Fundraising sucks. Full stop.
Fund raising is among the most difficult, exhausting, frustrating and time-consuming challenges a venture scale founder faces — about the only things more mentally daunting are getting sued and not making payroll.
Founders spend countless hours compiling lists of investors, trying to divine whether some particular investor might be a good fit for a startup like theirs… in their market… at their stage… with their traction… in their city… and are they making investments at the moment… are they waiting on an exit… are they just done for the year… and so on. Of course, that information is not readily available.
Then it’s time to get a meeting. Without an existing shared relationship, getting a warm intro is very unlikely. The success stories of cold emails and LinkedIn pleading are not zero… but they are largely apocryphal or at least hard to find… mostly they are ineffective and waste everyone’s time. So now it’s time to find someone who knows someone who knows the investor. Perhaps a LinkedIn outreach campaign to every founder the investor has ever invested in? Or maybe ambush the investor at a networking event?
All of this (and much more) is part of fundraising and no matter what Startup Haven does, you gotta do a lot of it. We can’t fix all of fundraising; but we can help our early-stage startup founder and investor members make the most of the Startup Haven network effect; and we think we can add a new tool to the founders’ (and investors’) toolbox — a tool that is time and energy efficient.
Like everything we do, the Startup Haven Investor Match program is designed to minimize noise. To do that, we have flipped the tables. Instead of founders seeking out investors, we give our investor members a platform to discover startups based on their investment interests.
With Investor Match, you create a profile of your startup and your fundraising round that includes factors that can give investors a clear signal regarding whether your startup might be of interest to them. If an investor likes what you’re up to,f then they will reach out to you.
What if no investors ever reach out to you? Well, in short, you’re welcome. You can bet that if an investor sees your profile, is interested in what you’re doing, and thinks you might be a good investment fit, then they will reach out. Every investor who sees your profile and does not reach out is a win for you. Each of those investors who pass will not waste your time.
Because the Investor Match program is exclusively for Startup Haven members, you must be approved for Startup Haven membership before creating your Investor Match profile. You can apply for Startup Haven membership here: https://startuphaven.com/levels/
Startup Haven membership is free but all new members must meet the following qualifications:
- Must be a full time founder.
- Must be building a venture-scale startup.
- Must have some elements of traction.
Once your Startup Haven application has been approved, participating in the Startup Haven Investor Match program requires only that you complete the detailed Investor Match profile of your startup and your team.
While any Startup Haven member can participate in the Investor Match program, startups raising their first capital are encouraged to consider their readiness for fund raising at the time they submit their profile. Investor perceptions and expectations can be influenced by their initial contact with a startup. We will provide an honest and confidential evaluation of your profile if you ask. We want everyone’s expectations to be properly set.
Ready to go?