Q2 2025: The new Series A Bar is $3M ARR—& only 20% of seed startups make it. | Peter Walker, Head of Insights at Carta

Peter Walker from Carta drops the hard data every founder needs. Based on actual cap table data from 1000s of startups, this Q2 update reveals the brutal new reality.It takes 2+ years to go from seed to A (up from 1.6), you need 3X the revenue you used to, and if you're not AI, you're getting half the attention. But there's good news too—teams are finally getting leaner, exits are picking back up, and the worst of the funding winter might be behind us. If you're raising in 2025, this is your reality check.Why You Should Listen:$3M ARR is the new Series A bar—& it takes 1 in 4 founders 3.5+ years to get thereHalf as many seed deals are getting done but at 20% higher valuations—you're either in the AI club or you're outFounders own just 56% after their first priced round and only 10% by Series D—every round costs more than you thinkKeywords:Carta data, Series A requirements, startup fundraising 2025, seed to Series A timeline, ARR benchmarks, AI startup valuations, bridge rounds, founder dilution, startup team size, venture capital trendsSend me a message to let me know what you think!