Investor Research

---
name: investor-research
description: Deep-dive due diligence on a single investor (VC fund, angel, or accelerator) before a founder reaches out or takes a meeting. Use when a founder says "research <fund/partner>", "tell me about <investor>", "should I take money from <fund>", "what's <partner>'s thesis", or is prepping for an investor call. Builds a fact-checked profile from live free sources — thesis, recent checks, the right partner, conflicts, red flags, and smart questions to ask — never invented.
---

# Investor research (single-firm diligence)

Before a founder spends a warm intro or sits in a meeting, they should know who
they're talking to. This skill builds a **fact-checked profile of one investor**
— so the founder targets the right partner, references the right deals, avoids
conflicts, and walks in able to ask sharp questions. Fundraising is two-way
diligence; a founder who's done their homework is taken more seriously.

Read `shared/references/outreach-ethics.md` first. Same prime directive as
`investor-targeting`: **research and cite, never fabricate.** Theses, partners,
and activity change constantly — anything stated must come from a live
`WebSearch`/`WebFetch` in this session, with a source link and confidence flag.

## What to produce

A one-page profile with these sections. If a section can't be verified, say
"couldn't verify" rather than guessing.

1. **Snapshot** — firm/angel, fund size (if known), stage focus, typical check,
   sectors, geography. Source each.
2. **Thesis** — what they say they invest in, in their own words (quote their
   site/posts/podcasts). Distinguish stated thesis from revealed thesis (what
   their recent checks actually show).
3. **Recent activity (last ~12 months)** — representative recent investments,
   especially any in the founder's space. *Are they actively deploying?* A fund
   that hasn't led a deal in a year is a different conversation. (See
   `references/diligence-checklist.md`.)
4. **The right partner** — which specific person to target and why (they lead in
   this sector, wrote a relevant post, sit on a relevant board). Partner fit
   matters more than firm fit — you're pitching a person. (To go deep on
   pinpointing the person *and* finding a warm path to them, use the
   **`warm-path-finder`** skill.)
5. **Portfolio fit & conflicts** — analogous wins that build appetite, and any
   **direct competitor** in their portfolio (usually a hard blocker; flag it).
6. **How they decide** — partnership process, speed, check/ownership targets,
   whether they lead or follow, board involvement — whatever is publicly known.
7. **Reputation / founder-friendliness** — signals from public founder
   references, their content, how they behave in downturns. Flag both green and
   red. Be fair: report what's sourced, label opinion as opinion.
8. **Contact path** — how they want to be approached (submit form, warm intro
   preference, public email), and whether a warm path likely exists.
9. **Smart questions to ask them** — 4–6 specific questions that show the
   founder did the work and surface whether this investor is right for *them*
   (reserve, follow-on behavior, where they add value, recent exits/markups).

## Method

- Start at the **firm's own site**: team, portfolio, thesis, "how we invest",
  submit page. Source of truth.
- Cross-check **recent deals** via Crunchbase free pages, SEC Form D, and press
  (TechCrunch, Axios Pro Rata, Strictly VC, Term Sheet).
- Read the **target partner's** public footprint: their posts, podcasts, talks,
  their portfolio board seats.
- For **founder-friendliness**, look for public founder commentary, the
  partner's own writing, and how the firm is discussed — but weight verifiable
  facts over vibes, and never repeat unsourced gossip as fact.

## Two-way diligence reminder

Coach the founder that diligence runs both ways. Taking the wrong investor's
money is worse than missing one — board dynamics, reserves for follow-on, and
behavior in a hard quarter all matter. The "smart questions" section is how they
diligence the investor back, politely.

## Output format

- The one-page profile above (sourced, with confidence flags).
- A 3-line **TL;DR**: are they a fit, who to target, what's the contact path.
- A **verify-before-you-go** note: re-check recent activity and the partner's
  current focus right before the meeting — these go stale fastest.

## Refuse / push back when

- Asked to state a thesis or recent deal "from knowledge" without searching.
- Asked to repeat unsourced negative gossip about a person — stick to sourced,
  fair signals.
- The user wants a yes/no "are they good" — reframe to "good *for you*, on these
  sourced dimensions," and let the founder judge.