To network with VCs as a founder, a common approach is to start 6 to 12 months before you raise, reach investors through the people who already send them deals (portfolio founders, angels, scouts and other investors), lead with something useful instead of an ask, and stay visible with short, regular updates. Many investors find it easier to back founders whose progress they have watched.
The round you close next year often starts with a coffee this year.
This guide covers who those referrers tend to be, where to meet them, and one 90-day plan a first-time founder could start this week. If you're on the other side of the table and building a deal network as an investor, read venture capital networking for investors instead.
Why networking with VCs can matter as much as the pitch
Most venture deals, the survey data suggests, don't start with a cold email. In a survey of 885 institutional VCs at 681 firms, published in the Journal of Financial Economics in 2020, Paul Gompers, Will Gornall, Steven Kaplan and Ilya Strebulaev found that over 30 percent of deals came through the investors' professional networks, 20 percent were referred by other investors, and 8 percent were referred by existing portfolio companies. Only 10 percent came inbound from company management. The NBER working paper version of the study reports that firms consider roughly 100 potential opportunities for each deal they close.
We read that as filtering more than favoritism. A VC's inbox is a firehose, and a referral from someone they trust is one of the cheapest quality signals they have. Paul Graham makes the same point in his essay "How to Raise Money": the best introduction comes from a well-known investor who has just invested in you, and the next best comes from a founder of a company the investor has funded. Y Combinator's "A Guide to Seed Fundraising" likewise calls a warm introduction "by far the best way" to meet an investor.
There's a second reason to start early. Many investors decide on trend lines. A founder they met nine months ago with an idea, who now has 40 paying customers, is often an easier yes than a stranger with the same 40 customers. Networking early lets you show the slope, not just the point. For how that judgment works on the other side of the table, see how venture capitalists make investment decisions.
How to network with VCs: who gets you in the room
Partners rarely take meetings from strangers. The path to them usually runs through the people who send them companies. The main layers:
- Founders in their portfolio. One of the most credible referral sources. A portfolio founder saying "you should meet this person" usually gets read.
- Angels and other investors. Referrals from other investors accounted for 20 percent of deals in the Gompers survey. If an angel has backed you, ask which funds they usually co-invest with.
- Scouts. Some funds run scout programs that let founders and operators invest small amounts or refer deals on the fund's behalf. Scouts are usually easier to reach than partners.
- Associates and principals. Sourcing is often a core part of a junior investor's job. They're approachable and, in our view, worth respecting rather than bypassing.
- Lawyers and accountants who work with startups. They see deals constantly and get asked for referrals. See choosing a startup lawyer for how to pick one who is well connected.
- Accelerators and pitch competitions. Structured ways to be seen by many investors at once, with a built-in reason for the conversation.
Map these layers for the 10 to 15 funds you'd most want on your cap table. That turns a wish into a networking plan. The investor-side view of this system is covered in venture capital deal sourcing.
Give before you ask
"Can I send you my deck?" is an easy way to be forgotten. Being useful first is a better way to be remembered:
- Send deal flow. If you meet a strong founder who isn't a competitor, introduce them to an investor you know. Investors remember who sends them good companies.
- Share what you're learning. A short note with a real market insight ("mid-market buyers are moving procurement to quarterly cycles, and here is why") can be worth more than a deck.
- Be a reference. If you use a portfolio company's product, offer to talk to their customers or team.
- Show up consistently. Investors notice founders who keep appearing at the same events and in the same communities, still building six months later.
It's the same sequence many founders use with customers: create value, build trust, then ask.
Where to meet venture capital investors (and where not to bother)
Worth your time:
- Small, sector-specific events. A 40 person dinner for fintech founders with two seed investors as guests often beats a 3,000 person conference, in our view.
- Founder communities. Online and in-person groups organized around a stage or sector. Investors often join these to listen, so contribute before you pitch.
- Portfolio events. Many funds host events for their founders and invite guests. Arriving with a portfolio founder can be a strong signal.
- Pitch competitions. A well-run competition puts you in front of a panel of investors with a reason to pay attention. 1752vc's Lightning Round is our pitch competition for AI-native startups with real traction, and pitching under time pressure can sharpen the story you tell in later meetings.
- University and alumni networks. For student and recent-graduate founders, alumni investors tend to respond to a well-written note.
Usually not worth it:
- Large generic conferences where investors only appear on stage.
- Paid "meet investors" events with no curation.
- Mass LinkedIn connection requests with no context.
The "founders as references" strategy
Some of the most credible things an investor can hear about you come from another founder. One way to build that on purpose:
- Find 5 to 10 founders one or two stages ahead of you in your sector. Ask for 20 minutes of advice, with a real question, not a disguised ask.
- Follow up with what you did with their advice. Relatively few people do, so it makes you memorable.
- Six to nine months later, when you raise, those founders can say "I have watched this person execute." That sentence can be worth more than a slide.
You're also building the network you'll need to hire early employees and check references on the investors themselves.
Reaching angels first
For many first-time founders, angels are a practical entry point. Individual check sizes vary widely, angels usually decide faster than funds, and they often introduce you to seed investors. Many are also willing to back a person before the metrics exist. And once someone credible is in, the next yes tends to come easier; the first check is usually the hardest. The Angel Capital Association notes that angels must meet the SEC's accredited investor standard, and that angel groups often co-invest with other angels and early-stage VCs in rounds of $500,000 to $2 million.
Look for angels who were operators in your space, invest regularly (several deals a year), and have co-invested with funds you like. You could ask each angel who backs you for the names of three seed investors they would introduce you to. The full playbook is in angel investors: how to secure early-stage capital.
Founders from communities that are underrepresented in venture may also want to look at angel networks organized around those communities, which can be faster and warmer than generic channels.
Turning one meeting into a relationship
After an investor meeting, three habits help:
- Send a two-line thank you within a day with one specific thing you took from the conversation.
- Ask whether you can send occasional updates. It costs them little, so many agree.
- Send those updates every 6 to 8 weeks, five lines at most: one metric, one win, one challenge, one ask (or none). It's the same discipline as investor updates for backers you already have, and the same case we make for short updates with the ask near the top.
After three or four updates, the investor has watched you make progress without spending any of their time. When you raise, you're less of a stranger. You're the founder whose numbers they've been reading.
If you want a structured way to get in front of investors, 1752vc's Accelerate program invests $100K at a valuation cap of up to $3.5M, runs remotely with founder-led sales training, and gives companies access to a network of 850+ investors. It suits early-stage startups that are ready to grow and want their next raise to start warm.
"But plenty of founders raise from cold emails"
They do. A sharp cold note with real traction can get a meeting, and some investors say they read every one. If you have no network at all, cold outreach is still better than waiting.
But.
The Gompers data puts inbound at 10 percent of deals. That's not zero, but it's the narrowest door in the building. Our view: send the cold emails if you need to, and build the warm paths at the same time. A cold email to someone who has already heard your name from a founder they trust isn't really cold anymore.
One 90-day plan to network with VCs
Days 1 to 30: map and prepare.
- List 10 to 15 target funds and, for each, the portfolio founders, angels and scouts who could open a door.
- Write a one-paragraph company description a referrer can forward without editing.
- Join two founder communities and attend two small events.
- Ask 5 founders ahead of you for advice conversations.
Days 31 to 60: build.
- Hold 8 to 12 conversations with angels, scouts, operators and founders. No pitching; ask questions and listen.
- Send two useful things (an intro, an insight) to people you met.
- Get one angel or operator to say they would back you when you raise.
- Start a short update, every 6 to 8 weeks, to everyone who agreed to receive it.
Days 61 to 90: convert.
- Ask your warmest 3 to 5 contacts for specific intros to 2 to 3 named partners each.
- Treat those as relationship meetings, not fundraising meetings, unless you're genuinely ready to raise.
- Enter one pitch competition or apply to one program that fits your stage.
- Review who has helped and who has gone quiet, and focus the next quarter on the helpers.
By day 90, a realistic target might be 20 to 30 real relationships, 3 to 5 people willing to make intros, and a list of investors who already know your name. That's roughly what we mean by "starting warm." The numbers are illustrative and will vary by market.
Common mistakes when networking with investors
- Networking only when raising. Investors can often tell, and it may read as desperation.
- Skipping junior investors. Associates find deals for a living and remember who treated them well.
- Asking for intros too early. An intro is a favor spent, so make sure the relationship can support it.
- Long updates. Few investors read a 600 word update from a company they haven't backed.
- Pitching at events. Ask questions, get a follow-up, pitch later.
The bottom line
Networking with VCs isn't a separate job from building the company. It's letting the right people watch you build it. Start early, go through the people investors already trust, give before you ask, and keep your updates short.
A cold pitch asks an investor to believe you.
A warm one lets them check.
Key takeaways
- As a rule of thumb, start networking with VCs 6 to 12 months before you plan to raise, so investors can see your trend line.
- In a survey of 885 VCs by Gompers and colleagues, only 10 percent of deals came inbound from company management; most came through networks and referrals.
- It helps to map the people who feed deals to your target funds: portfolio founders, angels, scouts and junior investors.
- Giving before you ask (sending deal flow, sharing insights, being useful) tends to build goodwill.
- In our view, small, curated events and founder communities are usually a better use of time than large conferences.
- A fast thank you and a short update every 6 to 8 weeks can turn a meeting into a relationship.
Frequently asked questions
Many founders find it helps to start before they need money. Identify the founders, angels and scouts who feed deals to the funds you want, offer something useful before asking for anything, and keep each contact warm with a short update every 6 to 8 weeks. In our view, small, curated events and founder communities tend to be more productive than large conferences.
The strongest intros usually come from investors who have just backed you, from founders in that VC's portfolio, and from angels who co-invest with the fund. One approach is to build those relationships over months, then ask for an intro to a named partner and send a one-paragraph blurb the referrer can forward without editing.
One approach is to ask about their current thesis and what they wish more founders pitched, then describe your company in one plain sentence, saving the full pitch for later. Before you part, ask whether you can send a short update every couple of months, and follow up within a day with a two-line thank you that mentions something specific they said.
In our view, it is worth talking to associates and principals as well as partners. Sourcing is often a core part of their job, and they can champion a company inside the firm before a partner ever takes the meeting. It helps to treat them as real relationships rather than gatekeepers, because some of them may be partners by the time you raise your next round.
Six to twelve months before you plan to raise is a good rule of thumb. That gives investors time to watch your progress through a few short updates, which turns a cold pitch into a conversation about a trend line they have already seen. Starting earlier is fine as long as you are not asking for money yet.
They can be. A well-run competition puts you in front of a panel of investors with a built-in reason to engage, and pitching under time pressure sharpens your story. We would prioritize curated competitions that match your stage and sector over large pay-to-play events, and follow up with the judges you spoke to.
Sources
Disclaimer: This guide is for general education only and is not legal, tax or investment advice. Laws, market data and program terms change, so it may not reflect the latest developments or fit your situation. Treat it as a starting point, not a source of truth, and talk to a qualified lawyer, accountant or financial adviser before you make decisions.
