Reach investors through people they trust
Investors back most deals they hear about through their own networks and other investors. Cold decks rarely make it. Finding the warm path to the right partner is most of the work.
Try it on your network
- “Who can introduce me to seed investors in fintech?”
- “Which of my connections has raised from Bluecrest?”
- “Who knows a partner at a climate fund?”
- Ask for the stage, sector or fund you’re targeting.
- See investors and the founders or friends who can vouch for you.
- Send a short, forwardable intro request to the strongest connector.
A 30-fund list, sorted by who can vouch for you
Maya is raising a seed round for a payments infrastructure startup and has a target list of 30 funds.
- She asks “Who can introduce me to seed investors in fintech?”, then “Which of my connections has raised from [fund]?” for her top ten funds.
- Sniff turns up warm paths into 9 of the 30: two partners she knows directly, four through founders those funds have backed, and three through an angel already in her round.
- For each warm path she sends the connector a forwardable email: three sentences on the company, why this fund, and a link to the deck.
- The other 21 funds get a researched cold email once the warm intros are underway.
Result: Maya’s first meetings come from the nine funds where someone they trust made the introduction.
People, companies and numbers in this example are illustrative.
How do VCs find the deals they invest in?
Mostly through people they know. In a survey of 885 venture capitalists, 31% of the deals they closed came through their professional networks and 20% were referred by other investors, while 10% came inbound from founders.
Who makes the best investor intro?
Founders the fund has already backed usually carry the most weight, followed by co-investors, former colleagues now in venture, and your existing angels and advisors.
What should a forwardable intro email include?
Three or four sentences: what the company does, traction in one line, why this fund in particular, and a link to the deck. Write it so your connector can forward it without editing.
Can I search my co-founder’s network too?
Yes, on Pro. Add your co-founders as teammates and one search covers everyone’s connections, naming who to ask for each intro. Each person’s contact list stays private.
Your network already did the work. Time to use it.
Connect LinkedIn and get your first ranked list of warm paths in under a minute.
Start sniffing