Any experienced founder can confirm the importance of warm introductions and getting in front of the right investors.

But for those looking to build on local success by expanding operations to the US, meeting and impressing investors can prove difficult. Apart from the sheer volume of investors stateside – there are over 5000 VC firms in the United States - there is also exponentially more competition, and far fewer opportunities to meet people in person to engineer an opportunity to present your pitch.

Want to stand out in a sea of forgettable pitches and cold introductions? This article explores strategies to not only identify the right investors for your business, but also to engage them.

Imagine for a minute that you are a General Partner at a leading VC fund.

At the start of the work day, you switch on your laptop to hundreds of unread emails – pitches from aspiring founders hoping to grab your attention and persuade you to skim through their slide deck.

Giving each one the attention it deserves is an impossible task, but the truth is that the vast majority don’t warrant your attention; not because they do not represent an interesting idea or opportunity, but because they do not align to the firm’s thesis.

The majority of VC firms in the US are not just hoping to stumble across the next unicorn. Instead, they aim to maximise their chances of generating their target 10x returns by focusing all of their attention and expertise on a clearly defined type of opportunity. For instance, they may only back startups at a certain stage, or within a specific sector. Some only invest once a startup has hit a key Annual Return Revenue (ARR ) number, or recently raised a ticket of a certain size, or reached a specific valuation. In some instances, what’s required is a combination of these qualities: a VC could only back Health techs from the US once they’re raised their Series B, for example.

This laser focus means the VC is highly specialised in growing companies of a certain type, on a specific trajectory. It also means they are extremely selective when it comes to entertaining pitches, so a “spray and pray” email approach to cold contacts is unlikely to land. In fact, some firms only explore opportunities when they’re made through a direct personal referral.

The goal for founders hoping to expand and scale into the US, then, is to try and engineer these introductions, remotely or in person.

But how?

Growing your network is a core component of building any business, but one of the challenges facing founders seeking to expand to the US is that it is extremely difficult to make meaningful connections with founders, investors and other ecosystem players remotely.

Many hopeful founders choose to cast a wide net when it comes to cold outreach, with little likelihood of success. Instead, CEO and founder of US Expansion Partners David Rose advises founders take a far more systematic approach:

“The start of your US fundraising journey is to research which specific US VC firms have a target investment thesis that aligns with your company.”

The good news is that, for the price of a modest subscription, platforms like Pitchbook and Crunchbase allow you to search for US VC funds and filter them by their investment thesis; essentially allowing you to create a shortlist of potentially investors that may have a genuine interest in your startup.

Once your shortlist is in place, it’s time to become a desktop detective and do some research on the firms’ partners. Visit the VCs websites and explore their Partner profiles or bio pages. In most cases, Partners’ areas of specialism are listed, so you can start to build a list of possible contacts.

Armed with that list, it’s time to use Mr Hoffman’s platform to build that essential network.

Once you have a targeted list of Partners at key VC firms whose investment thesis matches your vision, visit LinkedIn and see if you have any common connections.

This is where your networking efforts at home will often pay dividends, as you will hopefully have a few common connections. Of course, this is far more likely if you have a wider, varied network comprising not only fellow tech founders, but well-connected ecosystem partners, too. Spending time meeting bankers, lawyers, investors and policy makers means you’ve a far greater chances of “crossing paths” with people on professional networking platforms like LinkedIn.

These common connections are the perfect frame for you to introduce yourself and ask for a connection to a potential investor without necessarily having to have met them in person first.

David suggests founders following the process use a text similar to the below when reaching out to shared connections:

While it’s helpful to narrow your focus, it’s important to call out that even with a narrowed list you are likely to have to make hundreds of these investor introduction requests to multiple mutual connections. Be as clear and concise as possible, and include your slide deck so connections can quickly decide whether to pass on key information to the Partner themselves.

Don’t be discouraged if they don’t feel you’re a fit. The more you grow your network and sharpen your pitch, and the more traction you get on home soil, the better your chances of landing a referral. 

If your contact doesn’t connect you, thank them for their time and move on; the last thing you want is a reputation for rudeness instead of resilience.

Leading US VC firms are inundated with cold outreach, their Partners’ inboxes overflowing with irrelevant slides decks from hopeful founders who haven’t done their homework. In many cases, Partners won’t consider a pitch that doesn’t come through a personal referral.

Instead of cold introductions, founders need to sharpen their focus and pursue opportunities to connect with Partners at firms with an appropriate investment thesis. Finding a fund that specialises in your stage, sector or scaling businesses like yours automatically improves your chances of success.

Once you’ve built a shortlist, research the funds’ partners and see if you have mutual connections on platforms liked LinkedIn. Then, use a simple, professional message and request an introduction to possible investors.

You may still need to ask for hundreds of introductions, and it’s important to respect those who do not respond, but this approach can you get your foot in the door.