Short answer: talk to them!
Longer answer: unfortunately, there is no neatly formatted, searchable database of investors that will tell you who you should approach. Instead, here is a non-exhaustive list of things you can do:
- Look at other start-ups in your industry in a related space and see who has funded them.
- Talk to other entrepreneurs and ask for their advice on who to approach.
- If you have already identified an investor and want to understand them a little before approaching them in person, speak to entrepreneurs they have funded in the past, focusing on entrepreneurs in your own industry, or ask your existing investors to make introductions to people they know and respect.
- Some investors will give you insights into how they think via their Twitter accounts, Quora answers, blogs and other such forums.
This is a cross-post of my latest column answering entrepreneurs' questions for Yourstory.com.
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