Stages 1-2 (pre-seed and seed through Series A)
Charge for the pilot and keep it short
A founder at S1 or S2 offered an enterprise pilot must decide whether to run it free and broad or paid and narrow because free pilots rarely convert.
Options
Run a free multi-department pilot
Charge under the approval threshold for one use case
Cut price when budget is tight
What mattered
- Free pilots get less engagement and do not convert
- Pilots longer than two months drift away from a deal
- Direct measurable savings win finance approval
- Reduce scope rather than price
What was done
Founders in the sessions priced pilots under the credit-card threshold, wrote three to five success criteria into the agreement, and mapped the full buying committee.
ClaimAlways charge for a pilot, scope it to one use case, and finish inside two months.
FAQ
- Which stage does this apply to?
- Stages 1-2 (pre-seed and seed through Series A).
- Where does this come from?
- Synthesized from FounderNexus founder sessions, with speakers abstracted.
FounderNexus convenes stage-matched founder groups around decisions like this one.