Raise money

How do I actually get value out of my investors beyond the cheque?

The short answer

Make specific, concrete asks in every update, whether it's an intro to a hire, a customer, or a follow-on investor, because vague 'let me know if you can help' gets ignored. Investors help the founders who make helping easy and low-effort. Treat them as an on-demand network you activate deliberately, not a distant scoreboard.

Go deeper, your way

3 hand-picked resources, 3 link-checked. Pick how you want to dig in.

📄 Article
✓ Link checked Free Beginner

Why we picked it The most practical guide to investor updates, from a company that exists purely to help founders send them. Concrete structure plus real templates you can copy this month.

How to Write the Perfect Investor Update (Tips and Templates)

From Visible.vc by Visible.vc 15 min read

  • Five core parts: summary, KPIs, highlights, lowlights, and specific asks
  • Consistency and cadence matter more than polish; send it every month
  • Make asks specific and easy so investors can actually act on them
Open visible.vc →
📋 Template
✓ Link checked Free Beginner

Why we picked it A ready-to-use version of the update format YC recommends to its founders. Removes every excuse for not sending a clean, professional monthly update.

Y Combinator Investor Update Template

From Visible.vc by Y Combinator / Visible.vc copy-paste template

  • A simple, proven structure: asks, key metrics, highlights, lowlights, team updates
  • Designed for the monthly cadence seed-stage founders should keep
  • Copy it, fill it in, and ship it in under 30 minutes
Open visible.vc →
🛠️ Tool
✓ Link checked Free Intermediate

Why we picked it Turns the a16z metrics framework into a concrete, reportable template so your investor updates carry the numbers investors actually want. Great bridge between knowing metrics and reporting them consistently.

a16z Startup Metrics Template (for updates and reporting)

From Visible.vc by Visible.vc (based on a16z metrics) template

  • Standardizes the core metrics (revenue, growth, burn, runway, retention) for monthly reporting
  • Consistent definitions make your trends readable over time
  • Report the handful of numbers that tell the real story, not vanity metrics
Open visible.vc →

People also ask

How do I write a great monthly investor update? Keep it short and consistent: top-line metrics, a couple of highlights, the honest lowlights, and one or two specific asks. Send it every single mo... Beginner 3 resources → What metrics should I actually report to investors? Report the handful of numbers that tell the real story of your business: revenue or ARR, growth rate, burn and runway, and your core engagement or ... Intermediate 3 resources → How do I share bad news with investors without spooking them? Tell them early, directly, and with a plan attached, because investors fund founders through bad months but lose faith fast when they get surprised... Advanced 2 resources → How often should I update investors, and does it help me raise the next round? Monthly at seed and early stage, moving to quarterly as you mature, and yes, consistent updates directly warm up your next round. Investors who've ... Beginner 3 resources → An investor keeps asking for information rights and a board seat in the term sheet. What should I actually give a seed investor? At seed, give standard information rights (monthly or quarterly updates plus annual financials) to anyone writing a meaningful cheque, but do not h... Intermediate 3 resources → How do I keep 40 angel investors on my cap table informed without it eating my week? Send one update to everyone. Do not segment angels into VIP and non-VIP tiers, it creates resentment and doubles your work. Use a single tool (a si... Intermediate 2 resources →

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Also in How Founders Use AI

How founders actually use AI for this, over in Fundraising.

How do founders use AI to research investors and personalize outreach? Founders now compress investor research from weeks to hours: free tools like NFX Signal and OpenVC match you to investors by stage, sector, and che... 13 resources → Why draft your deck narrative, FAQ, and data-room answers with AI? A raise is mostly a writing exercise: the deck, the investor FAQ, and the data room all answer the same twenty questions in different formats, and ... 11 resources →
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