Article · 15 min read

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

Visible.vc Free Beginner

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.

  • 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 on visible.vc ↗

It answers 9 questions

  1. How do I write a great monthly investor update?
  2. What metrics should I actually report to investors?
  3. How do I actually get value out of my investors beyond the cheque?
  4. How do I share bad news with investors without spooking them?
  5. How often should I update investors, and does it help me raise the next round?
  6. When should I actually ask my investors for warm intros, and how do I make it easy for them to say yes?
  7. How do I turn my early customers and investors into informal mentors?
  8. How do I stay on a busy mentor's or investor's radar between meetings without being annoying?
  9. How do I manage investor expectations when the numbers I promised in the pitch deck are not happening?

Read with it

  1. A ready-to-use version of the update format YC recommends to its founders. Removes every excuse for not sending a clean,... Visible.vc Template · copy-paste template Y Combinator Investor Update Template Y Combinator / Visible.vc
  2. Turns the a16z metrics framework into a concrete, reportable template so your investor updates carry the numbers investors... Visible.vc Tool · template a16z Startup Metrics Template (for updates and reporting) Visible.vc (based on a16z metrics)
  3. The frame that defuses the fight: on the big decisive calls, tell your investor their job is to be a sparring partner, not the... First Round Review Article · 15 min read You Aren't Getting the Most Out of Your Investors, This is How to Start Paul Arnold
  4. This is the actual template you paste under your ask, written by an investor who receives these forwards and decides whether to... Startup Hacks (2048.vc) Article · 6 min read How to write a forwardable introduction email Alex Iskold
  5. This is the post that explains why your investor sometimes goes quiet on an intro ask: their reputation rides on every forward,... AVC (Union Square Ventures) Essay · 4 min read The Double Opt-In Introduction Fred Wilson
  6. This is the reset playbook in one page. Lemkin makes the distinction that saves you from panicking: a soft miss (still growing... SaaStr Article · 9 min read How to Gracefully Miss a Quarter. And Take The Right Actions Afterward. Jason Lemkin
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →