StagesIdea and validation Pre-seed Seed Series A Scaling Profitability acquisition MBO IPO Winding downFundingangels syndicates VC corporate VC SEIS EIS Innovate UK grants British Business Bank EIC Accelerator Horizon Europe national innovation agencies revenue-based finance grants R&D tax credits venture debt equity platforms rewards platforms Bootstrapping and customer-funded growth Secondaries and founder liquidity Bridge rounds and extensions Down rounds and recapitalisations SAFEs, convertible loan notes and ASAs in Europe Valuation caps and discounts Due diligence: what investors actually ask forBuildingFinding a co-founder Equity splits and vesting First ten hires Product-market fit Pricing your product First sales and outbound Building in public Advisors and boards Founder mental health and burnout Co-founder disputes and how they end Naming, trademarks and the EUIPO Patents and the Unitary Patent Open source licensing choices Selling into the public sector in Europe First international expansionRunningCash flow and runway Unit economics Incorporation across Europe VAT and cross-border tax Employment law by country Share options for employees Cap table management Ltd GmbH UG SAS BV AB Oy SL OU Sp. z o.o GDPR and data protection basics for startups EU AI Act obligations for product teams Hiring across borders and employer of record Payroll and social contributions by country Banking and getting an account as a foreign founder professional indemnity D and OEcosystemsLondon Berlin Paris Amsterdam Stockholm Lisbon Barcelona Dublin Tallinn Warsaw Zurich Milan Copenhagen Helsinki Munich Madrid Vienna Athens Bucharest Vilnius Riga Prague Oslo Manchester Cambridge SofiaNewsInvestorsSeedcamp LocalGlobe Point Nine Cherry Ventures Speedinvest Kima Ventures Entrepreneur First Index Ventures Accel Balderton Atomico Northzone Creandum EQT Ventures Lakestar HV Capital Earlybird Sofinnova Partners Y Combinator Techstars Antler Station F Rockstart EIT programmes Angel networks and syndicates Corporate venture arms Sovereign and state backed funds: British Business Bank, Bpifrance, EI How to read a term sheet What each fund actually invests inSectorsFintech and payments Deeptech and semiconductors Climate tech and energy Health tech and biotech AI and machine learning B2B SaaS Marketplaces and commerce Mobility and logistics Defence and dual use Space Gaming Agritech and food

First ten hires

First ten hires - reporting from Graftandgrit.

No articles filed here yet. New reporting appears as it is published.

Graftandgrit covers Entrepreneurship.

About · Editorial policy · Privacy · Contact · RSS

© 2026 graftandgrit.com. Independent publication. All articles are written from reported sources, which are linked on every page.