Getting the Investor Meeting: How to Target, Approach & Engage the Right VCs

Fireside Chat with Danielle Blount

Getting funded starts long before the pitch meeting. Founders need to know which investors are actually right for their business, how to get their attention, and how to communicate why the opportunity belongs in their portfolio.

Join venture investor Danielle Blount for a candid fireside conversation about what happens on the investor side of founder outreach. Learn how VCs evaluate fit before opening a deck, what makes outreach stand out, or get deleted and how founders can more strategically research, target, and build relationships with investors. Danielle will also share what investors look for at the pre-seed stage, from founder story and market opportunity to traction and the signals that create interest in taking the next conversation.

Key Takeaways:

• Target the right investors. Learn how to research a fund's thesis, portfolio, stage, geography, and investment patterns before reaching out.
• Create outreach that gets attention. Understand what makes an investor open and respond to a founder message—and why generic, AI-generated outreach can work against you.
• Make your outreach about investor fit. Learn how to quickly communicate why this investor, why your company, and why now rather than simply asking for capital.
• Understand what VCs look for at pre-seed. Hear an investor's perspective on founder strength, market opportunity, traction, brand, and the story behind the business.
• Tell a story that earns the next conversation. Learn how your outreach, deck, founder story, and business narrative should work together to create investor curiosity.
• Use your fundraising time more strategically. Focus your energy on investors who are genuinely aligned rather than maximizing the number of emails, LinkedIn messages, or pitches you send.