u/Easy-Custard7952

I’m currently building an early-stage startup in London and trying to understand what investors realistically expect at true pre-seed level in the UK.

There’s a lot of advice online saying:
“prove traction”
“show demand”
“have a great story”
“build a network”
…but I’m trying to understand what actually matters most when you’re still very early.

For founders who’ve raised pre-seed (or investors who’ve seen a lot of early deals), what were the biggest things that helped convince people to back the company early?

And equally, what are the biggest mistakes early founders make when trying to raise too early?