Plot twist: That first investor rejection wasn't personal.
You spent hours crafting the perfect pitch, researching their portfolio, timing your send perfectly. Then - Radio silence.
Here's the brutal truth: most founders are fishing in the wrong pond entirely.
What's inside today:
Why precision beats spray-and-pray every time
The 5 investor personas (and how to talk to each one)
Your free investor tracking template
A 90-min masterclass announcement that'll change your outreach game
This week's funding intel:
💰 Free money alert: EU's Deep-Tech Innovation fund is dropping €60K grants. Deadline = May 31st, 2026
🏥 Oura x Maven Clinic partnership: Biometric data is officially entering clinical care. Health-tech founders, take notes.
🔥 Grace Beverley's TALA pitch deck leaked: The £5M+ deck that built a sustainable fashion empire. Study this one.
My take: While everyone's chasing the same 20 VCs, smart founders are finding funding in unexpected places. Grants, strategic partnerships, and sector-specific angels are writing checks too.
Investor Match-Making 101: How to Find the Right Backer (and Get on Their Radar)
The problem: You're doing mass outreach when you should be doing precision targeting.
Each investor is not the same. Treating them like they are is why your inbox stays empty.
Precision Outreach means:
You can prove alignment with the investor
You've found 3-4 specific talking points about them
You treat each investor as an individual, not a number
In case you missed it
The 5 Main Investor Personas:
Founder turned Angel Investor
Angel Investors
Super Angel/Syndicate Lead
Sector Specialist VC
Generalist VC
For the purpose of time also not to bore you, We will cover Angel Investors and Sector Specialist VC… I will cover the other personas in great detail (Keep reading more to come on that…)
Angel Investors
Who they are: Often your potential first customers, users, or pilot partners.
What they care about: Solving their own pain, seeing product demos, being part of the journey.
How to approach: Frame your outreach as both an investment opportunity AND a chance to try your product.
Example research process:
Check their LinkedIn bio for pain points your product solves
Look at their experience to find common ground
Find their contact info for additional context i.e. websites, links to hobbies or past achievements etc.)
Craft personalized outreach based on specific connections
Sector Specialist VCs
Who they are: Deep domain experts who live and breathe your industry.
What they care about: Market trends, competitive advantages, sector-specific metrics.
How to approach: Lead with industry insights and data they haven't seen elsewhere.
How to Filter Investors Like a Strategist:
Before you write a single email, check for:
Values alignment: Do they actually care about what you're building?
Check size: Are they writing tickets that match your raise?
Thesis fit: Does your startup match their investment focus?
Stage alignment: Are they investing at your stage right now?
Red flags: Do founders complain about them online?
Outreach That Actually Gets Opens:
Subject lines: Reference something specific about them or their portfolio
2-line traction: Lead with your best metric immediately
Why YOU, Why THIS, Why NOW: Answer all three in under 100 words
Hold back one golden insight: Save it for your follow-up
Follow up strategically: Add value, don't just bump your email
Build Your Investor Hit List: Source from angel syndicates, Investor databases i.e. Crunchbase, BeauHurst etc, founder forums, portfolio pages, recent funding announcements, and grant databases. Then filter ruthlessly.
How we can help you this week:
🎯 Free Investor Tracking Template: We built a Notion template to help you track investor research, outreach status, and follow-ups. No more lost conversations or duplicate outreach.
Get Your Free Template Here - Duplicate to download and edit the table.
Coming Soon: 60-Minute Masterclass The Complete Investor Persona Playbook - all 5 investor types, exact scripts, and contact strategies beyond email, best databases to find active investor (people don’t know about…YET!).
If your Interested? Hit reply with "MASTERCLASS" and we'll send you early access details.
Connect with me on LinkedIn for daily funding insights.
Next Tuesday: The follow-up emails that turn "maybe" into "yes"
WHERE THE FREE MONEY AT
🇪🇺 Deep-Tech Innovation Grant: €60K for EU startups Deadline: May 31st, 2026 Apply here
🇺🇸 Klarna's AI for Climate Program: $300K for climate solutions
Deadline: August 31, 2025 Apply here
Oak Foundation Grants: $25K - $10M for social impact Deadline: Rolling Apply here
If you would like more Grant options - Hit Reply and let us know your sector, location and ideal amount. We’ll share more ‘FREE MONEY’ in the next Issue.
That’s it for this week.
"The right investor isn't just writing you a check - they're buying into your vision and becoming your biggest champion."
Talk soon,
OnAgenda Team
P.S. Spending 6 hours researching one perfect investor beats sending 100 copy-paste emails to random VCs. Quality over quantity wins every time -just like dating, but with better exit strategies. 😏
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