How to get warm introductions to VCs
Have an awesome startup that you want to pitch to the VC of your dreams? But you don’t know anyone who could introduce you yet?
Here’s a simple hack that has worked very well for me in the past, and that you can use to get in contact with pretty much anybody if you put in enough work.
You can lament how unfair it is that well-connected people have an advantage over others… or you can start building the connections that help you.
Most people think that means schmoozing investors. If you can pull that off, great. But a much more likely route to success is to start building connections with people who can introduce you to investors!
“But I’m in the middle of nowhere!”
What if you’re not in San Francisco, New York but in… Frigiliana, Spain. No tech and startup scene there, so how could you possibly build connections?
Well, you’re reading this on the internet. There’s email, there’s skype and VoIP… location is at best an excuse, but never a real reason for being unable to network.
Do Silicon Valley startup founders have an advantage over Frigiliana’s founders? Sure, no doubt!
Is it impossible for Frigiliana’s founders to network with founders in Silicon Valley? No. You just need to put in more effort.
Focus on the possibilities, not the limitations.
But how exactly do you get warm introductions to VCs?
The 5-step gameplan:
- Reach out to people who got funded by the VCs you want.
- Ask them for a 10 minute phone call, or if you can invite them for coffee. Do this with enough people and some WILL take the time.
- Be awesome when talking to the founders, so they like you and believe you’ve got the stuff.
- Ask for an intro.
- Repeat 1–4 with until you get an intro.
1) Who has access to them, but is a level below them?
Reach out to people your VP of choice has funded in the past. Startup founders are mostly a very helpful bunch, and are often willing to help out other founders.
Even though they’re most likely busy, they’ll also be sympathetic to your request, and remember times when others have helped them out in the past.
2) Make a small ask.
Ask them for ten minutes of their time or invite them for a coffee, ensure you actually value their time and demonstrate that it means a lot to you.
Do your homework before reaching out and learn what they care about.
3) Shine
When you meet, make them trust, like and respect you. This is best done by demonstrating that you know your craft and put in the work.
Ask them if they think you’re ready for funding. If they say yes…
4) Ask for the intro.
Then ask them for an introduction to the important person you want to reach out to.
5) Learn & repeat.
Most likely the first couple of founders won’t give you the introduction you’re asking for. The important thing is to take in what those founders tell you and learn from their feedback.
Remember: introducing you to their investor is not just “sending an email”. By doing it, they’re investing their social capital into you. They’re sharing the benefits of an important relationship they’ve probably worked very hard for with you.
And just because they said no once doesn’t mean you can’t go back to them and ask again… just make sure you’ve improved your game.
I’ve often used this approach in the past, and keep using it whenever I want to get in contact with a big shot. It’s not a quick hack — but if you persist, it almost always works. It never failed me.
(First published on the Hack & Hustle blog as How to get in touch with influential people)
