An Angel Investor is an (often wealthy) early-stage investor in a startup. They provide financial support for a young business or crypto project in exchange for equity, tokens, or documented stake.

An institutional investor is an organization or fund that invests in a startup on behalf of their customers. Institutional investors provide financial management services for their clients and invest in projects or companies as a way of generating profit for their clients.

M&A is a growth strategy where two businesses combine (merger) to form one company, or where one company absorbs another (acquisition). Mergers and Acquisitions are usually a scaling strategy by the combining business or absorbing company.

SAFT is an investment agreement between projects and funders where the project agrees to allocate a specified amount of tokens to the funders in the future. The agreement contains the funder’s right to claim the tokens when due.

In an SAFE investment contract, the funder agrees to receive allocated equity later in the future rather than an upfront issuance. The concerned project is obligated to issue the equity when due.

A vesting schedule is a timeline for ownership of allocated tokens or equity. It details the allocated amount, the token lock-up period, and the unlocking schedule.

Lock-up period is the duration a token is held in a vesting contract. The token will be inaccessible to the allocated entity until this period elapses.

A blend of “Token” and “economics”. A tokenomics report provides details of the token's design, including the supply, distribution, and plans for growing its value and utility.

A private sale is a direct token or equity offer to a prospective funder or organization for the purpose of fundraising. The funders negotiate directly with the project team. Private sales are the earliest project funding round.

Pre-money valuation is the value of a startup before it conducts any external fundraising event. Post-money valuation is the estimated value of a company after an external funding round.

AUM is the total funds under the custody of a wealth management firm. It is the total market value of the assets, including crypto investments, that an institution (like an exchange or mutual fund) holds on behalf of its clients.

Venture Debts are loans provided to VC-backed projects by lenders on account of their access to venture capitalist funding. Venture debts are provided with the expectation of VC funding, to enable the startup to scale.

VC deal flow refers to the rate at which venture capitalists receive investment proposals and pitches from startups. VC deal flow may reflect the reputation of the venture capitalist and the state of the market.