Every dollar of investment costs you ownership. This calculator shows you — in real numbers — what raising money actually costs versus growing on your own.
When someone offers you $500k for 20% of your company, it sounds like a great deal. Your company is "worth" $2.5 million! But here's what nobody tells you:
That 20% is gone. Every dollar your business ever makes — they get a fifth of it. Forever.
Raise again and you lose more. After 3 rounds, many founders own less than half their own company.
Your slice gets smaller but the pie gets bigger — so it feels fine. Until you sell and see what you actually get.
Move the sliders. We'll show you what happens.
How many rounds of funding, and how much do you give away each time?
Each bar shows how much of the company you still own after each round.
| Year | Bootstrap Revenue | Funded Revenue | Your Ownership | Bootstrap Exit | Your Funded Exit |
|---|
Based on your numbers, bootstrapping puts more money in your pocket at exit.
When you take investment, you also give up:
Control. Investors get board seats, veto rights, and a say in how you run your business. Want to stay small and profitable? They might not let you.
Speed. You now report to people. Board meetings, updates, governance. Time you could spend building.
Optionality. Most investment comes with a timeline. They need a return in 5–7 years. Your "lifestyle business" exit disappears.
Simplicity. Cap tables, preference stacks, anti-dilution clauses, drag-along rights. The legal complexity alone costs tens of thousands.
This isn't anti-investment. Sometimes raising is the right call:
→ You're in a winner-take-all market and speed is everything
→ The capital unlocks revenue you literally can't access without it
→ You've validated product-market fit and need to scale distribution
→ The growth boost from funding dramatically changes the outcome
The point is: know the cost before you sign.
Whether you raise or bootstrap, eccuity helps founders grow their wealth — through institutional-grade investing, advisory, and private capital access.
Talk to eccuity →