How to get to Non-Responders

What to do if a hot company is not responding to you?

1. Make sure you are in fact calling the correct contact. Your contact may have moved on to a new company or a less involved status. First, check the website, Google it, then ask the receptionist if there is a better person to reach than who you were originally looking for.

2. Check the site/web for any recent news. In my case, sometimes a CEO won’t get back to me if the company has recently raised capital or going through an acquisition. Also, in a voice message or email, congratulate him/her on a new customer win, new release, award or recognition.
 
3. If a company is not actively looking for venture capital financing or not looking for investors at all, make sure you come across as very interested in the sector and their business model as opposed to “selling” them. At this early stage, you are honestly much more interested in learning about him/her and the company. Most of our portfolio companies were not looking for venture funding when we first began a relationship, but a year or so down the line considered it. By that point a great relationship with OpenView was already established, making the financing and operational support easy.