version: "1.0.0" name: investor-pipeline description: Use when a founder is starting or running a fundraise and needs to manage it like a sales process - when they say "how do I find investors", "I'm raising and don't know where to start", "my raise is dragging", "should I raise now", "how do I run investor meetings", or are taking one-off investor coffees with no structure. Produces a raise decision, a stage/sector-matched target list, a warm-intro plan, and a stage-tracked pipeline. Pair with pitch-deck. stage: fundraise function: fundraising license: CC-BY-4.0 attribution: Founder OS by Adam M. Adamek (Impact Brussels ASBL)

Investor Pipeline

A raise is a sales process where the product is equity in your company. First-time founders treat it as a series of hopeful coffees - one investor at a time, no list, no urgency, no tracking - and it drags for months, leaks momentum, and signals weakness. The founders who close fast run the raise like a tight, time-boxed pipeline: a real target list, warm intros first, meetings batched into a window so demand compounds, and every investor tracked by stage. This skill installs that system.

The method

Built on the Founder OS scaffold (High tier). Full frameworks in references/raise-process.md.

Step 1 - Decide if, why, and how much to raise

Raising is not a milestone; it's a tool, and it costs time and ownership. Before building any list, answer:

• Should you raise at all? Could revenue, a grant, or a smaller scope get you there? (Don't

default to raising - ask before assuming it's the path.)

• Why now? What does this money buy - a specific [GOAL]/milestone that makes the next

round (or profitability) obvious.

• How much? Size the raise to a milestone, not a vibe: enough to hit the next inflection

plus runway buffer. The ask is "[amount] to reach [milestone] by [date]" - vague asks read as "I haven't thought this through."

Raising too early - before you have the evidence the stage expects - burns credibility you can't easily rebuild. If the answer is "not yet," say so.

Step 2 - Build a target list matched to stage, sector, and check size

Volume is not the goal; fit is. A great fund that doesn't do your stage/sector/geography is a guaranteed no. Build a list (see references for the tracker) and qualify each investor on: stage (do they lead/do your round?), sector (do they invest in your space?), check size (does their typical cheque fit your round?), portfolio fit (any conflicts or strong adjacencies?). Aim for a list deep enough to run a real process, not three names.

Step 3 - Sequence warm intros over cold; order by priority

A warm intro from a trusted founder or co-investor beats a cold email many times over. For each target, find the shortest credible warm path (a portfolio founder, an angel, an operator they trust) before resorting to cold. Sequence so you don't burn your top-choice investors on day one - do a few "practice" meetings first to sharpen the pitch, then hit priority targets when you're sharp. A draft target list is not a decision; batch the outreach plan, then commit.

Step 4 - Run a tight, batched process to create urgency

Fundraising momentum is manufactured, not found. Compress meetings into a defined window so multiple investors move in parallel - that's what creates the FOMO and competitive tension that gets term sheets. Batch first meetings into 2-3 weeks rather than dribbling them over months. Keep a single source of truth and move every investor through the stages:

research → intro → first meeting → partner meeting → due diligence (DD) → term sheet.

Step 5 - Manage the data room and investor updates

Once interest is real, momentum dies in friction: a missing metric, a slow follow-up, a disorganised data room. Have a data room ready (see checklist) so DD doesn't stall. And run monthly investor updates - to current and prospective investors - so "no, not now" warms into "yes" over time. Consistent updates are the cheapest fundraising channel that exists.

Output

• A raise decision: raise or not, why, the amount, and the exact milestone it buys.
• A qualified target list in the pipeline tracker, each scored on stage/sector/check/fit.
• A warm-intro plan: shortest path to each priority target, sequenced (practice → priority).
• A process timeline: the batched meeting window and the stage each investor sits in.
• A data-room checklist and a monthly investor-update cadence.
• Next/paired skill: pitch-deck for the narrative you'll bring to every meeting.

Constraints

• Don't raise too early. If you lack the evidence the stage expects, fix that first.
• Run it as a batched process, not serial one-off coffees - serial meetings leak momentum and

signal weakness.

• The ask must be specific: amount + milestone + timeline. Vague asks lose investors.
• Warm intros first; cold is the fallback, not the plan.
• A draft list/plan is not a decision - batch, then commit, then move fast.
• **Instruments and terms (SAFE, convertible note, priced round, ownership, pro-rata, etc.)

vary by jurisdiction and stage.** This skill runs the process; confirm all legal and financial terms with a qualified lawyer/advisor before signing anything.

• Stay theme-agnostic; the founder supplies [STARTUP_NAME], [STAGE], sector, [GOAL] and

the numbers - you supply the system.

Copy-paste version

Act as a sharp, kind fundraising coach for a first-time founder running a raise like a sales pipeline.
My startup: [STARTUP_NAME] - [ONE_LINER]. Stage: [STAGE]. The milestone I want this money to buy: [GOAL].
Help me:
1. Pressure-test WHETHER I should raise now - or whether revenue / a grant / smaller scope is better. If I should raise, help me size it to a milestone (amount + what it buys + by when).
2. Build a target investor list and qualify each one on stage fit, sector fit, check size, and portfolio conflicts. Tell me to go for fit, not volume.
3. Find the shortest warm-intro path to each priority target, and sequence so I do a few practice meetings before my top choices.
4. Design a tight, batched meeting window (2-3 weeks) to create urgency, and set up a pipeline tracker with stages: research -> intro -> first meeting -> partner meeting -> DD -> term sheet.
5. Give me a data-room checklist and a monthly investor-update template to keep warm investors warm.
Remind me NOT to raise too early, NOT to run serial one-off coffees, and to keep my ask specific. And remind me that instruments and terms vary by country/stage - I must confirm them with a lawyer.