How can you get Venture Capitalists to notice your startup? (2024)

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In my humble experience as VC investor, I strongly suggest founders to do the homework very carefully prior to any fundraising rounds. And learning about the target VCs is one of the key part of that. Among thousands of founders a VC member meets annually, it is critical for you to leave a big, yet positive, impression on the VC. In order to achieve that, please consider researching on: their fund size, their preferred company stage & sectors, their average cheque sizes and their favorite type of founders. It is also good to learn a bit deeper into the leadership of the VCs you really want to work with. Who knows if one day you will meet the GP of a VC at a pottery workshop?

Pitching is an art form that can be honed and a skill set that comes from experience. Fundamental in this process is the deep dive research about your audience.A deep understanding of the VC funds you’re pitching includes an analysis of the wire portfolio, the sectors they concentrate on, the thematic investment approach to portfolio management, and the type of CEO Founders the VC is interested in backing.

Do your homework, prepare your CRM for the next investment round, and filter it by geo, stage, and industry. Try to get to know your target investors before you go to them asking for money - invite them for coffee, build a personal relationship, ask for investment thesis or feedback on your startup metrics, tell them what you do without pitching directly.

Cold outreach can be challenging and often ends up being disregarded as mere noise. If you have existing investors, it's advisable to depend on them for introductions. They are familiar with your progress, have a stake in your success, and are likely to have the necessary connections. As your company develops, you will naturally accumulate a network of advisors and mentors. These individuals can prove invaluable in linking you with potential investors. However, it's important to approach this with a degree of subtlety. Overly aggressive selling or insistent outreach can lead to a situation where people might tell you what you wish to hear, rather than their genuine opinions or intentions

The way you initially connect with a VC will have a significant impact on how they perceive the opportunity. Since VCs need to assess a large number of opportunities and cannot afford to look at each one closely, they rely on other signals to quickly evaluate whether an opportunity is worthwhile. The most effective way to connect with VCs is through a warm introduction from someone they know and trust, such as an accomplished founder from their own portfolio.

Your pitch deck needs to pass the 15 second test with investors. In other words they need to be able to skim through it from end to end in a 1st pass of around 15 seconds and “get it” - at a high level. To pass the test you need to do 2 things: tell a coherent, compelling story from end to end using big bold messaging and support this through strong content visualization. Think of it this way - if you cut and pasted all the big bold messages into a Google doc, would they read together as one clear, exciting narrative? And in terms of the content you have put on the slides to support those messages - have you been creative? Never just have lists of bullet points, you need strong visuals that convey information quickly & effectively.

Founders often try to tailor their offering to win over VCs, which can dilute their purpose and make it solely about securing funds. Stay true to your purpose, immerse yourself in every detail of the business; conducting thorough research, engaging and learning from others. Live and breathe your business and it will enable you to effectively convey the problem you are trying to solve.

Follow up can make all the difference. In my experience, founders take initial impressions and feedback personally. Funding and building a startup is a long game, so brace yourself for the Nos and come back strong. Find the decision influencers (typically analysts) and build a rapport and get first hand feedback from them. They are the ones that influence the decision, they also typically have a good network of analysts at other firms and can be open to make introductions to VCs that might be a better fit. Decisions are also not final, if a firm gives feedback and you are able to effect changes within the next quarter, you'd be surprised that it could be a game changer.

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A few tips when qualifying and engaging with a potential referee / intro maker:- Ideally want to know the connector well so they feel compelled & confident to make the intro. - Likewise make sure the connector knows the investor well so it's an impactful intro.- Make it clear to why this will be a mutually beneficial connection & value for the connector to make the intro.- Do all the heavy lifting for the connector, prepare them what they need, draft email & pitch deck etc. - Don’t let the connector down, be professional, responsive & highly engaged once the intro is made. - But also be prepared & understand if someone declines to make a connection. They might know better than you whether it is a valuable connection for the investor.

There's a lot of different ways to get on a VC's radar.But probably the most universally agreed upon way is to have demonstrable traction with customers.The way to do this is to build something valuable and prove you have a distribution model to get it in front of those people.If your team doesn't have technical skills (a red flag for most software companies) you should find a way to build a no-code solution that proves early traction.An example of this is AngelList which launched their initial solution as an email distro of 60 top angel investors.The actual syndicate platform did not launch for years after, but by then they had proven they had found product-market fit.

You can increase the likelihood of being contacted cold by investors by making sure your public profiles are up to date (such as those listed on Crunchbase, Pitchbook, Beauhurst or Tracxn).Making sure you have an active presence on LinkedIn will also help.Most VCs now pride themselves on using data and technology to source the best deal - you therefore need to make sure you are there for them to find.

FOMO... an art to creating FOMO is to meet people and tell them what you are doing without asking for any action on their part, but keeping them informed of your progress. Then get ready with your investment round materials and run the process in a limited amount of time with layered communication of tiered preferred groups of investors.

Courting with VCs, you must know who you're pursuing, make a good first impression, and keep the flame alive to attract them. Learn your target VCs' investing strategy and industry focus. Remember, you want a partner who shares your goal, not money. Your pitch keeps doors open after a warm welcome. Content should be engaging, informative, and data-backed. After the pitch, remain in touch and demonstrate you value their feedback to have a memorable date. Not that one? Do not worry. Find the right match through their network. Finally, social proof and traction trump words. Consider highlighting your strengths, such rising customer base or new solutions. In VC, you want to be remembered, not just recognized. Good luck!