The 5 Metrics Every Investor Checks Before Saying Yes

When you’re raising capital, your story matters — but your numbers tell the real story. Even at the earliest stages, investors look for signals in your metrics to assess both potential and risk. You don’t need to have perfect numbers, but you do need to understand them, track them, and communicate them with confidence. Here are the five core metrics we always check before making an investment decision.

1. Growth Rate

For early-stage companies, we look beyond just revenue growth. User traction, engagement rates, and adoption speed can be stronger indicators of momentum than sales alone — especially for pre-revenue or subscription models.

Growth that is consistent and accelerating shows that your market is responding positively. Flat or erratic growth without explanation raises questions.

2. CAC & LTV (Customer Acquisition Cost & Lifetime Value)

CAC tells us how much you spend to acquire a customer; LTV tells us what that customer is worth over their lifetime. The ratio between them is critical — if CAC is higher than LTV, you have a problem.

A strong LTV:CAC ratio suggests you can profitably scale. If you’re early and still validating, show us your assumptions and how you plan to improve the ratio.

3. Runway & Burn Rate

Investors want to see enough runway to execute your next milestones, but not so much burn that you can’t adjust if needed.

A balanced burn rate shows you can move fast without burning through capital recklessly. A short runway with ambitious milestones signals high execution risk.

4. Gross Margins

High gross margins indicate you have pricing power and room to invest in growth. Low margins can be fine early on, but only if there’s a clear path to improvement.

Margins tell us if your business can become sustainably profitable. Even at an early stage, we want to see the potential for strong margins as you scale.

5. Founder/Market Fit

This one isn’t a spreadsheet number, but it’s just as important. We want to know why you are the right person to solve this problem — your insights, experience, and network all count here.

Founder/market fit can make the difference between a startup that survives early challenges and one that fades quickly.

Tracking these five metrics won’t guarantee investment — but it will make your conversations with investors more productive, transparent, and credible. Founders who know their numbers inside out don’t just inspire confidence; they signal that they’re building a business designed to last.