[Fundraising for Startups] Lesson 15: How do you find investors for your company?

Most of you are starting from a blank slate.

You don't hang around investors. You don't know investors. You don't know how to find investors.

I get it. I was there once too. And so was almost everyone else I know.

The good news is that it's easier than ever to find them. But first, let me say something awkward: skip the local investors first.

It's not because your town sucks or that your local investors are bad. It's simply because no one's a big deal in their hometown. And, perhaps more importantly, you need to be crafting your pitch at the national level -- not the local level.

To say it another way: I want you to focus on creating something that attracts the attention of investors 500 miles away. If you can do that, you'll automatically get the attention of your local investors. (The doing this in the opposite order rarely works well.)

The best way to find investors is to make friends with funded entrepreneurs. And then asking them for an intro to their investors. Warm introductions are always the best way to start a conversation.

If you're like most people, you don't know funded entrepreneurs. That's where you're going to start using AngelList, Facebook and LinkedIn.

You're already on AngelList and tracking your markets (since we talked about that in a lesson a week ago). If you've been reading the AngelList summary emails, I bet you're already starting to see companies getting funded and recognizing some of the investors -- both angels and VCs -- backing them. It's time to start finding those people on Facebook and LinkedIn to see if you have any 1st, 2nd or 3rd degree connections to them.

I know. You thought this would be easier. You thought I'd make that intro for you. You thought investors would come running after you.

Welcome to the real world. The struggle for interestingness is real. But access to investors is easier than ever. If you're willing to put in the work.

-P