Key Takeaways

  • Personalization and concise communication are critical when reaching out to venture capitalists.
  • An investment deck must be precise, data-driven, and tailored to the VC's interests.
  • Warm introductions through shared networks are more effective than cold outreach.
  • Leverage informal meetups, accelerators, and pitch events to build relationships.
  • Maintain professionalism and respect the VC's time in all correspondence.
  • A well-structured outreach strategy includes timing, research, and follow-ups.
  • Founders should be ready to demonstrate business traction and team capability early.

Wondering how to contact venture capitalists? To do so, you must prepare an investment deck and send it either over the internet or by traditional mail to the venture capitalists. This is done without having had any prior contact with them. When evaluating the investment potential of your application, the venture capitalist initially uses two main pieces of information. Part of this information is found in your email message or letter and part is found in your investment deck.

Both your introductory message and your investment deck must be well prepared to give you a better chance of scoring a meeting with the venture capitalist. The competition is heavy for startups trying to appeal to a venture capitalist, which increases the importance of having a thorough set of information in the investment deck.

Introduce Yourself to the Venture Capitalist

Your introductory letter or email should:

  • Be personally addressed to the venture capitalist you've chosen to approach
  • Be concise
  • Be clear
  • Request just a follow-up meeting
  • Explain why you chose the venture capitalist
  • Should be based on information from the venture capitalist's portfolio to show why your startup is a good fit for what they do

Do Your Research First

Before reaching out, thoroughly research the venture capitalist or firm. Identify their investment thesis, typical check size, stage focus, industries of interest, and past investments. Founders who align their pitch with the VC's investment history and portfolio are more likely to earn a response. Tailoring your message demonstrates that you've done your homework and helps your pitch stand out in a crowded inbox.

Use platforms like Crunchbase, PitchBook, LinkedIn, and the VC firm's own website to gather this intelligence. Tools like Signal by NFX or AngelList can also help identify shared connections for a warmer introduction.

Show Your Start-Up's Potential

Your investment deck shows the potential of your startup, and it should be focused on quality over quantity. Avoid expressions that are vague, such as "our product will revolutionize the market." Be more precise by mentioning that your product will provide specific benefits for customers in a particular market segment. Also, show how it will reduce the venture capitalist's costs. The more precise the information you can put in your investment deck is, the higher your chances will be of getting a follow-up meeting with the venture capitalist.

Take Advantage of Networking Opportunities

The best venture capitalists participate in world-class networks. They use their networks to help the companies in their investment portfolios grow more quickly. Venture capitalists thrive because of their networks. So, giving someone who's in the network of the venture capitalists that you want to attract to show them your investment deck, will help you get their attention. That gives you a better chance of getting to speak to the venture capitalist in person.

Use Accelerators and Incubators to Gain Access

Joining a startup accelerator or incubator can be a strategic way to get in touch with venture capitalists. Many top-tier accelerators—like Y Combinator, Techstars, or 500 Global—have demo days where founders pitch to invited VCs. These programs not only improve your product and pitch but also lend credibility, making VCs more likely to take a meeting.

Additionally, accelerators often provide access to a network of mentors and alumni who can make valuable introductions.

Informal Startup Activities

While making a connection through the venture capitalist's network has the biggest impact, another approach that works sometimes is meeting them at an informal startup activity. The casual settings of these activities give you the chance to share your ideas with the venture capitalists. It lets you get to know them and lets them get to know you and your team a little bit better. Sometimes, if the venture capitalists at these informal gatherings think your pitch has appeal, they request a follow-up meeting with you.

Take a Multi-Touch Approach to Outreach

Reaching out to a venture capitalist isn’t always a one-and-done message. Many founders find success through a multi-touch approach. This might include:

  • Engaging with VCs on social media platforms like LinkedIn or X (formerly Twitter) before sending a message.
  • Commenting insightfully on content they’ve shared.
  • Sending a short email or message introducing yourself and your company, then following up with updates on progress.

Persistence, when done professionally and respectfully, can show traction and resilience—qualities VCs value in founders.

When a Venture Capitalist Contacts You

Owners of startups typically have to reach out to venture capitalists, but there are times when venture capitalists go searching for companies. They do this because they understand that there are some companies that are doing well, but they're not busy fundraising because they're busy working on their business.

These venture capitalists, after examining the market, might speak at events that are likely to have the chosen promising business owners present. As the owner of a startup, if you get invited to one of these meetings from a venture capitalist, that confirms that you're doing a good job with your startup.

Be Prepared to Demonstrate Traction

When you secure a meeting, expect the venture capitalist to ask for evidence of traction. This includes metrics like monthly recurring revenue (MRR), customer acquisition cost (CAC), lifetime value (LTV), churn rate, and user growth. They may also want to see proof of market demand through customer feedback or pilot programs.

Be prepared with clear data and stories that highlight why your solution works, what problem it solves, and how the team is equipped to scale it.

What to Leave Out of Your Pitch to a Venture Capitalist

The majority of cold contact emails sent to venture capitalists are deleted by the recipient after reading a couple of lines. If it's a poorly arranged email, it might be deleted after just a glance. These emails are deleted because:

  • The content is badly written.
  • The content is poorly formatted.
  • The reader feels that the person sending it to them was being inconsiderate of their time by not getting to the point and sharing relevant information. That leaves the venture capitalist unable to imagine going into business with the sender.

Some things you can do to keep your message out of the venture capitalist's deleted folder include:

  • Keeping your message short.
  • Expressing your pitch in one to two paragraphs.
  • Avoiding large blocks of text.
  • Skipping cheesy cliches and playful verbiage.

When and How to Follow Up

After your initial pitch or email, give the VC at least one to two weeks to respond before following up. A short, polite follow-up message can reaffirm your interest and offer new information, such as a recent partnership, press coverage, or customer win.

Avoid sounding desperate or overly persistent. Instead, keep your tone professional and offer clear value in each communication.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What’s the best way to get in touch with venture capitalists?
    Warm introductions through mutual contacts are ideal. If unavailable, send a concise, personalized email with a compelling pitch and investment deck.
  2. How do I find out what a venture capitalist is interested in?
    Research their website, LinkedIn profile, and public interviews. Tools like Crunchbase and AngelList also reveal their investment history and focus areas.
  3. Is cold emailing venture capitalists effective?
    Cold emails can work if they are well-researched, brief, and show alignment with the VC's focus. However, warm intros are generally more effective.
  4. What should I include in a pitch deck?
    Include your problem, solution, business model, market opportunity, traction, financials, and the team. Keep it visual and data-driven.
  5. How often should I follow up after my initial outreach?
    Wait 1–2 weeks before following up. If you don’t hear back after two attempts, move on or update them later with meaningful progress.

If you need help on how to get in touch with venture capitalists, you can post your legal need on UpCounsel's marketplace. UpCounsel accepts only the top 5 percent of lawyers to its site. Lawyers on UpCounsel come from law schools such as Harvard Law and Yale Law and average 14 years of legal experience, including work with or on behalf of companies like Google, Menlo Ventures, and Airbnb.