Investor Research & Fundraising Guide
Find the right investor. Take the right route.
Ten kinds of investor sit in one database — and none of them want to be approached the same way. Verify fit, then choose between an application, an introduction, or a direct message.
A listing is not permission to send mass messages. Research every target and respect their stated contact process.
- The database covers10 types
- Angels
- Fund partners
- Venture firms
- Family offices
- Accelerators
- Incubators
- Angel networks
- Corporate VC
- Private equity
- Government funds
Use responsibly
Read this before you search. It is the condition attached to the data.
This is a database, not an email list
Use S100K to discover relevant investors and funding programs. Do not export the database into an outreach sequence.
A good process is based on
- Strong investor fit
- Current and verified information
- A real reason to contact them now
- A personalized entry point
- A prepared company and founder
- Respect for official applications and contact preferences
Never
- Send the same pitch to hundreds of investors
- Contact several people at the same firm at once
- Message one person across email, LinkedIn, X, and WhatsApp in a day
- Pretend a cold message is a warm introduction
- Use private personal contact information
- Keep contacting someone after they decline or ask you to stop
Where are you now?
Fundraising cannot fix a startup with no clear customer, no evidence, and no plan for the money. Pick the closest current state — the rest of this guide narrows to what applies to it.
- Deep tech, biotech, hardware, and regulated research often raise before revenue — on IP, technical progress, pilots, regulatory milestones, or an unusually qualified team.
- For an ordinary software or marketplace startup in 2026, an idea with no validation is rarely a strong use of a professional investor’s time.
Start here
One page ends; the process begins.
Better research creates better conversations
You do not need to contact every investor in the database.
Identify the investors, funds, and programs that genuinely fit your stage, prepare a strong case, and use the route they are most likely to respect.
There is a stated process. Use it and track it.
A real relationship exists. Ask for the introduction.
Fit is strong and no better route exists. Go direct, once.
The match is weak. Spend the effort elsewhere.
The route is chosen per investor — not once for the whole list.
Last reviewed 4 August 2026 · This guide is not legal, financial, or investment advice