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In a given raise process, the highest leverage activity is to focus on the “most likely” investors. With 10,000+ VCs actively writing checks, founders need a data-driven approach to discover investors that are actually likely to lead or join the round. Metal provides founders four primary mechanisms to discover the most likely investors for their Company.

AI Search

Use AI or develop a custom search query using precision filters across stage, sector, geography and more.

New Funds

Surface new investors that have recently started a new firm, or that have raised a new fund.

Market Signals

Algorithmically scan 1m+ data points to surface investors that publish content aligned with your business model.

Similar Companies

Seamlessly identify investors that have previously backed companies similar to yours.
Each method answers a different question. AI Search looks at historical investing patterns, Market Signals at what investors believe today, New Funds at who has capital to deploy, and Similar Companies at who has already bet on your category. The strongest targets usually show up in more than one.
Prefer to delegate? Ask Agent Mode to build the list for you, for example: “Find 20 seed investors that fit our round and add the best 10 to a new pipeline.” It uses the same four methods and the same Relevance Ranks.

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Training the Rankings Engine

A recommended starting point is to use Metal’s built-in engine that ranks investors based on our internal fit assessment. The rankings engine draws on the information users provide about their Company and on the proprietary intelligence that Metal holds on venture investors via its Investor Memory Layer. Relevance Ranks are determined through an orchestration layer that takes into account your Company’s business model, stage, sector, geography and round dynamics. For instance, if you are looking for a lead investor at the Pre-seed stage, and if a given investor doesn’t lead at Pre-seed, then the system will assign a low rank to such an investor. Founders can “train” the rankings engine by providing Metal with greater context on their Company’s business model and overall strategy. Ranks become more accurate as Metal better understands your Company. You can equip the platform with rich context by uploading pitch decks, by engaging in conversations with Richard AI, and by integrating your data sources.

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Ways to add context

Your company profile, round details and investor preferences are the foundation of every rank. They tell Metal your stage, sector, geography, target raise and check size, and whether you want investors who lead rounds, join party rounds or follow a lead.
Set these under Settings → Fundraising Configs, and update them as your round changes.
New context reaches your ranks the next time they refresh. After a meaningful change, such as a new deck or a change in stage or target raise, refresh them from Settings → Relevance Ranks.
See Relevance Ranks for more detail on how each investor is scored.