Pre-seed
Uses Metal to Drive Meeting Strategy
“Prior to engaging with investors, Metal allows us to build deal intelligence. For a given investor, the platform shows a list of their investments that are most similar to Kidsy, their investment patterns across stages, sectors & geographies - enabling us to identify which investors have previously seen success with similar models. This helps us walk into discussions with the right context and preparation.”
Shraysi Tandon
Founder/CEO
Kidsy, an eCommerce startup based in Chicago, offers discounted baby and kids products sourced from large brands, retailers and liquidation companies.
The Challenge
What founders struggle with before Metal
The team at Kidsy has been stretched thin – they launched in beta in September ‘23, surpassed $1m in annualized revenue in January ‘24, and closed an oversubscribed $1m pre-seed round in March ‘24.
As a fast-moving high-growth company, Kidsy receives significant investor inbound. Given the interest, it can be challenging for the team to efficiently distinguish between high-signal investors that are likely candidates for the next round, and others just looking to do calls to settle their curiosity.
Deal Intelligence Via Metal
How Metal surfaces the right investors
With Metal, Shraysi (Founder, Kidsy) is able to gain customized intelligence on each investor that they cross paths with. Prior to investor calls, and when evaluating unsolicited inbound from investors, she is able to use Metal to identify the following –
Similar Investments
Metal shows a list of investments by a given investor that are “most similar” to her company (Kidsy). This immediately shows her if the investor has had prior experience and/or success with similar business models.
Recent Deals by Sector
Metal also provides a list of recent deals with useful sectors. Specifically, for Kidsy, viewing all deals that the investor has made in “B2B Software > Supply Chain & Logistics” is particularly useful.
Additionally, Shraysi is able to view other important details for a given investor, including the pace at which they are deploying capital, the spread of their investments across stages and sectors, the inclination to lead or follow (broken out by each stage), and the most relevant partners that have prior experience in the relevant sector.
Impact on the Fundraising Process
How targeting the right investors changes outcomes
For a given investor, by seeing prior participation in the Supply Chain & Logistics sector, and by viewing prior investments in this space, Kidsy’s team is able to prioritize and direct conversations in optimal directions. Oftentimes, this helps them pin down where the investor currently stands in their learning journey around a given sector.
In many cases, they are able to identify specific investments that are strikingly similar to Kidsy.
This information is of crucial importance, especially when this reveals that the investor has done extremely well on a very similar investment.
Executive Summary
Key takeaways from Kidsy's use of Metal
Kidsy used Metal's deal intelligence to better understand every investor before engaging with them. By surfacing relevant investments, recent deals, and sector expertise, the team was able to prioritize high-fit investors, prepare more effectively for meetings, and spend less time on manual research.
01
Understanding a given investor’s prior work in the relevant sector drives fundraising strategy
02
Knowing the “most similar investments” for a given investor helps draw the right parallels
03
Focus fundraising efforts on investors with the strongest strategic fit.
