Whether you’re a first-time or seasoned founder, putting yourself in front of an investor can still feel nerve-wracking.
It’s natural to feel pressured to be a phenomenal salesperson, leader, and visionary—all in one.
🤔 What can founders do to ACE a first call with an investor?
🚀 Gather info beforehand on the investor to better cater your pitch.
Research (and ask others) the following: Check size? Diligence process? Similar startups to yours that they’ve invested in? Also, if you learned about this investor via referral, ask your referrer for the extra scoop: What should I bring up first? What are their dealbreakers? What is their vibe?
Knowing this information allows you to pitch more confidently and focus on investors who are a fit.
After calls, block time to immediately follow-up with the next steps that were discussed (hint: ask for the next steps that would be helpful to the investor to make a decision, on the call). Create templates for your fundraising process to save time.
Always follow-up (in 1 week). This helps the investor stay accountable to your timeline. Offer to hop on a call to answer questions/address concerns.
🚀 Show proof of success early.Â
Although VCs are often seen as “betters”, they can still be risk-averse at early stages, especially pre-traction / pre-product.
Leveraging social proof drives momentum: lean on your network, demo days, and cold outreach to pitch and close notable angels, founders, and investors, as early as possible.
Also, demonstrating a deep understanding of the problem during the pitch (well informed by customer discovery / in-depth market understanding), in the absence of a fully built solution, can help investors get over the line.
🚀 Keep everyone wanting more.
The purpose of a 1st meeting is to get a 2nd meeting.
Don’t disqualify yourself from an investment or bombard your investor with too much information at once. Take it slow, while keeping the conversation high-energy, passionate, articulate, and focused. Stick to 3 main talking points and answer questions directly and concisely. Avoid long monologues (> 2 mins).
And lastly…
🚀 Don’t get frustrated.
“No” is not the enemy—it’s a lot clearer than being ghosted. A rejection note opens the door for learning how to improve, and potentially, a future check.
Continuous improvement is crucial. If we aren’t getting “No’s”, we aren’t trying hard enough. Take these rejections with grace. Investors remember sour responses.
Of course, a “no” today could be a “yes” in your next round. Ask for feedback, keep relevant investors updated (non-confidential), and request intros to more investors (from your existing investors) in advance of your next round.
Note: starting this process *months* in advance is *crucial*.
Throughout this process, you’ll hustle hard. You’ll be tested.
Remember: stay high frequency, classy, and take care of yourself so you can bring your best self to the pitch.
