Startup Fundraising: How Founders Find the Right Investors
Published August 31, 2026 by Jacob Klionsky
If you are a founder raising a round, the hard part is not finding investors, it is finding the right ones: the funds and angels who already back your space and are actively deploying. A cold list of 500 firms burns the weeks you do not have. What follows is how to build a focused, ranked list and start outreach with the context to earn a reply.
What you need
- A Fundable account: Pro for the app, Pro+ for MCP and verified contacts.
- Your space or thesis described: what you are building and who it is for.
- An AI client if you use MCP.
Three investor searches to run
Start from fit, then narrow by activity and role.
1. Investors already backing your space. Find funds and angels with recent, relevant investments in companies like yours.
Search: "Find investors who made at least two investments in the last year in companies like agtech.ai."
2. Active lead partners and angels at your stage. Narrow to the specific people who write your check size, not just firm names.
Search: "Find lead partners and angels who invest at seed stage in agtech and have been active in the last 12 months."
3. The investors behind comparable companies. Work backwards from a company like yours to see who funded it.
Search: "Find the investors who led or participated in [comparable company]'s seed and Series A rounds."
Find investors in three steps
- Build your list. In the app, filter investors by space, activity, and stage; or in your assistant, describe what you are building and get investors ranked by fit with a match score.
- Add context. Pull each investor's firm and relevant investments so your outreach references companies they have actually backed.
- Reach out. Unlock verified emails for the best-match lead partners and angels, then send personalized messages and track replies.
Outcome: a focused, ranked list of investors who already understand your market, each with the context to earn a response.
Watch the full flow, from finding investors to sending outreach:
When to use this
Best for pre-seed to Series A founders running their own raise and choosing who to approach. Once you have a lead investor or a banker driving the process, the job shifts from discovery to closing.
Find investors already deploying in your space
Build a focused investor list, see why each person fits, and start outreach with the context to earn a response. See how founders use Fundable.
Frequently asked questions
How do startups find investors?
The most efficient way is to start from investors already backing similar companies, filter to those actively deploying, and reach the specific partners or angels who write your round size, rather than working through a broad list.
How do I find the right investors for my market?
Match on track record: look for funds and angels whose recent investments overlap with what you are building. Fundable ranks investors by how closely their portfolio fits your space.
How do I find active angel investors and lead partners?
Filter by recent activity, for example investors who have made two or more investments in the last year, then narrow to the lead partners and angels at your stage. Fundable attributes which partner led each deal where it is disclosed.
How do I get an investor's contact details?
Fundable unlocks verified contact details for matched investors on Pro+, so you can reach the lead partners and angels directly.
Can I find investors without coding?
Yes. Search and filter investors in the Fundable app, or describe what you are building in plain language inside your AI assistant, no code required.