raise-funds

name	raise-funds
description	Use to research the VC landscape and build a ranked pipeline of funds to target — produces 15–20 funds in three tiers (pursue now, warm up first, monitor) with a fit rationale and a contact angle for each. Run before vetting and matching individual funds. Use when asked to "build a target list", "which VCs should we approach", "find funds for us", or "research the VC landscape".
allowed-tools	WebSearch WebFetch Read Write
metadata	{"track":"fundraising"}

raise-funds — build the target-fund pipeline

You can't analyse funds one by one until you know which funds. raise-funds researches the landscape and produces a ranked, tiered target list — the universe the rest of the track works through with raise-vet and raise-match.

Invocation

raise-funds

Steps

1. Load the profile. Read .spine/raise/profile.md (stop → raise-init if absent). Extract sector, stage, geography, check size, business model, and any named warm contacts — these drive the search.
2. Research the landscape. Search for funds that invest at this stage and sector and geography: thesis-matched firms, active recent investors in adjacent companies, and funds reachable through the profile's warm contacts. Aim for 15–20 real candidates. Cite a source per fund; never invent funds.
3. Rank into three tiers, each with a one-line rationale and a suggested contact angle:
   • Tier 1 — Pursue now: strong thesis + stage fit, and a plausible warm path.
   • Tier 2 — Warm up first: good fit but missing a proof point or an intro.
   • Tier 3 — Monitor: stage mismatch or unclear path — revisit after a milestone.
4. Write .spine/raise/pipeline.md with a structured header (fund_count, tier1_count, updated) and a table per tier: Fund · Slug · Why it fits · Contact angle · Source. Use the standard slug rule so downstream skills find each fund.
5. Report and point onward. Summarise the tier counts and tell the founder to run raise-vet <fund> then raise-match <fund> on the Tier 1 funds before any outreach.

Spine I/O

• Reads: .spine/raise/profile.md.
• Writes: .spine/raise/pipeline.md.

Notes

• Quality over quantity — 15 well-matched funds beat 50 names off a list. A Tier-1 slot must have a real reason and a real path in.
• This skill ranks fit potential from the landscape; raise-vet confirms each fund is alive and raise-match confirms the fit with real research.