[ In short ]
- Same day as the pitch: thank them, send exactly what you promised, answer open questions.
- No reply after 7 to 10 days: one short nudge with a piece of real progress, not "any thoughts?".
- Then a short monthly update: metrics, milestones, the round, and one specific ask.
- Ask about their process and timeline in the meeting, so your follow-ups have dates to aim at.
- Treat long silence as a soft no, keep updating, and move your time to investors who engage.
01How to follow up with an investor
Follow up the same day with a thank-you and the materials you promised. If you hear nothing in 7 to 10 days, send one short note with a piece of real progress and a specific question. After that, switch to a brief monthly update. Never chase for an answer; give them reasons to look again.
Fundraising runs on many parallel threads that each move slowly, and the founder is usually also running the company. That is exactly the setting where threads go quiet by accident on both sides. The partner meant to send the deck to a colleague; you meant to send the cohort data. A good follow-up system fixes both.
Investors rarely say no outright. Silence, "keep us posted" and "too early for us" usually mean no for now. Your follow-ups should make it easy to change that answer later.
02Set up the follow-up during the meeting
The best follow-up starts before the meeting ends. Before you hang up, ask:
- What happens next on your side, and who else needs to see this?
- What would you need to see to take this to the next stage?
- When do you expect to decide, roughly?
Write the answers down. "We discuss new deals on Mondays" gives you a date for the next email; "we would want to see three months of retention" tells you what to put in it.
03The follow-up after a pitch meeting
Send it the same day. Keep it to what was promised and what was asked; do not re-pitch. If you said you would send the deck, the model or the data room, link it here, and answer any question you could not fully answer in the room.
Subject Re: [Company] intro
Hi [Name], Thanks for the time today. As promised: - Deck: [link] - [Cohort data, model, customer list]: [link] On your question about [topic]: [two-sentence answer]. You mentioned the partners meet on [day]. Is there anything else you would need before then? [Your name]
Subject Re: [Company] partner meeting
Hi [Name], Thank you and [partners] for the meeting today. The two questions that came up most were [question 1] and [question 2]; short answers below. [Answer 1] [Answer 2] What are the next steps on your side, and is there anyone else we should speak to? [Your name]
04Following up with an investor who has gone quiet
Wait 7 to 10 days after your last email, or until the date they gave you. Then send one short note that adds something new. Progress is the best reason to write: a signed customer, a metric that moved, a key hire, the round filling up.
Subject Re: [Company] intro
Hi [Name], A quick update since we spoke: [one concrete piece of progress, e.g. "we signed Northwind, our largest customer so far"]. We are now [amount] committed of [round size], aiming to close by [date]. Is [Company] still something you would like to look at? [Your name]
Subject Re: [Company] intro
Hi [Name], We plan to close the round on [date], so I am trying to understand where everyone stands. If it is not a fit right now, a short "pass" is genuinely helpful, and I would still like to keep you updated. [Your name]
After that, stop asking. Add them to your monthly update list, unless they asked not to be, and spend your time on investors who are engaging.
05Monthly investor updates: the follow-up that compounds
A short, regular update is the most effective follow-up a founder can send, to current investors and to the ones who passed or went quiet. It asks for nothing hard, shows momentum over time, and keeps you in the inbox of people who might say yes next round.
What to put in a monthly update
- One line: how the month went, honestly.
- Three to five numbers you report every month, the same ones each time (revenue, customers, burn, runway).
- Highlights: what shipped, who joined, which customers signed.
- Lowlights: what went wrong and what you are doing about it. Investors trust updates that include them.
- One or two specific asks: an intro to a named company, a hire, advice on a decision.
Subject [Company] update: [Month Year]
Hi all, [One honest line about the month.] Numbers - MRR: [amount] ([+x%] vs last month) - Customers: [number] - Runway: [months] Highlights - [Shipped, signed, hired] Lowlights - [What went wrong, and the fix] Asks - An intro to [role] at [company type or named company] Thanks, [Your name]
| Who | How often | What they get |
|---|---|---|
| Current investors | Monthly | The full update, including lowlights and asks |
| Investors in active talks | When there is real news, at most every 1–2 weeks | One-line progress and the round status |
| Investors who passed or went quiet | Monthly or quarterly, if they agreed | A shorter version of the update |
06What not to do when following up with investors
- Do not send the whole deck again in every email. Link it once; send progress after that.
- Do not invent urgency ("the round is almost full") unless it is true. Investors talk to each other.
- Do not follow up on several channels at once (email, LinkedIn, text) about the same thing.
- Do not argue with a pass. Thank them, ask what would change their mind, and add them to the update list.
- Do not let a promised document slip. Sending what you said you would send, when you said, is itself a signal.
07Keeping track of a dozen investor threads
A raise means dozens of threads at different stages: intro requests, first calls, partner meetings, data-room questions. A simple pipeline (a spreadsheet with stage, last contact and next step) helps. So does a plan for each thread’s next date; how long to wait before following up has the gaps by situation.
Skein was built with this case in mind: it flags the investor who went quiet after the first call and drafts the reply with the deck or data-room link, then, by default, asks you before anything goes out. See it in the demo. For more templates by situation, see follow-up email templates.
Questions
- How long should you wait to follow up with an investor?
- Send a thank-you with the promised materials the same day. If you hear nothing, follow up once after 7 to 10 days, or on the date they gave you. After that, include them in a monthly update rather than asking again.
- What should I write in a follow-up email to an investor?
- One piece of real progress, the status of the round and one specific question. Keep it to a few lines, reply in the original thread, and link materials instead of attaching them again.
- Should I send investor updates to investors who said no?
- Yes, if they agree to receive them. A short regular update shows progress over time, and many investors who pass early come back in a later round once they have seen the company grow.
- Is silence from an investor a no?
- Usually it means no for now. Send one follow-up with progress and a clear question; if there is still no answer, treat it as a pass, keep them on your update list and focus on investors who engage.
See Skein follow up for you
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