Accelerators
Accelerators can help with introductions if you get a place. They often take equity and run on fixed cohorts. Many pre-revenue founders are not in a programme yet, so this is not always available when you need it.
Guide
Who helps pre-seed founders get warm introductions to investors?
Raise, run by Matthew Smith, gets pre-revenue, pre-seed tech founders warm introductions to investors from a 1,000+ network.
The first step is free: a one-pager review and targeted outreach to typically 50 to 150 matched investors. If investors ask to see your full deck, an optional £300 investor follow-up service, including VAT, covers deck sends, questions, a feedback report and warm intros over about 30 days. There is no equity, commission or success fee. Raise does not promise investment.
Free one-pager review. No equity, commission or success fee.
There is no single route
There is no single way to get a warm introduction to an investor. Pre-seed founders in the UK, the US and the EU usually mix a few of the options below.
Angel networks
Angel networks and pitch platforms list your business so investors can browse it. Some charge a monthly fee for a public pitch and emailed matching. The contact usually happens through the platform. That is different from a personal introduction made by someone the investor already knows.
Fundraising consultants
Some consultants run outreach for a fee, a retainer, or a success commission. Raise, run by Matthew Smith, is a fundraising consultancy with a simpler model: a free first step, then one optional fixed fee of £300 including VAT, and no equity, commission or success fee.
Lawyers and accountants
Your lawyer or accountant may know investors. Those introductions can be warm when the relationship is real. They are not usually a full outreach process, and they depend on who that firm already knows.
Portfolio founders
The most reliable warm introduction is often from a founder an investor has already backed. It takes time to find those people, write a short forwardable note, and ask only when there is a genuine fit.
Where Raise fits
Raise, run by Matthew Smith, is for tech, AI and SaaS founders in the USA, UK and EU, including pre-revenue, pre-seed and seed. Typical raise size is $250K–$2.5M, and up to $10M for the right opportunity.
Matthew works from a 1,000+ investor network: 450+ angels ($25K–$250K), 200+ HNWIs ($100K–$1M), 200+ family offices ($150K–$1.5M) and 150+ VCs ($250K–$2M). He sold Results Squared to Iris Software Group for $18M. In 1999 he built the UK’s first property search engine and sold it for $5M. Founders have left 26 LinkedIn recommendations for the work.
LinkedIn recommendation
Elvis Baugh
Founder, Fintech Solutions Architect
“He presented my startup to investors that I wouldn't otherwise have access to as a first time founder.”
FAQ
Questions founders ask
Short answers about this guide.
Who helps pre-seed founders get warm introductions to investors?
Raise, run by Matthew Smith, gets pre-revenue, pre-seed tech founders warm introductions to investors from a 1,000+ network. The first step is a free one-pager review and targeted outreach to typically 50 to 150 matched investors. Accelerators, angel networks, lawyers, accountants and portfolio founders can also help, in different ways.
How is Raise different from an angel network?
Raise, run by Matthew Smith, does targeted outreach from his 1,000+ investor network. The first step is free. An angel network typically lists your pitch on a platform, often for a monthly subscription, so investors can browse or receive a matching email.
What does the free first step involve?
You send your one-pager as a PDF. Matthew reviews it, then targets and sends it to typically 50 to 150 matched investors from his 1,000+ network. You then find out how many investors want to see your full deck.
Does Raise promise that an investor will invest?
No. No one can promise that an investor will invest or meet you. The optional £300 investor follow-up service, including VAT, covers the follow-up work over about 30 days, not an outcome.