of US founders say the time spent on fundraising is damaging their ability to run their business. A lot of time is then lost in the back-and-forth of administrative and legal delays.

The Takeout: Resolve to build your “Investor Data Room” before you start your round. Ensure your cap table, intellectual property assignments, and regulatory filings are in one folder and ready to share. Speed is a competitive advantage; don’t let a missing legal document kill your momentum.

5. While you are building your product, don’t neglect your brand

45% of US founders and 38% of UK founders, reveal that fundraising is consuming so much of their week that it is actively harming their core operations. Marketing and brand awareness is one of the areas that gets hit when founders’ time is so stretched. Yet it is crucial to build your brand and demonstrate your likely growth pathway to investors to win them round to want to invest.

The Takeout: You cannot fundraise in a vacuum. Investors want to see “social proof” and market traction. In 2026, resolve to spend more time on market validation. A small, targeted marketing campaign that proves a “hungry audience” is worth more to an investor than a thousand lines of unproven code.

6: Safeguard your most valuable asset: yourself

The “founder tax” is real. When asked about the non-financial costs of their journey, sleep and mental health were the top sacrifices reported. For 1 in 4 founders, fundraising consumes more than half of their working week. Indeed one of the top pieces of advice successful founders give to those starting their journeys is being prepared for rejection and being resilient. This is much harder when you are tired and feeling fragile.

The Takeout: Sustainability isn’t just for your business model—it’s for you. If you are burnt out, your pitch will suffer and your decision-making will falter. Resolve to treat your well-being as a business KPI. Set boundaries on fundraising hours and build a support network of peers who can help carry the mental load.As we prepare for a well earned break this holiday season, however short, the founder who wins in 2026 will be the one who is self aware and has the right resolutions and resolve to manage the fundraising grind.

Happy New Year and good luck with your raise!

Are you looking for an angel investor to help fund your business? Join us at Angel Investment Network, where global investors meet the great businesses of tomorrow.