Investor Intros
Founders ruin their chances before the deck is even opened. Here is what VCs actually read.
The Reality of a VC's Inbox
A typical partner at a venture fund receives 50-100 introduction requests a week. They do not have time to read your four-paragraph vision statement. They are scanning for pattern recognition.
Your forwardable email to an investor needs to answer three questions immediately:
- What exactly does the company do?
- How fast is it growing? (Traction)
- Is this in my thesis / stage?
The Anatomy of a Founder Forwardable
When asking a portfolio founder or friendly VC to introduce you to a target VC, your blurb must contain raw data.
[Company Name] is building [X for Y].
Traction: Crossed [$X MRR / X Daily Active Users]. Growing [X]% MoM for the last 4 months.
Team: Founded by [ex-Stripe / repeat founders].
The Ask: Raising a [$X] Seed round. We saw you led the round in [Portfolio Company], would love to show you how we fit into that thesis.
Deck: [DocSend Link with Passcode]
Fatal Mistakes to Avoid
- Hiding the deck. "Let me know if they want to see the deck." No. Put the DocSend link directly in the forwardable. VCs want to vet the deck async before committing to a 30-minute call.
- Vague metrics. "Experiencing rapid growth" means nothing. Give exact numbers. If you are pre-revenue, state your LOIs, waitlist size, or technical milestones.
- Asking for 'Advice'. Do not ask a VC for coffee to "pick their brain" if you are secretly fundraising. It is dishonest and annoys them. Be direct: "We are raising."