How much of the round do founders in CEE have committed when they pitch?
Most founders pitch with nothing committed. Only 10% of the CEE founders raising pre-seed who applied to BADideas in 2026 so far stated money already committed to the round, down from 18% in 2025. Those who had commitments had typically filled about 35% of the round.
The figures
| CEE applicants with money committed to the round | 2025 | 2026 (to date) |
|---|---|---|
| Raising pre-seed | 18% | 10% |
| Raising seed | 15% | 12% |
In BADideas application data, a first commitment is rare enough to stand out: about one in ten founders raising pre-seed has one.
What is changing
| Quarter | CEE founders raising pre-seed with money committed |
|---|---|
| Q2 2025 | 26% |
| Q3 2025 | 18% |
| Q4 2025 | 14% |
| Q1 2026 | 6% |
| Q2 2026 | 8% |
| Q3 2026 | 13% |
Across CEE
CEE founders raising pre-seed who applied in 2025 and 2026 so far, and each country with enough applicants to show. Countries with fewer applicants are still counted in the CEE row.
| Where the founder is based | Money already committed |
|---|---|
| All of CEE | 13% |
| Baltics | 12% |
| Latvia | 12% |
| Estonia | 10% |
| Lithuania | 14% |
| Poland | 15% |
Money already committed: highest in Poland (15%), lowest in Estonia (10%).
What it means for you
- You can pitch a VC with nothing committed. Most founders do; a fund can be the first money in.
- Any commitment helps. Even a small amount from a credible angel shows someone checked you.
- State it plainly. Amount, who, and on what terms; vague "interest" counts for little.
- Ask early backers for a small cheque, not a promise. Money in the bank moves the next investor; a verbal yes rarely does.
Also answers
How much of the round is usually committed when founders apply?
Among CEE founders who had commitments, the median was about 35% of the round, across 2025 and 2026 so far.
How we measured it
- Source: applications founders sent to BADideas, enriched with publicly available information where applicable.
- Limits: these are CEE only and early-stage companies.
- On this page: Committed means money the founder states is already committed or soft-circled for this round. Founders who do not mention commitments count as having none.
- Updated: 27 September 2026.
BADideas.fund, "How much of the round do founders in CEE have committed when they pitch?", updated 27 September 2026. https://badideas.fund/answers/round-committed-before-pitching-cee
Read next
- Do startups in CEE raise from angels before their pre-seed round?
- Is it too early to pitch investors in CEE with just an MVP and no revenue?
- How much are pre-seed startups in Central and Eastern Europe raising?
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, start with something small, and learn fast.
Good founders rarely fail on the idea or the product. They fail on selling it. We give your company hands-on help from GTM operators who grew Zendesk, Square and Scale AI.
Raising soon? Get your deck read the way our deal leads read it