For founders raising capital
Walk into the pitch already knowing their thesis.
Type an investor’s name. Brief turns it into their thesis, recent checks, and what they care about right now — plus the questions that show you did your homework — before you ever shake hands.
Brief is an AI research tool founders use to prepare for investor meetings. Type a partner’s name and it returns a briefing in seconds — their thesis, what they’ve recently backed, what they care about right now, and the questions that signal fit. It reads the open web for you, so you walk in knowing the investor, not just the fund — built on the same engine behind Brief’s VC pages.
The pain
Figuring out what a partner actually cares about — versus the generic line on the fund’s site — is hours of digging the week you should be selling the round. Pitch the wrong fit and you’ve burned a meeting you can’t get back.
“You really need to understand the motivation of the potential investors you are pitching. Early-stage founders often waste a lot of time pitching anyone who says they make investments.”
How it’s done today: Today it’s Crunchbase, X, podcasts, and chasing warm intros — all by hand, stitched together between back-to-back pitches.
By the numbers
11–14 questions make the best meetings
Across 519,000 analyzed calls, asking 11–14 sharp, well-placed questions correlated with the best outcomes (Gong) — and the sharpest questions come from knowing who you’re talking to.
Source: Gong →71% expect to be understood — investors included
71% of people expect to be understood as individuals and 76% get frustrated when they’re not (McKinsey) — a generic “love your fund” opener lands flat with a partner who’s heard it all week.
Source: McKinsey, 2021 →How to use Brief as a founder
- 1
Type the investor’s or partner’s name (add the fund to disambiguate).
- 2
Get their thesis, what they recently backed, what they care about now, mutual connections, and the questions that signal fit.
- 3
Use it to open the pitch on what this specific partner actually invests in — not the generic line on the fund’s website.
Brief vs. doing it manually
Hours across Crunchbase, X, and podcasts
Thesis and recent checks in seconds
The generic line on the fund’s site
What this partner actually cares about
Pitching anyone who takes the meeting
Questions that signal real fit
Done the week you should be selling
Done before the meeting starts
Why Brief is better
- →Know the investor, not just the fund — thesis, recent investments, current focus, mutual connections.
- →Walk in with the questions that signal fit and homework, not a recited elevator pitch.
- →Built on the same engine behind Brief’s VC pages, so the data’s already there.
Straight answers
I can just Google them myself.
You can — but assembling a partner’s real thesis from Crunchbase, X, and podcasts is hours of work the week you should be selling the round. Brief reads the open web and hands you the thesis, recent checks, and fit questions in seconds.
Is it accurate? AI makes things up.
Every brief is built from real web sources and labeled AI-generated and possibly inaccurate, with sources shown — a fast first draft to scan and sanity-check, not a verdict to quote blind.
Frequently asked
How do I research an investor before a pitch?
Go past the fund’s website to the individual partner: their thesis, what they’ve recently backed, what they’re posting about, and where you fit. Brief turns a partner’s name into exactly that in seconds, plus the questions that signal you understand their focus — so you pitch the investor, not a generic fund.
How do I find out what a VC actually invests in?
Look at their recent checks and public commentary, not just the sectors listed on the site — the signal is in what they’ve actually funded and said lately. Brief assembles a partner’s recent investments, focus, and priorities from the open web, and you can browse Brief’s VC pages by sector and country to find the right fit in the first place.
What should I know about a partner before pitching them?
Their thesis and current focus, a few recent investments, any mutual connections, and a sharp question or two that shows you did the homework. Brief packages that into one briefing so your first minutes land on what this specific partner cares about.
Related
Other use cases
You’ve got one shot in the room.
Type a partner’s name. Know their thesis before you pitch — your first brief’s free.
Brief your next investor →