Founders: “We’re not sure how to talk about our project.”

Also founders: never asked their investors for the memo that convinced them to invest.

That doc = your positioning cheat code. Market, problem, and why you're the chosen one. Polish it. Ship it. 

Bonus: this is why you pick thoughtful investors, not just hype machines.

You're welcome!

Woah! I didn’t even know that investors wrote memos! 

1. Do investors write memos for investments of all stages? 

2. Is there a good way to ask for a memo? Do investors ever gatekeep a memo? 

3. Can I ask for a memo of other companies in their portfolio?

💻 Developer Relations
🏊‍♀️ Competitive swimmer
👩‍⚖️ City of Seattle Women’s Commission

Not all VCs write memos — but many do. Especially at early stages, even a short internal writeup or summary usually exists. It’s 100% fair to ask for it (or at least a high-level summary). It’s in the investor’s own interest to help you sharpen your narrative.

Don’t overthink the ask: “Hey, could you share your memo or a summary of why you invested in us?” works great.

As for other companies' memos: those are usually confidential. But you can ask your investor what patterns they see across portfolio companies that tell their story well.