Figuring out how much money to raise is a complicated process at best. Raise too much money, and you risk over-diluting your ownership stake in your own company and making it difficult to raise another round at a higher valuation; raise too little, and you risk having too few resources to achieve the milestones you need to successfully raise your next round. Here’s the simple answer: You should raise only as much money as you need to get to the next phase of your company’s growth. There’s no perfect formula, but there are a few areas of your business you can look at to arrive at a dollar amount you’re confident in.