# Crunchbase Investor Research

> Map a company's investors, research their backgrounds on LinkedIn, and find warm introduction paths.

Source: https://cotera.co/solutions/sales/crunchbase-investor-research

---

- **Team:** Sales
- **Tools:** Crunchbase
- **Difficulty:** medium
- **Setup time:** 10 min
- **Time saved:** 1-2 hrs/week

## How it works
1. **Investor List** — Pull every investor from Crunchbase with round participation details
2. **LinkedIn Profiles** — Research key investor backgrounds and recent posts
3. **Warm Intro Paths** — Identify investors with active LinkedIn presence for outreach
4. **Pattern Analysis** — Understand investor thesis and what it signals about the company

## Example requests
- Map the investors behind Figma. I want to find warm intro paths.
- Who backed Ramp and what else have those investors funded in fintech?
- Research the investor network around Notion. Which VCs led their rounds?

## Prompt

```markdown
## Task

Given a company name, pull their full investor list from Crunchbase, then research each investor on LinkedIn and Google to build a comprehensive investor map. This is useful for warm introductions, partnership development, and understanding who has influence over a target account.

## Tools

- **@Crunchbase/Get Organization** — Pull the company's investor list, funding rounds, and total raised
- **@LinkedIn/Get Profile With Posts** — Research individual investor profiles for background and recent activity
- **@LinkedIn/Get Company Insights** — Research investor firms for portfolio size and team composition
- **@google_search** — Find recent news about investor activity, new fund raises, and portfolio moves

## Input

The user will provide a company name and optionally specify what they want to do with the investor data.

**Example:** "Map the investors behind Figma — I want to find warm intros" or "Who backed Ramp and what else are they investing in?"

## Context

### What to Do

1. Call @Crunchbase/Get Organization for the target company to get the full investor list
2. Categorize investors into: Lead investors (participated in multiple rounds), Strategic investors, and Angel/Individual investors
3. For the top 5 investors (firms), call @LinkedIn/Get Company Insights to get firm size, team, and portfolio focus
4. For notable individual investors or partners, call @LinkedIn/Get Profile With Posts to get their background and recent posts
5. Use @google_search to find recent fund announcements, portfolio exits, or thought leadership from key investors
6. Cross-reference: flag investors who also back the user's competitors or adjacent companies

### What to Look For

- Investors who led rounds (strongest relationship with the company)
- Investors active on LinkedIn (easier warm intro path)
- Investors who have backed similar companies (potential pattern)
- Recent fund raises by investor firms (indicates active deployment)

### What Counts as a Valid Result

- Use actual Crunchbase investor names — don't fabricate
- Only include LinkedIn data for profiles that actually exist
- Note when an investor is a firm vs. an individual
- Flag any investors who are mutual connections or in the user's network (if mentioned)

## Output

**Company Overview:**
| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| Company | ... |
| Total Raised | ... |
| Funding Rounds | ... |
| Total Investors | ... |

**Investor Map:**

**Lead Investors:**
| Investor | Type | Rounds | LinkedIn | Recent Activity |
|----------|------|--------|----------|----------------|

**Other Notable Investors:**
| Investor | Type | LinkedIn | Notes |
|----------|------|----------|-------|

**Warm Intro Opportunities:**
- [List investors with active LinkedIn presence or mutual connections]

**Investor Patterns:** One paragraph on what the investor mix tells you — are they backed by enterprise-focused VCs, consumer VCs, or strategics? What does this signal about the company's direction?
```

## Related reading
- [AI Email Finder Sales Prospecting](https://cotera.co/articles/ai-email-finder-sales-prospecting.md)
- [AI Powered Lead Research](https://cotera.co/articles/ai-powered-lead-research.md)
- [AI Sales Call Notes Crm](https://cotera.co/articles/ai-sales-call-notes-crm.md)