How much equity do CEE founders sell?
Usually 10% to 20% of the company. CEE founders raising pre-seed who applied to BADideas in 2025 and 2026 so far and stated terms planned to sell a median of 10%, with half between 9% and 20%. At seed the median was 15%.
The figures
| Equity sold in the round, CEE, 2025 to 2026 (to date) | Bottom quarter up to | Median | Top quarter from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-seed | 9% | 10% | 20% |
| Seed | 11% | 15% | 20% |
In BADideas application data, few founders give up more than a fifth at pre-seed: 14% planned to sell more than 20%.
What is changing
| CEE founders raising pre-seed | 2025 | 2026 (to date) |
|---|---|---|
| Median equity sold | 15% | 10% |
Few founders state both the valuation and the round, so we combine 2025 and 2026 and do not show quarters.
Across CEE
CEE founders who applied in 2025 and 2026 so far. Pre-seed and seed together. We show each country with enough applicants; smaller countries count only in the CEE row.
| Where the founder is based | Median equity sold |
|---|---|
| All of CEE | 14% |
| Baltics | 13% |
| Latvia | 14% |
What it means for you
- Plan for 10% to 20% per round. Above that, the next rounds leave founders with too little.
- Work back from two rounds. Selling 15% at pre-seed and 20% at seed leaves founders with about two thirds before any option pool.
- Negotiate the amount and the price together. A bigger round at the same price sells more of the company.
- Leave room for an option pool. Investors often ask for one before or at seed; plan for it in the same calculation.
Related questions
Is giving up more than 20% at pre-seed too much?
It is above the norm: 14% of CEE founders raising pre-seed who stated terms planned to sell more than 20%.
How much equity do founders sell at seed in CEE?
A median of 15%, with half between 11% and 20%. Seed rounds sell a larger share than pre-seed rounds at the median.
How we measured it
- On this page: Equity sold is the round size divided by the post-money valuation, where the founder states both, or the share the founder says they offer. Few founders state terms, so the figures pool two years and are not broken down by country.
- Updated: 27 September 2026.
BADideas.fund, "How much equity do CEE founders sell?", updated 27 September 2026. https://badideas.fund/answers/equity-sold-pre-seed-cee
Read next
- Equity, SAFE or convertible at CEE pre-seed?
- What valuation do CEE founders ask for?
- Is my CEE pre-seed valuation cap normal?
Who we are
We are a pre-seed and seed fund for founders in Central and Eastern Europe. We have built and sold companies ourselves, and since 2022 we have backed more than 40.
We back founders who see something about their market that others do not see yet. They want to change how a whole industry works, and they start small.
Good founders rarely fail on the idea or the product. They fail on selling it. We give your company hands-on help from go-to-market operators who grew Zendesk, Square and Scale AI.