Before approaching an investor, prepare two explanations: why your company is ready for the next conversation, and why this investor is a sensible person to have it with. A compelling product helps, but the meeting also needs a clear connection between your evidence, the investor’s focus, and the support your business needs.

That distinction emerged during TGN Investor Office Hours with Susan Moring, General Partner at Cortado Ventures, which backs early-stage companies in the Midcontinent, and Amit Nath, Founder and CEO of Vettable, a platform for startup evaluation and investor readiness. Their discussion with Darrel Frater, Founder and Managing Partner at TGN Ventures, connected pitch preparation with the work founders do before and after an introduction.

The following checklist is our editorial synthesis of that discussion. It is a preparation tool, rather than a universal investment standard or a promise of funding.

1. Write the reason this investor belongs on your list

Nath encouraged founders to research an investor’s stage, check size, industries, and recent investments before pitching. Moring’s answers made that practical: Cortado’s geographic focus and industry relationships shaped which opportunities made sense for the firm.

Create a short note for each prospective investor. Record their stated focus, where your company appears to fit, and what you still need to confirm. Add the source and date of your research so you can revisit assumptions before a meeting.

Then finish this sentence in plain language: “We want to speak with this investor because…” A specific connection might be relevant operating experience, familiarity with your customers, or a focus that matches your stage. Those are hypotheses to explore, not assurances that the investor will provide introductions or invest.

If your explanation amounts to “they invest in startups,” keep researching. A smaller list with clear reasons gives you more useful preparation than an undifferentiated list of names.

2. Show why you understand the customer’s problem

Moring emphasized founder-market fit: the founder’s understanding of the industry, the problem, and what customers will pay to solve. In the discussion about AI making software easier to build, she returned to industry knowledge and customer access as important differences between founders.

Translate that into evidence. What have you learned from doing the work, observing customers, or testing the product? Which recurring problem did you uncover? What did customers do after you offered a solution?

Connor Brewer described building DropHammer Technologies from the problems he encountered operating a land-clearing business. That was his account of the company’s origins; it illustrates how a founder can explain the connection between experience and product decisions without relying on a generic claim of passion.

For your own pitch, separate what you know from what you are testing. Customer conversations, active usage, and revenue describe different kinds of progress. Use the description your evidence supports.

3. Choose one piece of progress that earns more time

When asked what belongs in a one-minute pitch, Moring framed the goal as giving an investor a reason to want a longer conversation. She pointed to traction and revenue as examples of information that can create that interest. Frater also encouraged founders to explain their motivation and why they are committed to the problem.

Try this editorial exercise: draft four sentences covering the customer, the problem, your solution, and the strongest relevant progress so far. Add a brief explanation of why you are the person to build it. Read the result aloud and remove anything that obscures those points.

A hypothetical pre-revenue founder might describe repeated use by a small test group and the next question that testing will answer. That should remain a description of testing, rather than being presented as paying-customer traction. Clarity matters more than making every company sound equally mature.

4. Explain the team you need next

A solo founder asked Moring whether lacking a cofounder would prevent investment. She said Cortado does invest in solo founders, while wanting to understand the plan for key hires and relevant expertise.

Prepare a short account of the work your current team can do, the expertise it lacks, and the next important role. Distinguish someone you hope to recruit from someone who has agreed to join. Explain how that role would help deliver the next milestone.

This makes a team gap discussable. It also gives an investor something more concrete to assess than a slide filled with future job titles.

5. Ask a question that improves your next decision

Frater cautioned founders against using their brief question to demand an immediate investment decision. A short pitch is an opening for learning and a possible next meeting.

Ask what evidence would help the investor understand the opportunity, which part of the business needs more explanation, or whether the company fits the firm’s current focus. Moring’s geographic feedback also highlighted the need for a meaningful business reason when approaching an investor outside your region. Her remarks did not make relocating to satisfy one fund a universal fundraising strategy.

Before your next conversation, put the five answers on one page: investor fit, customer understanding, current evidence, the team plan, and the question you need answered. Keep your application consistent with that page and use your own clear account of the business, reflecting Nath’s emphasis on genuine storytelling.

The next useful step may be another meeting, stronger customer evidence, or a different investor. Each can help you make a more informed decision about where to put your time.