The short version
Sending consistent investor updates is one of the cheapest ways to improve your fundraising odds. Aim for monthly, keep a fuller version for investors and a lighter one for your wider community, and always include a one-liner, wins, challenges, key metrics, and a specific ask. Anything is better than nothing, and being honest about what’s not working builds more trust than hiding it. Templates for three update styles are below.
I’ve been there. It’s late, things aren’t going as planned, and you lean toward skipping a community or investor update. Maybe you tell yourself:
- “I don’t know what to say.”
- “I should be focused on more mission-critical tasks.”
- “What if they judge me?”
These are all common reasons founders skip updates. And skipping is also a huge mistake.
When I was a founder, through the highs and lows, I sent monthly updates to my mentors, friends, and investors. That consistency led to followers becoming investors, investors doubling down, key customer introductions, and game-changing hires.
Investors invest in stories and people they trust. Keeping them updated isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a sign of respect and a trust-building mechanism. Transparency builds confidence. A founder who consistently communicates progress—good or bad—earns long-term investor and community support.
Yet now, as an investor, I see so many founders not sending them. And I get it—I’m here to help!
This isn’t a guilt trip. It’s a wake-up call. And this guide will make sending them easy, effective, and worth your time.
Why Bother? What’s In It for You?
✅ Attract new investors – Great updates get mentors/friends/advisors excited and they may become investors. Great updates also get forwarded to others!
✅ Keep current investors engaged & build trust – Transparency builds confidence and turns investors into long-term allies who may re-invest.
✅ Unlock help – Investors won’t know how to help unless you ask. Updates are your chance to get intros, hiring support, and more.
✅ Stay accountable & focused – Writing updates forces you to reflect on progress, challenges, and upcoming priorities.
How often should you send investor updates?
I generally recommend monthly.
Bi-monthly or quarterly is okay too if you’re not gearing up to fundraise.
Audience: Who to Send Updates To
I believe in the value of building community and keeping as many people updated on your journey as possible - all people who can help! Startups take a village, build yours.
I suggest initially having one version, and then once you have investors, create two.
📍 V1: Full update including customer names & financials to send to your investors
📍 V2: A lighter version can go to community supporters, mentors, & prospective investors—a great way to build relationships before your next raise.
What should you include in an investor update?
One thing that trips founders up is overwhelm or seeing examples that don’t match their stage. So let’s break it down! Below are three types of updates:
1. The “I’m otherwise going to skip” Update
ANYTHING is better than nothing. Don’t let being too busy stop you from staying in touch. Here’s an ultra-quick update that still counts.
📢 Subject: [Company] [Month] Update
Hey [Investor Name],
It’s been a packed month, but I wanted to send a quick update to keep you in the loop:
1️⃣ One-Liner: One sentence description of what company does
📌 Win: We [shipped X / signed a new pilot with Y / hit a key milestone]
🚧 Challenge: [Hiring / a key bottleneck / fundraising runway] is our top focus—working on solutions now.
🙏 Ask: We’re looking for advice on [hiring a sales leader, fundraising, etc.] or intros to [specific role at specific company type]. If you know someone let me know and I’ll send you a forwardable email!
More soon, but appreciate your support as always. If you have ideas or want to connect 1-1, here’s the link to my calendar.
[Your Name]
2. The Early Traction Update
Remember to tell a story. Give people context to understand why you’re focused on what you are, how it’s going, what you’re learning, and what’s next.
📌 One-Liner: Quick reminder of what your company does.
📌 Quick Overview: 2-3 sentence intro covering highlights & overall sentiment.
Key Updates:
- 🔹 Biggest wins this month (e.g., new customer, product launch, major partnership)
- 🔹 Biggest challenges & learnings this month (e.g., long sales cycle, team attrition, bug in product)
OR use this format:
- 🔹 Sales/Pilots – Updates on pipeline & traction
- 🔹 Product – Feature performance & upcoming launches
- 🔹 Team – Hiring & key team changes
KPIs & Financials (typically includes):
- Revenue (compared to last month)
- Burn rate
- Months of runway
Goals for next month – For instance, experiment with 10 cold calls/week, hire 2 computer science interns, etc.
Asks – Be specific & actionable!
Thanks & Closing – Acknowledge investors, advisors, or team members who helped.
3. The Repeatable Traction Update
Numbers and graphs are your friend! Show how things are progressing visually to paint a clear picture.
1️⃣ One-Liner: One sentence description of what company does (remind people!)
2️⃣ Quick Overview: 2-3 sentence introduction covering highlights / overall sentiment of what’s going on
3️⃣ Key Updates:
Customer Traction & Sales
- Updates on # of customers, revenue per customer, free-to-paid conversion, sales pipeline etc. either in graph form or month-over-month
- Learnings from this month
Product Updates
- What’s going well (consider showing graph of usage data and product KPIs!)
- What are you learning / key challenges
- Upcoming features
Team Updates
- What’s going well, not going well, and upcoming team needs
Financials
- MRR: $2.5K (up from $1.8K last month)
- Burn Rate: $18K/month (down $1k from last month)
- Runway: 9 months (down 1 month from last month)
- Any other KPIs
Goals for upcoming month
- Top 3-5 priorities
Asks
- How followers can help!
Thanks & Closing
- Shout out an investor, advisor, or team member who went above and beyond. Gratitude goes a long way in strengthening relationships.
What Makes A Great Investor Update?
📈 Bullets & visuals
📙 Story arch
🔢 Real # & metrics
🤔 Show how you learn & iterate
⏳ Consistency
🤝 Transparency & Vulnerability
Maximizing your Asks
🎯 The more specific, the better.
🚫 Instead of: “Looking for intros to investors.”
✅ Try: “Looking for angel investors with a background in Marketing tech.”
Even better—include a target list or pre-filtered LinkedIn search.
Make it easy for someone to make an intro. If you need help, check out my guide on best practices for forwardable emails.
Tools for Sending Updates
Don’t let fancy formatting stand in the way of sending updates. But, here are my favorites:
📌 Paperstreet – Easy formatting & audience segmentation.
📌 YAMM – Email automation + unsubscribe handling.
📌 Gmail (BCC method) – Simple & free!
What If Things Aren’t Going Well?
That’s okay! It’s a startup—seasoned mentors and investors expect ups and downs.
Great founders don’t hide problems—they show how they’re tackling them. Investors appreciate honesty, especially if paired with a plan or an ask.
Still don’t know what to say? Look inwards. If you lack strategic focus, tap an advisor for clarity—and include that in your update. You might be surprised who reaches out to help.
Hope this guide was helpful! Connect with me on LinkedIn or reach out to the FoundersEdge team for more fundraising guidance.
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