Networking Pro-Tip: Ask The Investor

I must be on some list. A list that is seriously out of date. And a list that is not (has never been?) updated, verified, cross-checked, which makes it highly irrelevant to the user and a f'g annoyance to the recipient. So this pro-tip is a sender beware warning (in this instance to start-up founders)! You may have been promised a "list of investor emails" and well, what you got is that, but if you thought that it was a "useful list of investor emails" you're likely to be disappointed. 'Cause this list you're using is definitely not as helpful for your fundraising efforts as you initially imagined.

Let me offer you up a suggestion, a solution if you find yourself in possession of such a list of questionably useful emails. Before you send a fancy pitch with your deck and some shallow flattery, first send a short, direct, transparent message along the lines of:

"I got your name from X and I'm wondering if you're still investing in early stage ventures. If you are and you're actively investing in [B2B, SaaS, whatever sector your startup broadly falls in], I'd like to send you my deck."

Not sure if every recipient of your spray + pray outreach will respond, but this inactive investor would. I'd let you know I'm NOT investing, and I'd wish you good luck with your raise.

Which is better than my personal response now - I mark your emails as Spam. Oh, and I sometimes write posts like this where I rant about your email outreach.

Now for those who may be wondering what I'm talking about, below find an example of the sh#t some startup founder has been led to believe will attract investors in a spray + pray email approach to investment:

I'm X, CEO of Y, a B2B marketplace connecting Latin American brands with international retailers. Our mission is to expand LatAm brands' sales channels globally.

Milestones:

Over xxx Latin brands signed
Partnership with an international distributor with more than 20,000 retailers
Exceptional team assembled.
I am looking for investors that have experience in startups, which makes you an amazing choice, your experience is truly impressive. With our hypergrowth trajectory, strong fundamentals are key and we need amazing people by our side.

I know your schedule is packed but would love to show you our pitch in a 20 minute call, think we can change many lives together.

Excited to connect! A written smile :)