I'll go first: OBridge. We replace the cold email grind with video pitch reels that get you in front of real investors, matched by stage and sector, and close your round on regulated rails. No gatekeepers, no warm intro lottery.
Your turn.
I'll go first: OBridge. We replace the cold email grind with video pitch reels that get you in front of real investors, matched by stage and sector, and close your round on regulated rails. No gatekeepers, no warm intro lottery.
Your turn.
I'll go first: OBridge. We replace the cold email grind with video pitch reels that get you in front of real investors, matched by stage and sector, and close your round on regulated rails. No gatekeepers, no warm intro lottery.
Your turn.
I'll go first: OBridge. We replace the cold email grind with video pitch reels that get you in front of real investors, matched by stage and sector, and close your round on regulated rails. No gatekeepers, no warm intro lottery.
Your turn.
I'll go first: OBridge. We replace the cold email grind with video pitch reels that get you in front of real investors, matched by stage and sector, and close your round on regulated rails. No gatekeepers, no warm intro lottery.
Your turn.
Most EU founders raising their first round don’t know about the European Crowdfunding Service
Providers Regulation (ECSPR). It’s been in force since November 2021 and it changed the game for
anyone raising under €5M across the EU.
The short version:
Before ECSPR: If you wanted to raise from investors in multiple EU countries, you had to comply
with the national crowdfunding law of each country. Different rules in Germany, France, Italy, Spain.
Basically nobody bothered.
After ECSPR: A single EU passport lets a crowdfunding platform authorized in one member state
operate across all 27 EU countries. Founders can now legally raise from any EU investor through
one licensed platform, one legal framework, one compliance process.
What this unlocks for founders: - Raise from EU-wide investor pool instead of just your country -
Higher effective cap (€5M per year across all EU investors, not €1M in one country) - Faster
compliance (one platform, one authorization) - No need to set up multiple entities or run parallel
campaigns
What ECSPR does not do: - Doesn’t cover the UK (post-Brexit) - Doesn’t cover Switzerland - Doesn’t cover offerings above €5M/year (that’s still national or Reg A+ equivalent) - Doesn’t work for cross-
Atlantic (US investors need a separate framework)
If you’re an EU founder considering crowdfunding, the platforms to watch: Seedrs (UK-only post Brexit), Crowdcube (EU + UK), EvenFi (Italian, expanding), and the emerging ones like OBridge that are building EU-native from launch.
Full disclosure: I’m building OBridge and we’re in advanced discussions with a huge EU
broker-dealer partner. That’s why I’ve been deep in ECSPR compliance for the last 3 months. But
this post is meant to be useful whether you use us or anyone else. Every EU founder should know
the passport exists.
I'm building OBridge — a platform where early-stage startups raise
capital through video pitch reels, matched directly to investors
who fit your stage and sector.
We're filling the final spots for our V1 launch. First 200 founders
get early access with special perks — priority investor matching,
founding member status, and direct visibility to our investor
network from day one.
Drop your startup below or grab your spot: https://joinobridge.com
What we need from you: your startup name, what you're building,
and what stage you're at. That's it.
Wrote this out for another founder yesterday, figured it might help others.
The 5 realistic paths to first capital as a pre-seed founder in 2026, ranked by accessibility:
Crowdfunding (Reg CF in US, ECSPR in EU) Cap: $5M/year US, €5M/year EU Timeline: 2-4 months from decision to close Best for: Consumer products, community businesses, founders with any existing audience Pros: No network required, retail investors, marketing exposure baked in Cons: 6-10% platform fees, extensive prep work, campaign momentum required
Angel syndicates Cap: Usually $250K-$1M Timeline: 4-8 weeks from lead’s yes to close Best for: B2B SaaS, technical products, developer tools Pros: Fast when it works, single point of contact, credibility from lead Cons: Finding a lead is the whole game, deal terms dictated by lead, lead takes 20% carry
Individual angels Cap: $10K-$250K per check, aggregate whatever you can raise Timeline: 2-6 weeks per check Best for: Any founder with 6+ months of public work and 500+ engaged followers Pros: Best terms, most aligned investors, warmest relationships Cons: Time-intensive, unpredictable, requires actual network
Micro-VCs / seed funds Cap: $100K-$500K first check Timeline: 6-12 weeks including diligence Best for: Founders with strong technical background or clear market thesis Pros: Institutional signal, professional operators Cons: Many say no, valuations compressed, need to fit their thesis exactly
Cold email at volume Cap: Whatever you can close (usually 0) Timeline: Months Best for: When you’ve exhausted all other options Pros: Free, scalable, teaches you sales Cons: 1-2% response rate, most replies are polite passes
What most successful pre-seed founders actually do: parallel-path 1, 3, and 4. Skip 5 unless you have nothing else.
I’ve been building on the crowdfunding side (OBridge, launching August). If anyone is deep in path 1 or 4 and wants to compare notes, happy to DM.
Most EU founders raising their first round don’t know about the European Crowdfunding Service
Providers Regulation (ECSPR). It’s been in force since November 2021 and it changed the game for
anyone raising under €5M across the EU.
The short version:
Before ECSPR: If you wanted to raise from investors in multiple EU countries, you had to comply
with the national crowdfunding law of each country. Different rules in Germany, France, Italy, Spain.
Basically nobody bothered.
After ECSPR: A single EU passport lets a crowdfunding platform authorized in one member state
operate across all 27 EU countries. Founders can now legally raise from any EU investor through
one licensed platform, one legal framework, one compliance process.
What this unlocks for founders: - Raise from EU-wide investor pool instead of just your country -
Higher effective cap (€5M per year across all EU investors, not €1M in one country) - Faster
compliance (one platform, one authorization) - No need to set up multiple entities or run parallel
campaigns
What ECSPR does not do: - Doesn’t cover the UK (post-Brexit) - Doesn’t cover Switzerland - Doesn’t cover offerings above €5M/year (that’s still national or Reg A+ equivalent) - Doesn’t work for cross-
Atlantic (US investors need a separate framework)
If you’re an EU founder considering crowdfunding, the platforms to watch: Seedrs (UK-only post Brexit), Crowdcube (EU + UK), EvenFi (Italian, expanding), and the emerging ones like OBridge that are building EU-native from launch.
Full disclosure: I’m building OBridge and we’re in advanced discussions with a huge EU
broker-dealer partner. That’s why I’ve been deep in ECSPR compliance for the last 3 months. But
this post is meant to be useful whether you use us or anyone else. Every EU founder should know
the passport exists.
Drop what you're working on in the comments!
​
I'll go first,
​
I'm building OBridge, a platform where pre-seed founders post short-form video and investors discover and invest directly on the app. Think TikTok meets angel investing. We filled our first batch of 100 founders in a week with zero ads. Now batch two is live, goal is 200 founders.
​
Every founder who drops their startup below, I'll check it out, give honest feedback, and if its solid I'll share it with investors in our network.
​
[waitlist](http://joinobridge.com/waitlist))
​
Happy building!
​
i'm building obridge — think tiktok but for startup fundraising. investors scroll, find founders, invest directly. no cold emails no pitch decks.
drop your startup below. i'll go through every single one and give honest thoughts.
Hey everyone, I'm building OBridge — a platform where pre-seed founders post short-form video about their startup and investors discover and invest directly on the app. Think TikTok meets angel investing.
We just filled our first batch of 100 founders in a week with zero ads. Now opening batch two.
Before we onboard investors at scale I'm looking for 10-15 angel investors who want early access to test the investor side of the platform and give honest feedback on the experience.
What you get:
- first look at deal flow before other investors
- direct input on how the investor feed and discovery works
- priority access when we fully launch the investor side
No commitments, no fees. I'm just looking for real angels who want to shape how the next generation of pre-seed investing works.
Drop a comment if you're interested.
Drop your startup below. I'll give you honest feedback and share it with investors.
I'm building OBridge, a platform where pre-seed founders post short-form video and investors discover and invest in you directly on the app. Think TikTok but for fundraising.
We just filled batch one with 100 founders in a week, no ads. Now batch two is open, goal is 200.
Every founder who drops their startup below, I'll check it out and give you real feedback. If it's solid I'll share it with investors in our network.
No pitch deck needed. No warm intro needed. Just drop your link and tell me what you're building.
[waitlist](http://joinobridge.com/waitlist)
Hey founders, i'm building obridge — a platform where pre-seed founders post short-form video about their startup and investors discover and invest directly on the app. think tiktok meets fundraising.
we hit 100 founders in our first week with zero ads. batch two is open now, goal is 200.
every weekend i go through these threads and check out what people are building. i reply to every single comment.
drop your startup below. link, one liner, whatever you got. i want to see it.
if you want investor visibility: [waitlist](http://joinobridge.com/waitlist)
[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]
doesn't matter how early or rough it is. drop it here. link, idea, whatever you got. i want to see it.
i'm building obridge — think tiktok but for fundraising. investors scroll, find you, invest. no cold emails needed. [waitlist](http://joinobridge.com/waitlist)
tell me what problem you're solving and who you're solving it for. i'll reply to as many as i can.
building obridge — short-form video platform where investors discover and invest in pre-seed founders directly. batch two is live. joinobridge.com
We're accepting founders into the second OBridge batch. Goal is 200.
The platform works like this: you post about your startup the way you would on TikTok or X. Investors scroll and invest directly. No cold outreach needed.
Drop your startup below. Link, one liner, whatever. I'll look at all of them.
joinobridge.com to join the waitlist.
OBridge is a platform where founders post short-form content and investors discover and invest directly on the app.
First batch filled to 100 in a week. We just opened batch two.
Drop your startup in the comments. Tell me what you're building. I want to see it.
If it sounds like something you'd use: Waitlist
OBridge is a platform where founders post short-form content and investors discover and invest directly on the app.
First batch filled to 100 in a week. We just opened batch two.
Drop your startup in the comments. Tell me what you're building. I want to see it.
If it sounds like something you'd use: joinobridge.com