Binder / Founder list
Guide for investorsA founder list filtered by your thesis
For angels and VCs, the problem is rarely too few startups — it's too many that don't fit. This guide covers what a useful founder list captures, where good deal flow comes from, and how to qualify founders in minutes instead of meetings.
Why deal flow is noisy
Most inbound pitches miss on something basic: the round is too large or too small for your ticket, the stage is wrong, the sector isn't in your thesis, or the company is in a market you don't cover. Each one still costs time to read, decline and track — and the startups that do fit often arrive late, through whoever happened to forward them.
A founder list fixes this only if it records the facts that decide fit, and if your sourcing filters on them before a pitch reaches you.
What to capture for each startup
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Stage and round size | Tells you instantly whether your ticket fits. |
| Capital committed | Shows momentum and whether a lead is in place. |
| Sector and thesis fit | Inside your thesis, or a stretch you'd have to justify? |
| Geography and structure | Where the company is incorporated and operates. |
| Traction | ARR or usage, growth rate, retention — defined the same way across companies. |
| Team | Founders, relevant experience, and who is full time. |
| Source | Who referred them. Over time this shows which channels produce your best deals. |
Where good deal flow comes from
- Founders you've backed. They know your thesis and their peers — usually the best-qualified referrals you'll get.
- Co-investors and scouts. Shared deals from people whose judgement you trust.
- Accelerators and demo days. Concentrated access to companies at a known stage.
- Sector communities and events. Where founders in your thesis already gather.
- Inbound and databases. Broad but noisy; useful when filtered hard on stage, ticket and geography.
Qualifying founders fast
Decide on fit before you read a deck. Three checks remove most mismatches:
- Ticket and stage — does their round, at their stage, accommodate the cheque you write?
- Thesis — does the company sit inside your sectors, or is it adjacent?
- Geography — can you invest in their market and structure?
Only then look at traction and team. A short first call — twenty minutes — is enough to decide whether a deeper look is worth it.
Publish your thesis. A clear, public statement of your ticket, stages, sectors and geography is the cheapest filter there is. Founders who read it self-select.
Deal flow on Binder
Binder is a founder–investor matchmaking app that applies these filters for you. Investors set their ticket range, investment role, fund size, sectors, stages and markets. Founders state their round size, capital committed, ARR, growth and team. Each side only sees the other where those overlap, and every founder card shows why you match before anything else.
Founders can't cold-pitch you: a connection requires both sides to say yes, and founders you pass never find out. When you do connect, Binder shows the slots you both have free and books a 20-minute coffee chat into both calendars.
Questions investors ask
Where do angel investors and VCs find startups?
Mostly through their network — founders they've backed, co-investors and scouts — plus accelerators, sector communities, inbound and databases. Referrals from trusted founders tend to be the best qualified.
What should a founder list include?
For each startup: founders, stage, round size and amount committed, sector, geography, traction such as ARR and growth, the instrument, and how the company reached you.
How can investors reduce unsolicited pitches?
Publish a clear thesis and use channels that filter on it. On Binder, founders outside your stated ticket and thesis never reach you, and a connection requires both sides to say yes.