Funding Status is a seniority ranking, not a timeline: Unfunded < VC < PE < Public. A company is shown at the most senior stage it has reached, regardless of when that round occurred. For example, a company that raised VC rounds and later took on PE investment is shown as PE, even if the VC round was more recent in absolute terms — PE outranks VC in the hierarchy.
Funding Status is a widely used proxy for company maturity and capital structure. Unfunded companies have raised no institutional capital; VC-backed companies have raised venture rounds (Pre-Seed through Series D+); PE-backed companies have taken on private equity investment; Public companies are listed on an exchange. On Alternatives.pe, Funding Status reflects the highest stage reached and is updated as new rounds or transitions are disclosed.