Video

How to Get Meetings With Investors and Raise Money

Y Combinator (Aaron Harris) Free Beginner

A YC partner walks through the mechanics of actually landing an investor meeting, not just pitching once you're in the room. It's useful precisely because it treats getting the meeting as its own skill, which is what your cold email is actually for. Watch it before you write a single line if you want the full context behind why the ask should be a short call, not a check.

  • Getting the meeting is a distinct skill from pitching, and most founders under-invest in it
  • Target investors methodically instead of blasting a generic list
  • A good outreach message earns a 15 to 20 minute call, it doesn't try to close anything

The question it answers

  1. How do I write a cold email to an investor without sounding desperate?

Read with it

  1. The most quoted essay on the mechanics of fundraising, distilled from YC Demo Day advice. It reframes fundraising as a sales... paulgraham.com Article · 45 min read How to Raise Money Paul Graham
  2. The YC essay tells you the rules; this shows you real founders following (and bending) them. These are 13 actual cold emails... OpenVC Blog Article · 12 min read 13 Cold Email Examples Sent to VC Investors OpenVC
  3. OpenVC runs the platform millions of these emails pass through, so their rules are drawn from data, not opinion: put a... OpenVC Article · 12 min read How to Cold Email Investors (And Actually Get Replies) OpenVC Team
  4. This nails the discipline behind the highlight reel: with prospects you share momentum factually without handing over what they... Lenny's Newsletter Article · 20 min read Raising a seed round 101 Lenny Rachitsky with First Round
  5. Two Indian founders turned investors on what they actually weigh when funding early founders, including resilience and... The Neon Show Podcast · ~44 min VC Wisdom: Nansi & Siddhartha on Investing, Fundraising, and Growth The Neon Show (Nansi Mishra & Siddhartha Ahluwalia)
  6. The clearest explainer of how VCs actually decide, from term sheets to how partnerships evaluate founders. Understanding the... Andreessen Horowitz Book · 336 pages Secrets of Sand Hill Road: Venture Capital and How to Get It Scott Kupor
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