In my opinion, it's never too early to start building relationships with Investors. However, actively trying to fundraise might be a different story. From my experience, Investors want to see Traction because it demonstrates both Execution and Market Interest. Without Traction, the Investor is forced to fall back on other metrics, which may or may not be good indications of a good Investment (which does not help your cause).<p>My recommendation would be to work on getting some Traction before approaching Investors, but this is all relative, and only you know when you're "Ready". Considering that you do need money, maybe you could cut down on your overhead? Or maybe you could barrow from Friends/Family? I would consider approaching Investors without first demonstrating Traction as being a last resort; Mainly because you are "taking a chance" and with many Investors, you run the risk of a bad impression, or missing out on your "one shot".<p>In terms of your product, it seems like you're suffering from the 'Chicken Before the Egg' problem, where you need to attract two different groups of Users/Customers that rely on eachother to generate a Network Effect. In this sense, it may be worthwhile to brainstorm and find an angle (however small) that will allow you to build Traction. You need to get people excited. You need to get your potential Users/Customers to realize the benefits of this hot upcoming Service. You need to generate incentives and get people to "Sign Up" for your product. Products that provide inherent value and solve real world pain points are usually inherently effective in these scenarios. Point out the pain points you will be solving, show the potential for growth, and the Network Effect that you need will start to unfold; And it will grow exponentially, from potential Users/Customers, to Potential Investors, and finally to actual Users/Customers, and actual Investors.<p>Good Luck!