Do CEE pre-seed decks show CAC and margins?
Few show any. Only 25% of the CEE founders raising pre-seed who applied to BADideas in 2026 so far showed a measured unit economics figure in their deck, up from 21% in 2025. Across 2025 and 2026 so far, 6% showed a measured CAC, 4% a gross margin and 4% churn or retention.
The figures
| CEE founders raising pre-seed whose deck shows | 2025 | 2026 (to date) |
|---|---|---|
| Any unit economics, measured or planned | 40% | 47% |
| A measured figure | 21% | 25% |
| Only planned or assumed figures | 19% | 22% |
| CEE founders raising pre-seed, 2025 and 2026 so far | Showed it measured |
|---|---|
| CAC | 6% |
| Gross margin | 4% |
| Churn or retention | 4% |
| Lifetime value | 3% |
Too few founders raising pre-seed state a margin or a CAC to report their values alone, so the values below pool every stage. In BADideas application data, founders who state a measured gross margin report a median of 75%, with half between 60% and 86%. B2B founders who state a measured CAC report a median of about €250 per customer, with a very wide spread.
What is changing
| Quarter | CEE founders raising pre-seed showing a measured figure |
|---|---|
| Q2 2025 | 22% |
| Q3 2025 | 21% |
| Q4 2025 | 20% |
| Q1 2026 | 14% |
| Q2 2026 | 29% |
| Q3 2026 | 30% |
More decks show measured figures in the last two quarters, 29% and 30%, against about one in five before.
Across CEE
CEE founders raising pre-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 | A measured figure | Any unit economics |
|---|---|---|
| All of CEE | 24% | 45% |
| Baltics | 22% | 41% |
| Latvia | 13% | 32% |
| Estonia | 29% | 50% |
| Lithuania | 26% | 44% |
| Poland | 24% | 44% |
A measured figure: highest in Estonia (29%), lowest in Latvia (13%).
What it means for you
- Full unit economics are not expected at pre-seed. Three in four founders raising pre-seed in CEE show no measured figure.
- Show what you have measured. A CAC from a first paid campaign or a margin from the first contracts sets a deck apart from the 22% that show only plans.
- Label every figure. Say whether a number is measured, from a pilot, or a plan; investors check.
- Give churn a period. A churn figure without "per month" or "per year" cannot be compared.
Related questions
What gross margin do early-stage startups in CEE report?
A median of 75% among CEE founders who applied in 2025 and 2026 so far and stated a measured gross margin, at any stage. Half reported between 60% and 86%.
What CAC do early B2B startups in CEE report?
About €250 per customer at the median, among CEE founders selling to businesses who stated a measured CAC. The range runs from under €100 to several thousand euros, depending on the price and the buyer.
How we measured it
- On this page: Unit economics are CAC, lifetime value, gross margin, churn or retention, payback, and revenue per user or per contract. Measured means the deck presents the figure as an actual result; planned or assumed figures are counted separately. Gross margin and CAC values count only where the deck names that metric itself; CAC is converted to euros. Values from few founders, so treat them as indications.
- Updated: 14 October 2026.
BADideas.fund, "Do CEE pre-seed decks show CAC and margins?", updated 14 October 2026. https://badideas.fund/answers/unit-economics-pre-seed-cee
Read next
- What slides go in a CEE pre-seed deck?
- How many competitors do CEE decks name?
- What tools do CEE founders make decks with?
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.