TinySeed Fall 2025 Applications Q&A

The TinySeed team (Rob Walling, Tracy Osborn, and Alex McQuade) answered questions from the audience about the application process. TinySeed is a year-long, remote accelerator designed for early-stage SaaS founders. Our program is designed to help founders with a revenue-generating SaaS optimize product-market fit and grow faster. Applications will be open until September 9th, 2025. For more information about the program and application process, check out https://tinyseed.com/program Curious what it's like to go through the program from my founder's perspective? Check out this video next 👉 https://youtu.be/jAhqAzJdFhE Questions Answered: 12:10 - Do you have a preference for or against regulated sectors (e.g., healthcare, legal)? 13:20 - Is there a maximum team size restriction? We are transitioning from an agency to a SaaS provider. Our total team is 8, but 4 are dedicated to the SaaS and our SaaS MRR is around $4k. 16:45 - For MRR numbers, do you want gross, or net (ie reduced by refunds) MRR? 17:20 - I got to the final round last year Rob and you had a justified objection about the rigidity of our framework. ​I've taken the feedback and we have full framework flexibility which we're getting great feedback on. Is it worth applying again? 17:50 - Is your selection affected by AI tools? Do you focus more on AI startups? Or do you avoid it? 22:00 - When is your target date to select the members of the Fall 2025 cohort? 22:30 - Having listened to many of your podcasts, you talk with great enthusiasm for product led growth. Is that your preference, or do you also consider sales led growth as a worthy investment? 24:30 - Do you consider pre-revenue projects? 27:00 - We had our first customer on a previous business model, but since then we have pivoted. Should we add the date of our first customer on the current model? 27:45 - Should sales pipeline play any role in our revenue story in the application or should we stay completely focused on closed won deals/MRR? 28:45 - What would you say is the ratio of American to non-American applications that move forward? 31:10 - How do you feel about non-subscription if it's 50% from all revenue? 33:15 - What is your take on a SaaS that is similar to something you have already invested in? Is that a no-go or can you have 2 competitive companies in your portfolio? 34:10 - Do you still aim for the startup to incorporate as a Delaware C corp or is a European entity ok? Such as a Dutch BV. 36:15 - I live in the US, but my market is in South America since I’m South American and started the SaaS while living there almost 4 years ago. Could this be a potential problem? 37:15 - If I'm pre-revenue, building the product, would that disqualify me or represent a disadvantage? What would help raise the chances of my application? 37:45 - Are you ok with a founding team where everybody is part-time with the startup but willing to go full time once we have the investment? 38:30 - Our software revenue includes subscriptions and one-time project fees. Should recurring project revenue from repeat customers count toward MRR or do you want that as just subscriptions? 40:00 - We have money as a SAFE. Converting to the TinySeed terms is no problem. Is it a red flag? 42:30 - I know you don't invest in companies with more than 4 founders, but what's your take in companies with multiple founders but most of the work is put in by 1 or 2? 44:15 - From the application form, I got the impression that TinySeed focuses on B2B with monthly tickets in the hundreds. Are B2G companies, with higher tickets, also in your thesis? 45:15 - I am working with customers directly, as soon as the product is live, I am expecting sales from them. If I reach $500MRR before September 9th, then will I be in a position to get funding? 46:45 - Should joining MicroConf Connect be a first step prior to applying to TinySeed if already over $1K MRR? 48:30 - If I have a possibility to get funding from an angel and plan to get into TinySeed later, what are the angel's terms that I should avoid? 52:45 - I've 2 products. Both doing revenue. How do you see that? 53:45 - Can you expand on your comment about two sided markets? 54:30 - Some AI based companies are moving to outcome based, or consumption based pricing - it's not a subscription, but it's not traditional one-time either - how should we account for this? 55:00 - How much do you invest in the startup? Does it depend on the valuation and TAM? 55:30 - Does the investment amount scale with the equity stake ($120k for 10%, $170k for 11%)? Or does it vary by company - for example, one company might get $120k for 10% while another gets $120k for 12%? 55:45 - What's the percentage of startups that you have accepted that have already raised angel funding?