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Raise money

How do I find and get intros to angel investors and seed funds?

Warm intros beat cold outreach massively, so map your network and get founders in each investor's portfolio to introduce you. Build a target list ranked by fit, get your best-known angel to commit first, then use that social proof to unlock the rest. A great first cheque is the most powerful fundraising tool you have.

Go deeper

3 resources, 3 link-checked.

▶️ Video
✓ Link checked Free Beginner

A concise video lecture that walks through the key concepts and mechanics of running a fundraising process, from a YC partner who has coached thousands of founders. Great if you'd rather watch than read.

Fundraising Fundamentals (Startup School)

On Y Combinator Startup Library by Geoff Ralston 40 min

  • Warm intros and social proof (a strong first cheque) do most of the heavy lifting
  • Build a ranked target list and run the process concurrently to build momentum
  • Investors at seed underwrite team and market more than metrics
Open ycombinator.com →
🎧 Podcast
✓ Link checked India Free Intermediate

A leading early-stage Indian VC firm answering the questions founders wish they could ask a VC face-to-face, including how they pick startups and why pitch decks fail. Direct from the people writing the cheques in India.

Prime Venture Partners Podcast: Fundraising Masterclass for Founders

On Prime Venture Partners Podcast by Prime Venture Partners 30-50 min per episode

  • Learn how an Indian early-stage fund actually filters and selects the few startups it backs
  • Understand common pitch mistakes from the investor's side of the table
  • Get realistic expectations on the Indian seed process and what earns conviction
Listen on Spotify open.spotify.com →
📄 Article
✓ Link checked Free Intermediate

The most quoted essay on the mechanics of fundraising, distilled from YC Demo Day advice. It reframes fundraising as a sales process with clear rules that still hold up years later.

How to Raise Money

From paulgraham.com by Paul Graham 45 min read

  • Be in fundraising mode or not; don't half-do it while running the company
  • Talk to investors in parallel to create real competition and momentum
  • A 'maybe' is usually a polite no; get to a real yes or move on
Open paulgraham.com →

Terms in this answer

Cold Outreach

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Also in D2C

The same ground, over in Scale, fund & exit, our D2C track.

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Also in How Founders Use AI

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

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The same ground, over in Startup equity & liquidity, our Wealth track.

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