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How to facilitate a perfect introduction to a potential investor on Linkedin.com through my connections?

A mentor of mine is connected with a well known investor that I'm interested in working with and I want to get a warm introduction established through Linkedin introductions. What will the investor be looking for from the introduction to a seed stage company?

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Tom Williams

Clarity's top expert on all things startup

Just because two people are connected to each other on LinkedIn, doesn't mean that these two people have a strong connection to one another.

So first, ask your Mentor directly whether (s)he knows this person well enough to make an introduction. Also, I'd suggest that instead of asking that the introduction be made via LinkedIn, that the introduction be made directly via email.

The way this best happens is to email your mentor with a two paragraph email explaining why it is that you want an introduction to this person and explaining why you think this person would want to meet with you.

Then your mentor can forward this email directly to this person with a request for an introduction. If the person replies to your mentor, your mentor will then connect you two directly.

If the investor is interested enough to accept an intro, then you'll likely get a 30 minute to 1 hour in-person meeting or call scheduled.

In terms of what that investor will be looking for, I've written a lot of answers to questions around seed-stage financing that I encourage you to review. I'm happy to schedule a quick call to give you some specific feedback on where you're at and how investors might perceive your progress to date.

Best of luck with this connection!

Answered about 11 years ago

Ahmed Al

Entrepreneur, Business Mentor & 1 Int. Author

First you need to select the right investor. You should check if he is specialized in investing in the right categories you need him for. If you want to pitch him for electronics, you need to select someone who is interested in this field. Second, to facilitate the introduction you need to make it simple. Introduce yourself and what you have done. You could send him your about me on your profile, or your bio, or a project you have made before. If you have a detailed business plan you could send that to. But before the business plan, try to make a brief, simple introduction of yourself and then ask if he is interested in investing whatever project that you have. Give him a very brief idea of the project. If he is eager to get more information, he will ask you.

Answered about 11 years ago

Joy Broto

🌎Harvard Certified Global Corporate Trainer🌍

If its weak or just unprofessional, they are not going to “Accept your Invitation to Connect” - Yes, an investor can look at your profile without “accepting your invitation”. If you can get an introduction through a mutual contact it can catapult your “accept invitation rate”. The better the mutual connection the better the chance of a “warm to hot” introduction. If you do not have a mutual connection, follow a potential investor’s company page. Join any relevant LinkedIn groups to which your target belongs. Then, write a custom invitation to connect email. Keep the invitation to connect short and to the point. At this point, the investor may respond or do nothing. Remember the investor has a limited amount of money to spend on a limited number of companies. Start sending updates to investors with specific metrics or milestones. Start your investor outreach campaign like a Sales & Marketing Process - run it wisely, create a great profile, try to improve on your connection rate, your teaser response rate and email open rates, A/B test all your text.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath

Answered about 4 years ago