Are you about to start looking for investment but don’t know where to begin? Here, we’re sharing content that will help you get started building your network of potential investors.
Specifically, you’ll learn about the following topics:
- Where to find investors
- What to write in a cold email to an investor
- The Investors Newsletter
Where to find investors
These days, all investors have an online presence and social media accounts; the trick is knowing how to find them. That’s why we’re sharing 3 platforms where you can find databases to learn more about investors and discover their investment theses, websites, and social media accounts. Visit the following websites and explore their investor directories.
- Startupeable. Blog #1 about Startups and Venture Capital in LatAm.
- Startuplinks. Startuplinks is a web platform and community that helps pre-seed and seed-stage startups in LATAM understand venture capital and connect with institutional investors.
- Crunchbase. Crunchbase is a platform that aggregates business information about private and public companies.
Tips for contacting investors
Once you have your list, you’ll need to start reaching out and telling investors about your project. But what’s the most effective way to contact them? Here are a few tips to increase your chances of being heard.
- Ask for introductions and recommendations. If you know someone who knows someone at a fund or an investor, ask a trusted acquaintance to make an introduction. Remember, the person making the introduction will need to be willing to connect you.
- Ask other founders. You probably know other founders who have already raised investment or have a network. If you have a good relationship, ask them for an introduction.
- Lean on accelerators. If you’ve taken part in an accelerator program, you can always ask the accelerator to introduce you to investors in its network or connect you with them.
- Don’t always go looking for investment; sometimes you’re just looking to grow your network. Not everyone will want to invest in your startup, but that doesn’t mean they can’t offer advice or introduce you to others who could help your company in some way.
What to write in a cold email to an investor
If no one can make an introduction for you, you’ll have to send a “cold email” or reach out cold—in other words, write to people you don’t know and tell them about yourself and your startup. Below is a suggestion for what to include in that first email to increase your chances of getting a reply that leads to a 1st meeting, along with a real example.
The Investors Newsletter
Another recommended tool for keeping potential investors up to date on your company is an investor newsletter. This is an email sent regularly (monthly, every other month, or quarterly) that shares company news with potential investors, both good and not-so-good.
The goal is to keep them up to date on the company and avoid losing their interest completely. Keep in mind that you need to get someone’s permission before adding them to this newsletter. Below is a real example of an investor newsletter.