7 Strategies Serial Entrepreneurs Use To Find Investors

You have a fantastic idea that could change the world, disrupt an industry, or impact millions (possibly billions) of people. You know exactly what you’re doing, how you’re going to do it, and a great team supporting your vision. But you lack the most important resources of all – money. The idea might be great, but you know darn well it’s dead in the water without substantial seed capital supporting it. So now it’s back in the trenches to find investors to back your ideas. Luckily there are proven strategies that’s worked for millions of entrepreneurs and successful startups that you can adopt.

Through Your Immediate Network

This might be obvious, but you need to start with your immediate network and ask if anyone is already an investor. You never know if someone is actually an accredited investor. An investor doesn’t have to be walking around in suits and be publicly a part of any investor network. It could be a close friend who believes in your idea and is willing to put money down to invest in you. Before you go and seek investors outside your network, check with your own network.

Look Them Up Online

Finding investors probably isn’t as hard as you might think. Most angel investor networks and VC firms make themselves very known and you can often do a quick Google search to find a handful of angel networks and VC’s in the area. They’ll often have a website or at least a Linkedin page. From there, it’s up to your hustling skills to reach out and schedule a meeting.

At Investor-specific Events

Look on Event Bright, Net Mixer, or other event-curated websites for upcoming conferences or events that are catered to Investors specifically. You’ll increase your chances of shaking hands with investors in person. Meeting them in person first can sometimes be better than cold emailing them. At these events, you’ll have the opportunity to meet them, get to know them, share a joke or two, and then ask for their card to follow up later. But do be mindful of their time and of the event’s goals. You’re likely not the only ones trying to get in front of them and there may be other startups there constantly trying to pitch to them. Meeting them is great, but don’t look desperate and try to pitch to every investor you come into contact with.

Angel Investor Networks

An Angel investor network will have a pool of angel investors who put their money into an organization and that organization find startups like you to invest in, on behalf of the investors in their network. Angel investor networks are very common and they host meetings regularly to put startups in front of a group to pitch. Most of them will have some sort of minimal fee to pitch, just to ensure that you’re serious. These groups are also easily found online and very receptive to your reaching out.

Be Friends With Investors Who Can’t Invest In You

Investors will typically have a specific industry or niche that they focus on because they’re more knowledgeable in that subject. Not every investor will even entertain your idea, and that’s ok. Make it a point to be friends with a lot of investors just for the sake of friendship and ask for advice instead. They may not be able to invest in you directly, but they have plenty of friends in their network who can. And being investors, they can also help prepare you so you have the highest possible chance of success when you pitch to prospective investors.

Join An Accelerator

Accelerators can be found in many large cities and they’re a great way to literally accelerate your timeline, get things moving, and meet potential investors. Typically an accelerator program may last anywhere from 3 – 6 months. And at the very end, there’s usually an organized pitch event to get your startups in front of investors in that city. Investors attending these events are much more likely to invest in you because they know that you’re likely a much more high-quality startup because you graduated from an accelerator program they trust. And there’s probably already been vetting done, which saves them a bit of time on due diligence.

Join Your Local Startup Community

If you live in a big city or have access to get to one, there’s likely already a big startup scene there. There’s plenty of organizations, programs, events going on all the time. Be sure to do your research and be a part of the community. Attend events, volunteer, and take advantage of resources these organizations and communities offer. The more exposure you have with these communities, the more friends you’ll make. And eventually, you’ll get a lot of exposure and support from the community. This is a long term strategy, and probably not something you can expect immediate results from.