How much ARR do you need for seed in CEE?
Founders raising seed typically have €250,000 in annual recurring revenue, about 2.5 times what founders raising pre-seed have. That is the median among founders who applied to BADideas in 2026 so far and had revenue. But 50% of founders raising seed applied with no revenue at all.
The figures
| ARR founders stated, 2026 (to date) | Bottom quarter up to | Median | Top quarter from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raising pre-seed | €30,000 | €100,000 | €240,000 |
| Raising seed | €70,000 | €250,000 | €710,000 |
Among founders raising seed who had revenue, a quarter had €70,000 or less and a quarter €710,000 or more. In BADideas application data, founders from Central and Eastern Europe raising seed had less revenue: a median of €160,000.
What is changing
| Founders with €100,000 ARR or more | 2025 | 2026 (to date) |
|---|---|---|
| Raising pre-seed | 9% | 11% |
| Raising seed | 16% | 24% |
| Quarter | Raising seed with €100,000 ARR or more | Raising seed with no revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2025 | 15% | 55% |
| Q3 2025 | 15% | 55% |
| Q4 2025 | 18% | 53% |
| Q1 2026 | 20% | 41% |
| Q2 2026 | 31% | 46% |
| Q3 2026 | 23% | 56% |
Since 2025, founders raising seed with €100,000 ARR or more rose from 16% to 24%, and those with no revenue fell from 55% to 50%.
Across CEE
CEE founders raising seed who applied in 2025 and 2026 so far. We show each country with enough applicants; smaller countries count only in the CEE row.
| Where the founder is based | Median ARR, where stated | Applied with no revenue |
|---|---|---|
| All of CEE | €170,000 | 50% |
| Baltics | €160,000 | 53% |
What it means for you
- €250,000 ARR is the middle of the seed market, not a bar. A quarter of founders raising seed with revenue had €70,000 or less, and 50% had none. Revenue is one signal among growth, retention and team.
- Plan to more than double revenue between rounds. At the median, ARR goes from €100,000 at pre-seed to €250,000 at seed.
- Six figures sets you apart. In 2026 so far, 24% of founders raising seed and 11% raising pre-seed had €100,000 ARR or more.
Related questions
How much revenue do startups have when they raise seed?
Among founders raising seed who had revenue, the median ARR was €250,000, and the middle half ran from €70,000 to €710,000. 50% applied with no revenue.
How much should revenue grow between pre-seed and seed?
At the median, about 2.5 times: from €100,000 to €250,000. These are different companies at each stage, not the same companies tracked over time.
Are CEE founders raising seed on less revenue?
Yes: a median of €160,000 ARR for CEE founders raising seed, against €250,000 across all founders raising seed. The group is smaller, so treat it as an indication.
Can I raise seed with no revenue?
Many founders try: 50% of the founders raising seed who applied to BADideas in 2026 so far had no revenue. Without it, investors look harder at usage, pilots and the team.
Do you need $100k ARR to raise seed in CEE?
No. Only 23% of CEE founders raising seed in 2026 so far had €100,000 ARR or more, and 46% had no revenue at all. Most founders raising seed do not meet the $100k rule.
How we measured it
- On this page: ARR is current revenue as stated (monthly recurring revenue times twelve where only that is given); forecasts, targets and figures dated after the application materials were made are excluded. A founder who stated no revenue counts in the share with no revenue, not as zero in the medians.
- Updated: 27 September 2026.
BADideas.fund, "How much ARR do you need for seed in CEE?", updated 27 September 2026. https://badideas.fund/answers/seed-revenue-after-pre-seed
Read next
- Should a CEE SaaS with revenue raise €1–2M?
- How many CEE startups raise pre-revenue?
- How much do pre-seed startups in CEE raise?
- What revenue growth do CEE decks forecast?
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.