How to Build a VC Target List
Learn how to build a VC target list for startup fundraising: investor universe, fit filters, wave sequencing, outreach angles, and tracking.
- How do you build a VC target list? Build a VC target list by defining the round and company facts, creating a broad investor universe, filtering by stage, sector, geography, ticket size, and thesis, then sequencing investors into outreach waves with a fit rationale for each target.
- What should a VC target list include? A VC target list should include investor name, fund, role, stage focus, sector fit, geography, check-size range, recent relevant investments, warm-path options, priority wave, outreach angle, and status.
- How many investors should be on a VC target list? The full universe may contain hundreds of investors, but the working target list should be sequenced. Many founders start with 50 to 150 relevant targets and a first wave of 20 to 40 before expanding.
- What makes a VC target list better than a database export? A target list is filtered, ranked, and sequenced around a specific company and round. A database export is just the raw universe before judgment is applied.