8 Ways to Find Investors for your Startup

In our entrepreneur-focused world, it is easier than ever before to meet seed-stage investors.

Here are a few of my favorite ways:

  1. Connect with founders in your city who have been funded. Ask for their advice. Impress them and let them introduce you to their investor.
  2. Apply to an accelerator (e.g., Techstars) and nail it on demo day. The audience is filled with seed-stage investors.
  3. Attend an event featuring seed investors and ask for their advice after the show. Requests for advice are a great way to showcase your venture.
  4. Kickstart your project. Raise funds and engage early customers. Nothing impresses investors as much as sales and users.
  5. Leverage Clarity, LinkedIn and Product Hunt.
  6. Use the same service providers (i.e., lawyers, accountants) your ideal investors use and ask them for an introduction.
  7. Find out where your ideal seed-stage investors source their funds and ask those LPs for an introduction.
  8. Apply to present to your local angel group.

Most seed-stage investment deals happen within these realms, so get involved in one, pitch your idea and if you nail it the investors will come to you.

Onward & Upward,

Sean

Learn more about how to start a startup:

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About the Author

Dr. Sean Wise

Dr. Sean Wise is a best-selling author, venture capitalist and founder of more than half a dozen new ventures. He has spent two decades in the venture capital industry, specializing in supporting high growth ventures at the seed stage. Dr. Wise helped launch Dragons’ Den, the hit reality show, now in 27 countries, and known as Shark Tank in the USA. After 5 seasons with the show, he moved in front of the camera with his own show on the Oprah Winfrey Network, called The Naked Entrepreneur. He publishes extensively on entrepreneurship. His work has appeared on or in: CNN Financial, The New York Times, Profit Magazine, Fox News and the Globe and Mail. Dr. Wise has written 5 books, including 1 textbook, and published dozens of articles on entrepreneurship and venture capital.

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