Launching a fundraising process is a really big step that often starts with a short email. This email includes a paragraph on the investment opportunity and an attached summary (one-pager) or pitch deck describing the startup.
The goals of the launch email is to:
- Portray the startup in the best way possible
- Filter for real interest
- Get a first meeting or phone call
Not receiving any response is frustrating. Did the investor get the email? Did she open the attachment? Was there too little information to spark interest? Was there so much information that she decided to pass before speaking to the founders? Did she resend the deck to a competitor?
I have found sending short pitch decks in DocSend to be an effective way to reduce some of these anxieties. Using pitch decks is a great way to share a storyline visually. Docsend allows you to see who looked at the deck and for how long. Tracking engagement will let you be efficient and specific in follow-up emails. When you do land that first phone call, the DocSend deck, or another detailed version you send later, can be used to walk through the conversation.
Pedro Callirgos, founder of Mesa247 and Fernando D’Alessio of Juntoz have used DocSend in their fundraising process and successfully raised money from a diverse group of investors. Fernando points outs that “you can see who opens (they need to use a work or personal email), from which city, when they open (date and time), and how long they’ve reviewed your document. Most importantly, you are able to see how long they spend on each slide in a graph, and just by hovering on the slide page, you will view the slide in question.”
A great first email signals you are launching an organized, efficient, regional, professional fundraising process. It will help ensure the investor on the other end acts accordingly.