Dear Professor Investor,
I am an expat with a thin network in the U.S., but a great product and hundreds of new signups a week. How do I get in front of seed-stage investors?
Ephraim from N.Y.C.
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In our entrepreneur-focused world, it is easier than ever before to meet seed-stage investors. Here are a few of my favorite ways:
- Connect with founders in your city who have been funded. Ask for their advice. Impress them and let them introduce you to their investor.
- Apply to an accelerator (e.g., Techstars) and nail it on demo day. The audience is filled with seed-stage investors.
- 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.
- Kickstart your project. Raise funds and engage early customers. Nothing impresses investors as much as sales and users.
- Leverage Clarity, LinkedIn and Product Hunt.
- Use the same service providers (i.e., lawyers, accountants) your ideal investors use and ask them for an introduction.
- Find out where your ideal seed-stage investors source their funds and ask those LPs for an introduction.
- 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.
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