Why Stacking Matters

Choose capital that preserves control and keeps your options open. Stack the instruments that buy you time to learn—so scaling up is a choice you make, not a path you're forced onto. By stacking—layering low‑cost, mission‑aligned money and early revenue first—you can:

Next: See the Capital Menu to explore funding options, or learn how to evaluate capital.

• Stay in control longer (keep board seats & cap‑table space).

• De‑risk milestones so you earn better terms when/if you raise VC.

• Protect optionality if your business is better off as a steady grower than a hyper‑growth rocket ship.

• Reduce dilution & downside risk.

Stacking is especially important in long‑cycle domains (healthcare, dual‑use, regulated hardware): validation can take years. Use non‑dilutive grants, design‑partner pilots, and customer contracts to proactively fund iterations until reimbursement or procurement kicks in (rather than using these tools reactively just to keep the company from dying).

Not every great company needs to go exponential. Keep options now; choose scale later—without blowing up the ship.