Tremendous

An angel investor's take on life and business

  • Request for Startups: Low Cost Missiles, Easy Calcium Scans, and Pill Robots

    Our industry creates mountains of craplets. I’m looking for the opposite: startups that make our country safer and our people healthier. Here are 3 kinds of companies I’m searching for now…

    Cheap Replacements for Patriot Missiles

    In just a few months of fighting in Iran, the U.S. has used the vast majority of its Patriot missiles. Our missile stocks went from 2,300 to around 800 in just 4 months.

    How long until we hit zero?

    This is why we need to make missiles cheaply and quickly that have similar capabilities to Patriots. 

    Today, it costs about $4 million to make a single Patriot missile. Worse yet, it takes over 2 years to make. 

    SpaceX drastically reduced the cost of sending a pound of cargo into space. We need to do the same for missiles. 

    The startup that succeeds in making a cheap, fast-to-manufacture missile will probably make all its own parts. This means it won’t have to rely on a slow, expensive defense supply chain.

    Getting a Calcium CT Scan the Easy Way

    Now that I’m 40, I’m planning on getting a calcium CT scan soon. It can help show the beginnings of arterial blockages before they’re serious.

    But good luck actually booking a scan! 

    The whole system is straight out of 1995: janky websites, opaque pricing, lots of phone calls. Nobody wants to do this.

    What we want is something like Superpower or Ezra: book in a couple of clicks at a great price. If we can have that for blood tests and body scans, why not for calcium CT’s?

    The first startup to make this easy will be worth billions. They’ll also save lives.

    Robots to Manage Meds

    Go to any older person’s house, and you’ll see it: a big, plastic box full of pills. 

    It’s marked with dates and times. But what if you forget to open it?

    Imagine an R2D2-like unit that notifies you whenever it’s time to take your pill. It pops out a little drawer with the correct medication.

    You could even use video to verify the patient took the pill — great for families of dementia patients. 

    The robot has to be cute. If it’s inside your home, it can’t be scary or off-putting. 

    Wrap-Up

    Keeping our country safe and our people healthy are the most important things we can do. If we want our work to matter, we need to chase ambitious goals. 

    So if you’re building in defense or health, shoot me a message! Maybe I can be one of your first investors.

    More from the blog:

    Zuck’s New Personal Assistant Muse Lags Behind Instinct

    What Everyone Still Gets Wrong About the AI Data Market

    Why Customer Concentration Is a Good Thing For Early Stage Startups

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

  • I Built a Bot to Hunt for Startups

    What if an AI agent could find my next investment for me? Today, I used Grok Bot to search for startups. The results blew me away…

    Setting Up My New Agent: “Startup Sleuth”

    I find that with AI agents, a very detailed prompt really helps. So I turned on Wispr Flow and started rambling.

    I told Grok Bot to search Hacker News, Crunchbase, X, Reddit, and Product Hunt. I told it to focus on early stage companies with accomplished founders.

    I gave my new bot a fun name: Startup Sleuth. 🕵️

    I instructed Startup Sleuth to send me an e-mail every Monday and Wednesday morning with the startups it found. Let’s see how it does… 

    Startup Sleuth Finds Me Some Awesome Companies

    I was super impressed with how well Startup Sleuth followed my instructions! 

    It gave me a beautiful table with some very interesting startups. They match the stage and regions I’m looking for.

    Grok Bot also does a great job of incorporating feedback.

    I asked it to include an additional column with info on the founders. It added that right away and made a note for the future. 

    My New Bot’s Most Exciting Find: Elder Care Robots

    The most interesting thing Startup Sleuth found was a company based in Seattle called Evolved Robotics. They make robots for nursing homes.

    The world’s population is aging rapidly. We’ll need a lot more help in nursing homes in the future, both humans and robots. 

    I just contacted the founder on LinkedIn. I’m excited to see how their robots could help older folks!

    Grok Bot Gives Me Superpowers

    Most of us use agents to automate the work we already do. But with Startup Sleuth, I’m going beyond that. 

    I’m having AI do additional work I would never get around to.

    I search Product Hunt regularly. But for the other platforms, I’m probably not going to get around to it.

    This doesn’t just make my existing business more efficient. It helps me expand. 

    Using Grok Bot to Find Leads for Your Business

    Investing in startups is really just a form of sales. Grok Bot is doing a great job at finding me leads.

    Try using Grok Bot to find some leads for your business! Tell it what type of companies you’re looking for and the best places to find them.

    It can send a table full of leads straight to your email.

    Wrap-Up

    A lot of AI agent platforms claim to be all things to all people. But when I actually use them, they won’t follow my instructions. 

    Grok Bot is different. 

    It does exactly what I say. And it works 24/7, at virtually zero cost. 

    Take a few minutes and try to automate some of your work with Grok Bot!

    More from the blog: 

    I Made an Email Agent to Manage My Inbox in Half the Time

    Meet My New Personal Trainer: Arnold Schwarznegger

    My New AI Assistant is Finding Me Cheap Flights to Japan

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

  • Zuck’s New Personal Assistant Muse Lags Behind Instinct 

    Zuck dropped a new personal assistant this week: Muse. It can book travel, do online shopping, and manage your inbox. But in my testing, Muse lags behind Instinct. 

    Here’s where Muse excels and where it falls short… 

    Round #1: Booking a Flight to Japan

    I’m planning to go to Japan again in January, but that flight can be pricey. Can Muse find me a deal?

    I asked Muse to monitor prices from Newark to Haneda for a 3-month trip beginning in January. It did a good job of searching flight prices, finding a ticket for $2,000 on United.

    I asked it to continue monitoring the route to see if prices drop. This is where Muse fell short. 

    Muse only offered to check fares once a week. That’s not nearly enough to find great deals. I got Muse to check twice a day, but that still could miss some great fares.

    Instinct monitors flight prices continuously. Sometimes I get notifications about lower fares that only last a few hours. That’s how you snag a deal! 

    Muse is well behind Instinct on travel booking. I’m giving Muse a B on this round. 

    Round #2: Find Me a Deal on a Parka

    It’s still in the 80s here in North Jersey, but winter is coming soon! If it’s anything like last year, I’m going to need a heavier coat.

    I had Muse look for a deal on a North Face McMurdo parka. It popped up a little window where I could watch it search one online retailer after another. I’ve never seen anyone else do this!

    Muse couldn’t find any sales. But showing me the searches it ran gave me confidence this was the best price.

    I’m giving Muse an A on this round. 

    Round #3: Helping Me Reconnect With Great Founders

    Sometimes I meet a great founder and then fall out of touch. This could lead me to miss a great deal.

    So I asked Muse to look through my Gmail — who was I talking to a year ago but haven’t spoken to recently?

    Muse ran slowly, but it did find some founders that I hadn’t talked to since last fall. I’m taking a closer look into some of the companies it mentioned. 

    I’m giving this round an A.

    Wrap-Up

    I’m giving Muse an A- overall.

    Muse could be useful if you’re not using any AI assistants, especially if you want an assistant in WhatsApp. 

    I already have Instinct and Grok. So, I probably wouldn’t use Muse again. 

    But if Zuck can improve Muse’s travel booking abilities, I’ll be down to give it another shot!

    More from the blog: 

    My New AI Assistant is Finding Me Cheap Flights to Japan

    China’s GLM 5.2: The Most Powerful Open-Source Model Yet — But Does It Deliver in Real Life?

    I Tested Mira Murati’s New Open Model. Here’s Where It Wins (and Loses)

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

  • How I’m Investing at Reasonable Valuations In the Hottest Market Ever

    Investors blow themselves up in red hot markets like today’s. So I’m watching my entry price like a hawk. Here’s what I’m paying so far in 2026…

    Inside My Angel Portfolio

    Here are my median pre-money valuations, year by year:

    2026: $18.5 million

    2025: $19.3 million

    2024: $8 million

    2023: $13 million

    2022: $12.5 million

    2021: $10 million

    My median entry price has jumped substantially over the last two years.

    Adjusting for inflation, my $10 million entry price in 2021 would be about $12 million now. So in real terms, my entry price has jumped 50%. 

    It’s taken all my efforts just to keep it that low!

    Tons of pre-seed companies are raising at $50 million, $100 million, or even more. It’s becoming normal. 

    And just like in 2021, it will not end well. 

    Paying More, Getting More 

    My entry price is definitely up. However, the companies I’m investing in today also tend to have more traction. 

    AI is helping some startups pass $1 million ARR in a few weeks. That didn’t happen in 2021.

    When a company has that kind of growth, it’s worth paying more. 

    Scouring The Planet for Unloved Startups

    Startups coming out of top accelerators are priced sky high these days. 

    I still do those deals when I see something exceptional. But increasingly, I’m trying to find startups other people aren’t looking at.

    I’m using OpenVC to meet founders who haven’t caught on with investors yet. In January, I met Kai, founder of Cryopets. 

    He’s freezing dogs and cats so we can revive them when veterinary medicine improves. I was able to invest at a much more reasonable valuation than the typical hot AI agent startup in SF. 

    I’m also going to Japan to meet amazing founders with little access to capital. When I put money where it’s most needed, returns should be higher. 

    My Strategy for The Rest of 2026

    I want to keep my median entry price below $20 million. This means that to get my 4x fund, I need an outcome around $6 billion. 

    Difficult, but doable. 

    I expect to do most deals between $10-20 million. Then, I’ll do a handful at higher prices if the founders are exceptional.

    I want to keep my entry point reasonable. But I also don’t want to lock myself out of the next great startup.

    This is why I focus on median price rather than a hard limit. 

    Wrap-Up

    In the midst of this AI mania, it’s temping to throw money at everything that moves. 

    I’ve seen all this before in 2021. Everyone was convinced that SaaS was headed to the moon. Why not pay a hundred times revenues? 

    I refused to do that. Five years later, I’m very happy with that decision. 

    I always want to back awesome founders. But not at any price.

    If that leads me to miss a few deals, so be it.

    More from the blog:

    Inside My Angel Portfolio: What I’m Paying in 2025

    I’ve Seen Thousands of Founder Pitches. These 5 Mistakes Keep Showing Up.

    Fundraising Friction is Killing Your Round – Here’s How to Remove It

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

  • What Everyone Still Gets Wrong About the AI Data Market

    When you think of AI data, what do you picture? Rooms full of people labeling cat pictures? 

    That’s so 2022! Let me explain how this market really works…

    AI Data Isn’t “Data Labeling” Anymore

    “Isn’t data labeling a commodity?” I’ve heard that 100 times.

    People picture workers in the developing world labeling pictures as “cat” or “not cat”. This may have been true in 2022, but not anymore.

    Today, AI data companies aren’t doing simple labeling. They’re hiring world class experts to generate unique data.

    Companies like my investment, Micro1, are hiring top lawyers for $400 an hour to teach AI models about corporate law. 

    AI labs have already ingested the entire open internet. If they want to keep improving their models, they need unique data. 

    There Are Many Kinds of AI Data

    AI data goes way beyond text. 

    Different companies specialize in different types. The many niches provide a huge opportunity for new startups:

    1. Egocentric video. This is video shot from the perspective of a person performing a task, like folding laundry. This is very useful for robotics. 
    2. Audio recordings. Really helpful for voice models. Many AI data companies are particularly focused on getting recordings of foreign languages.
    3. Tool use. AI models can watch us create spreadsheets or answer Slack messages. This helps us automate white-collar work. 

    We Will Always Need More Data

    “What happens when we reach AGI? Aren’t these data startups toast?”

    Hardly. We can always teach AI and robots to do something else useful!

    And in order to teach them, we need more data. 

    Maybe we want to train a robot to make a new machine part. To do that, we need video showing how the manufacturing process works. 

    Data Labs Have Thousands of Potential Customers

    In the early days, data labs sold to a handful of frontier model companies. That presents a risk if those companies cut back.

    But now, data labs are moving into another huge market with thousands of potential customers: agent evals.

    Companies all over the world are deploying AI agents. But how do you know if your agent actually works?

    You probably don’t. 

    Agent evals measure how well your agent works and help you improve it. 

    Say you use an agent to approve loan applications. A data lab can send loan experts to make sure your model is handling applications correctly.

    Wrap-Up

    The AI data market has produced growth like nothing else. If you understand it, you have an advantage on other founders and investors.

    Forget commodity data labeling. Today, it’s about finding top experts to produce unique information. And we always need more. 

    Training the superintelligence never ends.

    More from the blog:

    I Made an Email Agent to Manage My Inbox in Half the Time

    I’ve Seen Thousands of Founder Pitches. These 5 Mistakes Keep Showing Up.

    Llama 3.1 8B: $0.05 per Million Tokens, Still Crushes Everyday Tasks

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

  • AI Already Ate the Internet. Here’s the Data It Still Doesn’t Have.

    AI has already ingested the entire open internet. Now, we need data no one else has. Here are three promising kinds of data we should be searching for…

    Real World Experiments 

    AI can tell you Newton’s laws or explain relativity. But how does titanium perform when blasted by C4?

    To find out, you need to run some experiments.

    Experimental data will help AI understand the real world. If we understand how materials perform in an explosion, we could design armored vehicles that protect our soldiers better.

    We also need experiments in biology and chemistry. How will a cell line respond to a certain chemical? Someone has to get in the lab and find out. 

    You’ll need to partner with academic and corporate labs or even start your own. You’ll be creating data nobody else has.

    Battlefield Data

    Militaries are using AI to gain an edge. But to win, AI tools must understand what’s actually happening on real battlefields.

    We need satellite images, camera feeds from drones and reports from front line commanders.

    This data isn’t on the open internet. Most of it is classified. 

    If you can can gather securely and help the Department of War get insights from it, you’ll go a long way to keeping our country safe. 

    Sound

    A robot hears the screech of metal rubbing against metal. It should know enough to stop and diagnose the problem.

    But to do that, AI must understand sound.

    Sound is a highly neglected form of data.

    Is that whine a turbine that’s about to fail? Does that creaking mean a structure is buckling?

    To figure that out, we will need millions of hours of a audio recordings.

    Wrap-Up

    If you’re a founder looking for an opportunity, consider digging deep on one of these three data types.

    AI labs are hungry for unique data. If you can provide it, your startup will grow incredibly fast. 

    I’m very bullish on the AI data market. So if you’re building in one of these 3 areas, shoot me a message on X. 

    More from the blog: 

    Slow Growth + Boring Industry = Huge Winner

    When Is It Time for a Startup To Do Huge Layoffs?

    China’s GLM 5.2: The Most Powerful Open-Source Model Yet — But Does It Deliver in Real Life?

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

  • Why Customer Concentration Is a Good Thing For Early Stage Startups

    You just signed a monster customer. They’re most of your revenue. Now you’re walking into a VC meeting…how do you explain this?

    My Advice to a Great Founder

    One of my investments is dealing with this issue right now…

    “How did you wind up with a lot of revenue concentrated at one customer? You signed a huge contract. That’s a good thing!” I said.

    “You could’ve said no to the big contract. Then you wouldn’t have concentrated revenue. But that would be crazy, right?”

    This startup is just a few months old. I advised the founder to emphasize that when he talks with VC’s.

    “You guys are still very early. Even if your revenue is highly concentrated, you’re growing so much faster than other companies at your stage.”

    The Advantages of Customer Concentration

    Customer concentration has one big advantage: it lets you focus.

    So long as Megacorp is happy, your business will do great. What you learn from working with them will help you sign other major customers.

    And if you’ve hooked a giant customer, you could do way more business with them in the future!

    How to Handle Customer Concentration Risk In VC Meetings

    There are real risks in relying on one customer. VC’s will ask you about them.

    Acknowledge the risks. Explain how it happened: you signed a giant contract early on.

    Then paint a picture of the future. Tell the VC about some other big customers in your pipeline and how they could diversify your revenue. 

    Finding The Right Investors

    Startups are a risky game, whether your revenue is concentrated or not.

    Find investors that understand that. Fill your funnel with VCs who have invested in early stage startups before and had some big wins.

    Those prior wins will make them eager to accept risk. They know risks mean opportunities!

    Wrap-Up

    VCs have all these weird rules like “customer concentration bad.”

    It sounds good on a podcast. But it doesn’t make much sense in reality.

    If you sign a giant customer early on, your revenue will be concentrated. That doesn’t mean you did something wrong!

    The key is finding investors who get it. 

    Who understand that getting a big customer early is a huge win, not something to apologize for. Who realize that just because your revenue is concentrated today doesn’t mean it will stay that way. 

    If an investor can’t understand that, cross them off your list. 

    More from the blog: 

    Why Some Founders Raise Millions with a Text — And Others Can’t Get a Single Check: Traction vs. Track Record

    You Finally Closed Your Funding Round — Time to Panic?

    When Is It Time for a Startup To Do Huge Layoffs?

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

  • I Made an Email Agent to Manage My Inbox in Half the Time 

    Off-the-shelf email agents draft nonsensical replies that sound nothing like me. So I built my own…

    My new Grok Automation is saving me serious time managing my inbox. The key: giving Grok extremely specific instructions with examples.

    The Problem With Email Agents

    Tons of different tools claim to manage your inbox. I’ve tried Upstream, Town, and more. 

    They read through your emails and try to draft replies in your voice. 

    But despite reading my messages, the agent didn’t really understand what I do. It drafted responses that didn’t sound like me and didn’t make sense in context.

    So I built my own with Grok. Here’s how it works…

    Teaching Grok How to Manage My Emails

    First, I showed Grok how to categorize my messages:

    1. Too early, ask founder to follow up later
    2. Not an area I invest in
    3. Good prospect, want to book a meeting

    For example, a pre-revenue company goes into Bucket 1. A US based software startup with 3 customers goes into Bucket 3.

    Then, I gave Grok example messages to send in each case. 

    For the pre-revenue founder, I had Grok say: “I don’t do pre-revenue, but feel free to shoot me a message when you have 3 paying customers, and I’d be happy to take another look. Thanks!”

    This way, I know Grok will sound like me. 

    Taking My Agent Out on the Road

    I was astounded to find the agent actually works! 

    It parsed a founder email, found the company was pre-revenue, and politely declined. It found another message from a startup that has several customers and asked to book a meeting.

    Success! 

    Not every draft reply is usable, but around half are. I hope to improve the agent’s performance over time. 

    Maintaining the Human Touch

    My Grok agent is making it easier for me to stay on top of my messages. But I never want to drain the humanity out of my relationship with founders.

    I always look over every draft before I send it. I want AI to help me, not take over. 

    There are also tons of edge cases that my agent isn’t ready for: someone inviting me to an event or a founder who wants an intro.

    It’s tough to make an agent work in every single case. What matters to me is handling the more common message types.

    Building Your Own Email Agent With Grok

    If you’re struggling to get through your emails, try building your own email agent with Grok!

    Maybe some of your messages are spam and don’t require a response. Others are from sales prospects — you want to book meetings with these.

    Once you explain the categories and give Grok example messages, it should be able to manage many of your emails. 

    Wrap-Up

    I’m used to prompting AI by just giving it a general idea of what I want.

    Then I realized: I’m not being an effective teacher. If I was trying to teach this to a human, they probably wouldn’t get it. 

    No wonder AI doesn’t either!

    Giving Grok a clear framework and example outputs made all the difference.

    If you’re struggling with your inbox, try Grok Automations! 

    More from the blog:

    I’ve Seen Thousands of Founder Pitches. These 5 Mistakes Keep Showing Up.

    Building a Deal-Tracking App in Just 4 Minutes with Grok 4.6

    Fundraising Friction is Killing Your Round – Here’s How to Remove It

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

  • Meet My New Personal Trainer: Arnold Schwarznegger

    I have a new personal trainer: Arnold Schwarzenegger. And I’m finally having fun in the gym! 

    For the last 16 years, I’ve designed my own strength training programs. The results: a mediocre physique. 

    A couple of weeks ago, I saw a post from Arnold Schwarzenegger on X. He was running a special on his new workout app, Arnold’s Pump Club. 

    I’ve been a huge fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger for years. What did I have to lose? 

    Doing My First Workout 

    I’ve never used a fitness app before. Would I even be able to figure out how to do these workouts?

    Fortunately, Pump Club makes it easy. Every single exercise has an awesome instructional video. 

    You can even swap out exercises if you don’t have the right equipment or you have an injury. I replaced squats with stiff leg deadlifts, which are much easier on my back. 

    Tracking Workouts the Easy Way

    My first workout was rough!

    I was pouring sweat and out of breath. But that’s how you know you’re getting somewhere, right? 

    Pump Club makes it super easy to track workouts. There’s spots to put in pounds and number of reps.

    Then the next time you do that exercise, the app pulls in your prior weight and rep count. 

    Lifting 2.5x As Much, Having 10x More Fun!

    I never knew if the programs I designed were good or not. That left me less motivated to work out. 

    Outsourcing everything to Arnold has made a huge difference.

    Arnold still looks great at 79 years old. Whatever he’s doing is working. 

    Since I’m confident the workouts will pay dividends, I’m much more motivated to do them. 

    Pump Club has gotten me to increase my weight workouts from two to three times a week. My workouts have gone from 45 minutes to around 1 hour 15 minutes.

    I’ve 2.5x-ed my training volume. And I’m having a lot more fun! 

    Pump Club Is a Friendly Place

    The internet is filled with negativity. Pump Club is one place where I never see that.

    If you put up a post saying you crushed your workout, people rush in to congratulate you! 

    I’ve tried to encourage others as well. It feels good to know that somebody, somewhere may be a little more motivated because I cheered them on. 

    Wrap-Up

    I really encourage you to try this app! I’ve recommended it to all my friends.

    Pump Club has programs for everyone. It works for people who’ve never exercised all the way to advanced weightlifters. 

    The club includes people of all ages. Arnold himself is almost 80! 

    Click this link to get your first month free! After that, the price is $150 a year, with up to $100 in rebates if you complete 4 programs.

    More from the blog: 

    My New AI Assistant is Finding Me Cheap Flights to Japan

    Using Grok Socratic Mode to Learn About Health

    Building a Deal-Tracking App in Just 4 Minutes with Grok 4.6

    Save Money on Stuff I Use:

    Fundrise

    This platform lets me diversify my real estate investments so I’m not too exposed to any one market. I’ve invested since 2018 with great returns.

    More on Fundrise in this post.

    If you decide to invest in Fundrise, you can use this link to get $100 in free bonus shares!

  • I’ve Seen Thousands of Founder Pitches. These 5 Mistakes Keep Showing Up.

    I’ve looked at thousands of founder pitches. Here are 5 mistakes I keep seeing, and how you can avoid them…

    1. Don’t Ask Investors to Sign an NDA. No investor worth their salt is going to sign an NDA.

      Every year I look at thousands of decks. Can I sign thousands of NDAs? No one could ever keep on top of that many different legal agreements.

      Instead, just send the materials, sans legal agreements.
    2. Don’t Have a Minimum Check Size. I recently got a message asking for angel funding. Minimum check size: $500,000

      It doesn’t make sense to pitch angels and ask for a $500,000 minimum. Very few angels write checks that big.

      A couple of years ago, I was in a round with a billionaire angel. That person only wrote a $250,000 check.

      So, what minimum should you have?

      If a person is helpful, I wouldn’t have a minimum check size. Many founders tell me their most helpful investors were their smallest.
    3. Don’t Follow Up Immediately. Sometimes a founder will email me and then message again an hour or two later to see if I have looked at their deck.

      I try to get respond to everyone in under 24 hours. But I can’t always look at your message instantly.

      Give us at least three days before you follow up.
    4. Don’t Write Long Messages. Many founders write extremely long messages — hundreds of words. The longer your message is, the less likely an investor will read it.

      A good cold message is around 30 to 50 words. Craft your cold message according to the guide I wrote here. Stick to facts on customers, team and product.
    5. Don’t Hide Your Deck. Some founders only want to send their deck once there’s a meeting booked. This is a bad approach.

      The deck is there to help you get a meeting.

      Don’t treat your deck like it contains the nuclear launch codes. Instead, send the deck so we can learn more about your startup and get excited! 

    Wrap-Up

    Fundraising is sales.

    When I meet a founder who’s good at fundraising. I picture him crushing one sales meeting after another. 

    If you want to get good at fundraising, avoid these common mistakes. Send brief, clear, compelling messages.

    If you can do that, your round will fill up before you know it!

    More from the blog: 

    38 Words Got This Founder on My Calendar — Here’s the Cold Email Formula That Wins

    Fundraising Friction is Killing Your Round – Here’s How to Remove It

    When Is It Time for a Startup To Do Huge Layoffs?

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    Fundrise

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    Wispr Flow

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