Fundraising | Impact Angels

Warm Investor Referrals

Founders looking to raise impact investment can be forgiven for thinking that cold outreach to investors works. The success ratio for cold outreach however is in the low single digits. If you're not convinced, ask ChatGPT: "Is it true that cold outreach to investors can result in success ratios of 1% to 5%?" By contrast, numerous statistics from some of the biggest names in investment confirm that 'warm referrals' (when your venture is introduced to an investor by a trusted third party) are usually the deciding factor in capital raising success. Check out the statistics here:

The Statistics

"Startups with warm introductions were 16 times more likely to successfully raise funding than those without."

"Investors are 20 times more likely to invest in a company that was introduced to them by a mutual connection."

"90% of VCs say that they would be more likely to invest in a startup if it came via a trusted referral."

"81% of angel investors prefer to invest in startups with which they have a personal connection."

"62% of angel investors prefer to invest in startups referred by someone they know."

"Warm introductions accounted for 72% of venture capital investments in the United States."

How The Service Works

I offer warm referrals through a carefully refined investor outreach service that ensures a consistent stream of warm referrals to your ideal investors. Unlike my other services, this is a 3-month retainer-based service. First, I work with you to develop avatars/personas of your ideal investor, so we are 100% clear on the exact types of investors you are targeting. Next, I use a specialist subscription to identify 1,000+ investor prospects that fit your criteria. I then use an industry-leading tech stack to run a targeted outreach campaign to hundreds of intermediaries - who we already know - who are connected to those 1,000+ investor prospects.

The intermediaries agree to introduce the investors directly to you, my client. The investors get the benefit of being introduced to a venture by an intermediary they already know and trust. And my clients acquire a steady stream of warmly referred investors each week, with a live database from which to schedule their first meetings.

As part of this service we offer lead management and CRM tracking, weekly strategy calls with your co-founders, and a digital comms channel for your wider team so you can all keep track of your new investor pipeline as it expands. The deliverable is a spreadsheet of up to 100 suitable investors, warmly referred by parties they trust, and who are ready to arrange calls with you. If you are truly ready to pitch with confidence, this could be the final outreach program you ever require.