Poach

What is Poach?

Poach is an innovative platform designed to enhance deal flow^[1] for venture capitalists^[2] (VCs) by tracking potential startup founders^[3] before they raise their seed rounds. By leveraging social media insights^[4], particularly from Twitter and LinkedIn, Poach enables users to identify promising entrepreneurs and monitor their activities, allowing VCs to act proactively in their investment strategies. The core value of Poach lies in its ability to deliver enriched data and insights directly to users, thereby facilitating informed decision-making in the fast-paced startup ecosystem.

How to use Poach?

1. Sign up for an account on the Poach website to access the platform.
2. Track VCs on Twitter to see who they follow, as these follows can indicate early interest in founders.
3. Utilize LinkedIn enrichment to match Twitter accounts with LinkedIn profiles, enhancing your data with work history and education.
4. Leverage AI-powered labeling to categorize individuals as founders, engineers, or investors based on their social media profiles.
5. Export raw data in CSV format or access it via the API to filter for specific criteria, such as unfunded founders.

What are the main features of Poach?

• VC Tracking: Monitor Twitter accounts of top-tier VCs to identify potential founders.
• LinkedIn Enrichment: Match Twitter profiles with LinkedIn to obtain comprehensive work history and education data.
• AI-Powered Labeling: Automatically categorize individuals based on their professional roles and activities.
• Data Delivery: Receive daily enriched data summaries via email, including CSV exports for detailed analysis.
• Custom Filtering: Use advanced filters to target specific types of founders or professionals based on various criteria.

Who is Poach for?

Poach is primarily designed for venture capitalists, angel investors, and startup accelerators who are looking to expand their deal flow and identify promising founders early in their entrepreneurial journey. It caters to those who are actively seeking investment opportunities in the startup ecosystem and want to leverage social media insights for informed decision-making. Additionally, Poach can benefit startup founders looking to connect with investors by showcasing their profiles and activities.

What are the use cases of Poach?

1. Identifying Early-Stage Founders: VCs can use Poach to find founders who have not yet raised funding, allowing them to engage with potential investments before they become widely known.
2. Monitoring VC Interests: Investors can track which founders are gaining attention from prominent VCs, helping them to spot trends and emerging startups.
3. Data-Driven Investment Decisions: By utilizing the enriched data provided by Poach, investors can make more informed decisions based on comprehensive profiles and activity monitoring of potential founders.