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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.metal.so/llms.txt

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When qualifying a given investment firm, the most important consideration is often any prior investments they have made in your specific operating space. On Metal, on any given investor profile, users can navigate to Intelligence > Investments > Similar Investments to view the most similar prior investments that the investor had made. The below visual shows the range of possibilities:
1

Sector Familiarity

Has the investor made at least some investments in our parent sector? Investors that have never invested in your parent sector may still consider an investment in your space, but they are probably not the default go-to investors for your Company.
Recommended Criteria — At least “1” investment in the user’s parent sector in the past five years.
2

Stage Focus

Does the investor specialise at our stage? This is often the most critical elimination criteria. Most investors have a clear and specific focus in terms of the stage at which they like to invest. You can learn more about round stages here.
Recommended Criteria — At least 10%+ of the investor’s total investments in the user’s stage.
3

Inclination to Lead

Does the investor lead rounds at your specific stage? Via the investor profile, users can identify the percentage of a given investor’s investments that they have led at a given stage. If/when looking for a lead investor, founders should know that investors that have historically led <10% of their investments are not likely to lead rounds.
Recommended Criteria — At least 10%+ of prior investments led in the user’s stage.
4

Geo Focus

Has the investor previously invested in your continent? Most investors tend to be less adventurous with investing in continents that they historically haven’t invested in before.
Recommended Criteria — At least “1” investment in the user’s continent in the last 5 years.
The above are typically used as dis-qualifiers in the set of investors that founders decide to pursue. While the above list is not designed to be exhaustive, it provides a strong starting point to drill into the “most likely” investing partners.