When can one get funding? (Stages)

A PE/VC firm will invest in any time of a company’s operation;

Investments broadly classified (based on the years of operation of the company) into

     

Years of operation	Stage	Purpose	Amount
Less than 1 year	Seed Capital	R&D, Building the prototype	<1 US $ Mill
1 to 5 years	Venture Capital	Small scale operations	<20 US $ Mill
5 to 10 years	Growth Stage	Scaling of the Business	>20 US $ Mill
>10 years	Late stage	Further expansion, diversification.	Any amount

 But basically a PE/VC firm may invest any amount based on the needs of the business; the table is a general differentiation of PE investments.

Another concept is called “Rounds”, every time a company receives funding that is one round of funding. A company may receive multiple rounds of funding from the same or multiple PE/VC firms.