Updated
Why a round creates finance work
Before a round, a startup's books can be a monthly catch-up done by a bookkeeper or a founder. After it, investors expect regular reporting, the board wants a pack before each meeting, and the plan the money was raised on needs a forecast someone keeps up to date.
Few early-stage companies hire a full finance team the week the money lands. Many bring in an accounting firm or a part-time CFO first, which is why the weeks after the announcement are when founders look for one.
Who to contact
- Founder or CEO: prepares the board meetings and feels the reporting load.
- COO or Head of Operations, who often owns finance in early-stage teams.
- Finance Manager or bookkeeper in post, who may welcome senior support.
- A newly hired Head of Finance, if the company has just recruited one.
What to say
Speak to the new obligations, not to bookkeeping in general: the first board pack, monthly investor updates, the budget they will be judged against, the audit their investors may ask for. Offer one concrete thing, such as a reporting template or a first-month setup.
If you work with a particular industry, or with companies backed by certain kinds of investors, say so: founders choose advisers who already know their situation.
How Coolie finds them
Point the signal at the clients you take on
There is nothing to set on Funding itself. The locations, sectors and company sizes in your ICP decide whose rounds reach you.
Coolie brings the rounds in
A round announced in the last 30 days at a company in your ICP becomes a lead, with the round and, if it was published, the amount.
It finds the decision makers
At each company, Coolie looks for the people whose job titles match your ICP, and gives each lead a score.
It researches the leads you pick
For the leads you choose, Coolie writes a research brief (the company's news, the person, the reason to write now) and a personalized email and LinkedIn sequence.
It writes and sends from your own accounts
Email and LinkedIn steps go out from your own mailbox and LinkedIn account, spread over your working hours. You approve each message, or let the agent run on autopilot.
Signals to pair it with
A company hiring its first finance role may want support instead, or alongside: Hiring finds those posts. A new finance leader often reviews outside advisers, and Recent Job Change finds them. See all signals.
Example (fictional)
Your firm offers part-time CFO services to software and e-commerce companies in the UK.
Coolie finds Tidewell Labs, 25 employees in Manchester, which announced a seed round ten days ago.
It finds Tidewell's CEO and operations lead, and for the ones you pick, drafts an email offering a board pack template and a first-month reporting setup.
Every company and person in this example is invented.
Frequently asked questions
When should I contact a company after its round?
In the weeks after the announcement, before the first board meeting and before reporting habits set. The rounds Coolie brings all date from the last 30 days.
Can I focus on the industries I know?
Yes: the industries in your ICP filter the rounds, so a firm that knows software or healthcare companies only sees theirs.
Will I reach the founder or their current accountant?
Whoever your ICP names. Many firms start with the founder or CEO, and add the operations or finance lead where there is one.