You're seeking angel investors in a new market. How can you tap into your network for warm introductions?

Utilize LinkedIn to identify and connect with potential investors. Update your profile to reflect your current venture and actively engage in relevant groups and discussions. Reach out to existing connections for introductions to investors in their network. Personalized messages explaining your venture and why you are seeking an introduction can increase the likelihood of a positive response. LinkedIn’s search features can also help you find mutual connections who can facilitate introductions.

Leverage your existing network by identifying connections who have links to the new market and request warm introductions to potential angel investors. Attend industry events and join relevant online forums to expand your network, and provide clear, compelling pitches to your contacts to facilitate meaningful introductions.

Tap into your school or university’s alumni network, which often includes successful entrepreneurs and investors. Attend alumni events, join alumni groups, and participate in online forums to build relationships. Alumni are generally more willing to help fellow graduates, and these connections can lead to valuable introductions to angel investors. Don’t hesitate to ask for mentorship or advice, which can organically lead to funding opportunities.

Attend industry conferences, seminars, and networking events where investors are likely to be present. Engage actively by participating in panels, workshops, and networking sessions. These events provide a platform to showcase your startup and connect with key players in the industry. Follow up with new contacts after the event to nurture these relationships and seek introductions to potential investors. Building a presence in industry circles can significantly enhance your chances of receiving warm introductions.

I think if you are leaning into a new market, events can be a great place to start looking for all kinds of useful connections. See who is speaking at the events, arrange meetings with them, ask who the key players are in the angel and professional investing scene. Start keeping a record of who invested in what, even at a high level, and you will see the patterns emerging. Use a tool like Shipshape.VC to find out which investors invested in which companies and so on... then you can build a targeted list rather than spray and pray.

Your Advisory Board can make or break you. Having diverse, experienced, and genuine voices to act both as a sounding board and a means of guidance down a path you have minimal familiarity with can be more valuable that the investment you're seeking.

Try this exercise: if you were seeking to invest in a specific start-up space, where would you look? Who would you reach out to? Reverse engineering that challenge will help you to follow those same tracks to optimize where you spend your efforts in Angel outreach.

I've also mentioned this in my profile, but founders need a community. They need to develop a like-minded circle to get inspired by each other and bounce off ideas. If you put 5 entrepreneurs in one room, within one hour they will come up with a business plan. That's why it's important to participate in networking events, activities, and much more.

If you have no one to invest, try family/friends. Many successful founders who had a difficult time raising money found investment through their loved ones. No need to market, build credibility, deep research/networking -- all of that is done for you.