How to identify the right investors, ask for warm intros the right way, and increase your odds of getting a yes.
I get versions of this message all the time:
“Hey! I’m building X company in Y space. Do you know any VCs that might be a good fit?”
On the surface, it feels like a reasonable ask.
In reality, it’s often the fastest way to signal that you haven’t done your homework.
I’m not saying this to be harsh — I’m saying it because asking the wrong way dramatically lowers your odds of getting help.
Here’s why.
1. You’re asking someone else to do a tremendous amount of work
When you ask a VC, founder, or operator, “Do you know any investors that would be a fit?” what you’re really asking them to do is mentally sort through years of relationships and pattern match your company against dozens (sometimes hundreds) of investors.
That’s a lot harder than most founders realize.
A good investor fit isn’t just:
“They invest in AI”
“They invest in fintech”
“They invest in climate”
There are layers to it:
- Stage (pre-seed, seed, Series A?)
- Check size
- Geography
- Business model
- Founder profile
- Sector thesis
- Whether they’ve invested in adjacent companies
- Whether they’re actively deploying capital right now
- Whether they’re likely to care about your specific wedge, market, or timing
A thoughtful intro isn’t a quick Rolodex search.
It takes work.
2. You’re unintentionally signaling that you haven’t done your own research
This is the harder truth.
If you haven’t taken the time to identify investors who are actually aligned with your business, why should someone else?
Fundraising is part research exercise, part sales process.
The best founders know their target list cold.
They understand:
- Who invests at their stage
- Who backs companies like theirs
- What each investor’s thesis is
- Which portfolio companies are relevant
- Why a specific investor should care
If your ask is vague, it can come across as:
“Can you figure this out for me?”
That’s not the signal you want to send.
3. Intros are reputational capital
This is the piece founders often underestimate.
When someone introduces you to a VC, they’re not forwarding an email.
They’re putting their reputation behind you.
Investors build relationships over years — sometimes decades.
A warm intro is essentially someone saying:
“This person is worth your time.”
That doesn’t mean they guarantee your success. But it does mean they’re spending their social capital on you.
And social capital matters.
Which is why many of us are careful about how we make introductions.
Personally, I only do double opt-in intros.
If I think there could be a fit, I’ll first send a quick note to the investor:
“Hey — I know a founder building X. Strong traction in Y. Founder background is Z. Thought it could be relevant given your thesis. Interested in an intro?”
If the investor says yes, then I make the introduction.
That protects everyone’s time and preserves trust on both sides.
So what should you do instead?
Step 1: Build a thoughtful target list
Don’t ask someone to identify investors for you.
Bring a shortlist.
Founders often ask me:
“Okay, but how do I know who’s actually a fit?”
Here are a few practical ways to build your list.
1. Study who invested in companies like yours
This is one of the highest-signal starting points.
Find companies that look like yours in terms of:
- Industry
- Business model
- Stage
- Customer type (B2B vs. B2C)
- Geography (sometimes relevant)
Then ask:
Who backed them early?
If you’re building vertical SaaS for healthcare providers, go look at similar healthcare SaaS companies and see who led or participated in their early rounds.
You’re looking for pattern recognition. Investors tend to invest in themes.
2. Read investor theses
Most VCs literally tell you what they invest in.
Go to their website. Read their investment thesis, blog posts, portfolio, and recent announcements.
Ask yourself:
- Do they invest at my stage?
- Do they write checks my size?
- Have they backed companies adjacent to mine?
- Are they excited about this category?
Don’t just optimize for logos.
Optimize for alignment.
3. Use public databases and founder-friendly tools
You do not need a pricey institutional subscription to build a strong investor list.
Start with accessible tools and public information:
- Crunchbase — even the free/basic version can be helpful for seeing funding rounds, who invested in comparable companies, and identifying patterns (with deeper filtering available in paid plans)
- OpenVC — especially helpful for early-stage founders trying to understand investor focus areas and check sizes
- Refresh Miami Dashboard — our ecosystem dashboard lets you explore startups, investors, and ecosystem players to better understand who is active in Miami tech and who may be relevant to your space
- LinkedIn — useful for understanding relationship overlap and finding warm paths into firms
Don’t let lack of access stop you.
The goal isn’t a perfect list. The goal is a thoughtful one.
Even 20 to 40 well-researched investors is infinitely better than spraying hundreds of random emails.
4. Ask other founders (especially recently funded ones)
Founders who recently raised often know:
- Who actually showed up prepared
- Which firms moved quickly
- Which investors were helpful vs. performative
- Who is actively deploying capital right now
A warm founder reference can dramatically increase your odds of getting attention.
5. Build relationships, not just a target list
This is one of the most underrated fundraising advantages.
As you research companies similar to yours, don’t just study who funded them. Get to know the founders.
Why?
Because founder-to-investor intros can be incredibly powerful.
In my experience at Florida Funders, introductions from our portfolio founders were prioritized above virtually any other source.
Why?
Because there was built-in trust.
A founder that got a check from an investor knows the process and level of diligence necessary to get that check. They’re effectively saying:
“I know what it takes to get a check from you, and I think this person has what it takes.”
That signal matters.
If you’re building in fintech, climate, healthcare, AI, proptech — whatever it may be — start building authentic relationships with founders in adjacent companies and your broader ecosystem.
Ask thoughtful questions. Learn from them.
And importantly: Think about how you can be helpful to them, too.
Relationships work best when they’re reciprocal.
Maybe it’s sharing a customer lead, making a talent introduction, amplifying their launch, sharing a relevant resource, or simply showing up consistently and being supportive.
The goal shouldn’t be:
“How do I get something from this person?”
It should be:
“How do I build a genuine relationship over time?”
Over time, if there’s genuine alignment, an introduction to one of their investors can go a very long way.
Don’t meet a founder once and immediately ask for an intro to their VC.
Relationships are built, not extracted.
People are far more likely to open doors for founders who have invested in a real relationship versus someone treating them like a transactional shortcut.
Start building these relationships early, way before you need to fundraise, so when it’s time to make the ask, you’ve built up enough trust and goodwill to make them feel comfortable.
6. Work backward from your network
Once you’ve built your list, then scour your network to identify who is connected to them.
Now when you reach out, your ask goes from:
“Do you know any VCs that I should talk to?”
To:
“I’m building X, we’ve grown to Y traction, and I think [VC Name] could be a strong fit given their investments in A and B and focus on C. I noticed you know them — would you be open to passing along an email to see if they’d have interest in chatting?”
Notice the difference.
You’ve:
- Done the research
- Made the ask easy
- Shown preparation
- Reduced the mental load
- Demonstrated intentionality
The bottom line
People generally want to help founders.
But the easiest way to get help is to make helping easy.
Do your homework.
Be specific.
Respect people’s time and relationships.
And remember: A thoughtful ask doesn’t just increase your chances of getting an intro — it signals that you’re the kind of founder investors want to back.
READ MORE IN REFRESH MIAMI:
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- Govo Venture Partners doubles down on GovTech with launch of $100M Fund 2
- Saxon Baum on Miami’s reset, Florida Funders’ next phase, and the work still left to do
- Coding, cafecito, and community: Get to know 5 groups powering Miami’s tech scene
- Why ‘know any good VCs?’ is the wrong question – May 27, 2026
- POSSIBLE puts creators in spotlight because the rise of influencer marketing is just getting started – April 29, 2026
- FII brings star-studded stage and new investment office to Miami – February 25, 2025
