My investors want an “update.” What exactly should I include?

Being in touch with your investors on a monthly basis might sound like an extra task to add to your to-do list, but regular email updates will help you develop good relationships early on and save you time later.

An effective monthly email update to investors keeps you focused on what matters most to your business and gives you an opportunity to ask your investors for advice.

Our suggested investor update template:

• Help Wanted: How investors can help. Remember: the more specific the ask — i.e. introduction to marketing department at Nike — the better. If you’re asking for an introduction, include the short blurb within the body of the email; this saves everyone the back-and-forth of how you want to be positioned and introduced.
• KPIs: Metrics (revenue, traffic, installs, engagement, etc); +/- change. Remember: Providing context for your numbers is key. Highlight major events — i.e. Google just put $100 M into a team of 20 people to compete with us in the same space. How does this impact what your company is working on?
• Product: Roadmap; new features or improvements. Remember: high-level product overview works best — not every product tweak needs to be addressed.
• Distribution / Biz Dev: Partnerships / integrations; sales pipeline.
• People / HR: Changes or additions to the team.
• Finance: Burn / runway (cash out — include month and year); fundraising updates.
• Board Deck: attach your latest board deck if you’re having board meetings.

Is there anything you love to include in your investor updates? Leave a comment below to let us know.

For another take on investor updates, check out this Quora thread: https://www.quora.com/Is-there-a-refined-template-for-a-seed-stage-monthly-investor-update