An investment memo is a clear and concise articulation of the key components of your company and what the rationale is for investing in it. Writing one helps clarify your company’s story and pitch. VCs also write investment memos of their own, so doing the work for them is a way to incept your vision of the memo into their brains. A memo is particularly effective if you can write well. It stands better on its own as the deck (sent ahead of time) can miss context provided by your voiceover. Here is the template Y Combinator uses to guide founders in drafting their memos 👇 Check my free newsletter for more insights: https://lnkd.in/dCpgAYjt
An investment memo can be a game-changer for founders pitching to VCs. Clear, concise articulation of your business model, strategy, and vision is vital. This practice marries well with insights from Eric Ries and Steve Blank, who emphasize the importance of customer discovery and lean methodology. A well-written memo allows you to embed your narrative directly into the VC’s decision-making process, adding a layer of clarity that a deck alone might miss. As Marc Andreessen often points out, the story you tell is as critical as the metrics you hit. A compelling memo ensures your story resonates without you being in the room.
Great template. I'm a big believer that most people only do what they want. Regardless. So even though founders might have to go 90% of the way and write the memo, the natural laziness of people means that it is probably your words that get assessed rather than the cobbled together notes of someone not paying attention on a call. Great format. 🙌
Love a template. Love a YC template 100x 💙
I was just looking for one of those! Can you point me to the Word version?
Really good one!!
Kevin Martelli this reminds me of our conversation some time ago and your helpful template :))
Great point, Ruben! A well-crafted memo can indeed make a huge difference. How often should startups update their investment memos? Alex Belov
Very helpful!
I see I didn’t get any response on my DM to you.
Founder of Startup Istanbul
3wI have my notion template for anyone interested in 😁