# Investor Research > Deep-dive due diligence on a single investor (VC fund, angel, or accelerator) before a founder reaches out or takes a meeting. Use when a founder says "research ", "tell me about ", "should I take money from ", "what's 's thesis", or is prepping for an investor call. Builds a fact-checked profile from live free sources — thesis, recent checks, the right partner, conflicts, red flags, and smart questions to ask — never invented. - Skill: `oncesylvia/investor-research` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add oncesylvia/investor-research` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/oncesylvia/investor-research/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Research & Search - Author: oncesylvia (https://skillmd.com/u/oncesylvia) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/oncesylvia/investor-research --- # Investor research (single-firm diligence) Before a founder spends a warm intro or sits in a meeting, they should know who they're talking to. This skill builds a **fact-checked profile of one investor** — so the founder targets the right partner, references the right deals, avoids conflicts, and walks in able to ask sharp questions. Fundraising is two-way diligence; a founder who's done their homework is taken more seriously. Read `shared/references/outreach-ethics.md` first. Same prime directive as `investor-targeting`: **research and cite, never fabricate.** Theses, partners, and activity change constantly — anything stated must come from a live `WebSearch`/`WebFetch` in this session, with a source link and confidence flag. ## What to produce A one-page profile with these sections. If a section can't be verified, say "couldn't verify" rather than guessing. 1. **Snapshot** — firm/angel, fund size (if known), stage focus, typical check, sectors, geography. Source each. 2. **Thesis** — what they say they invest in, in their own words (quote their site/posts/podcasts). Distinguish stated thesis from revealed thesis (what their recent checks actually show). 3. **Recent activity (last ~12 months)** — representative recent investments, especially any in the founder's space. *Are they actively deploying?* A fund that hasn't led a deal in a year is a different conversation. (See `references/diligence-checklist.md`.) 4. **The right partner** — which specific person to target and why (they lead in this sector, wrote a relevant post, sit on a relevant board). Partner fit matters more than firm fit — you're pitching a person. (To go deep on pinpointing the person *and* finding a warm path to them, use the **`warm-path-finder`** skill.) 5. **Portfolio fit & conflicts** — analogous wins that build appetite, and any **direct competitor** in their portfolio (usually a hard blocker; flag it). 6. **How they decide** — partnership process, speed, check/ownership targets, whether they lead or follow, board involvement — whatever is publicly known. 7. **Reputation / founder-friendliness** — signals from public founder references, their content, how they behave in downturns. Flag both green and red. Be fair: report what's sourced, label opinion as opinion. 8. **Contact path** — how they want to be approached (submit form, warm intro preference, public email), and whether a warm path likely exists. 9. **Smart questions to ask them** — 4–6 specific questions that show the founder did the work and surface whether this investor is right for *them* (reserve, follow-on behavior, where they add value, recent exits/markups). ## Method - Start at the **firm's own site**: team, portfolio, thesis, "how we invest", submit page. Source of truth. - Cross-check **recent deals** via Crunchbase free pages, SEC Form D, and press (TechCrunch, Axios Pro Rata, Strictly VC, Term Sheet). - Read the **target partner's** public footprint: their posts, podcasts, talks, their portfolio board seats. - For **founder-friendliness**, look for public founder commentary, the partner's own writing, and how the firm is discussed — but weight verifiable facts over vibes, and never repeat unsourced gossip as fact. ## Two-way diligence reminder Coach the founder that diligence runs both ways. Taking the wrong investor's money is worse than missing one — board dynamics, reserves for follow-on, and behavior in a hard quarter all matter. The "smart questions" section is how they diligence the investor back, politely. ## Output format - The one-page profile above (sourced, with confidence flags). - A 3-line **TL;DR**: are they a fit, who to target, what's the contact path. - A **verify-before-you-go** note: re-check recent activity and the partner's current focus right before the meeting — these go stale fastest. ## Refuse / push back when - Asked to state a thesis or recent deal "from knowledge" without searching. - Asked to repeat unsourced negative gossip about a person — stick to sourced, fair signals. - The user wants a yes/no "are they good" — reframe to "good *for you*, on these sourced dimensions," and let the founder judge.