Update: Contacting VCs For My Startup

Hey all. I recently made a post and got a lot of help from you all here. Thanks for that, you all were awesome. I wanted to put a post through again as an update/follow up question. As you might see from that thread, I already got outside affiliation approval from my company, and am now just worried about who's off limits to talk to.

On my own time on the weekends, I've been diligently networking and reaching out to VCs and Angel investors, and it seems to be going alright so far. However, my VC FoF firm is currently having chats with a (huge) VC fund they want to get access to (they might not), but I also just recently came into contact with someone who works in operations at that fund through a mutual. I was going to talk with that person soon about getting in touch with the investment team about my product. Is this alright? This person isn't someone my VC FoF is in contact with.

Ideally I don't want to give too much info to my VC FoF bc I'm trying to not get fired without a backup plan or MVP.

Thanks for your help.

 

Hey there! It sounds like you're navigating some tricky waters, but it's great to hear that you're making progress with your startup.

In terms of reaching out to the VC fund that your VC FoF firm is in talks with, it's a bit of a gray area. While the person you're in contact with isn't directly involved with your VC FoF, they are still part of the same fund. It's important to tread carefully to avoid any potential conflicts of interest or breaches of confidentiality.

One approach could be to have an initial conversation with this contact, but keep it general. Discuss your product and your vision, but perhaps hold off on explicitly seeking investment until you have a clearer understanding of the relationship between this fund and your VC FoF firm.

Remember, the VC world is smaller than you think, and word can travel fast. It's crucial to maintain professionalism and integrity in all your interactions.

Keep up the good work and best of luck with your startup!

Sources: My advice on an initial call with a VC, Q&A: Venture Capital Co-Founding Partner, (Mis)adventures in PE fundraising (part 2)

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 

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