Investor Shortlist Template: Free CSV Kit and Worked Example

Build a shortlist you can explain: one row per investor, separate evidence for each constraint, and a clear decision to research, clarify, approach or exclude.

For a small initial slot, bring the first-check investor qualification questions into the first-cheque and role columns.

This free CSV kit works with Excel and Google Sheets. It includes a blank shortlist, a claim-by-claim evidence log, three fictional worked examples and a field guide. No sign-up is required.

What belongs in an investor shortlist?

A longlist collects possibilities. A shortlist records why an investor is relevant to this particular company and round. A contact list or CRM starts a different job: managing conversations after qualification.

• Company brief — Product, buyer, stage, incorporation and target markets; total raise and desired initial investment — Searching a broad sector before defining the business
• Stage and geography — Published entry stage and eligible company locations, with separate evidence — Treating the investor’s office location as its investment remit
• First cheque and role — Initial commitment range, currency and lead/follow preference — Using total round size or lifetime investment as a first cheque
• Thesis and portfolio — A specific thesis connection and any apparent competing portfolio company — Calling every AI investment proof of fit for every AI startup
• Evidence — A claim ID linking to the source URL, source date when known, checked date and supported claim — One homepage URL used as proof for every field
• Decision — Research, clarify, approach or exclude; reason and next action — A high score hiding an explicit eligibility mismatch

Use the investor search brief before filling rows. Use the evidence scorecard when the problem is confidence in the sources.

For a sourced starting pool, bring the European pre-seed investor list into the template and verify each constraint before moving a name to the shortlist.

Use the published check-size ranges and round worksheet to sanity-check the allocation recorded in each shortlist row.

A worked example: three names, three different decisions

Fictional scenario: a UK-incorporated B2B software company is raising £1.5m at seed and wants a £500k initial commitment from a lead. The companies and source labels below are invented solely to demonstrate the template.

• Example Fund A — UK seed; B2B software; initial £250k–£750k; states it leads. No direct conflict identified in the supplied fictional portfolio — Approach candidate after a final source refresh. The requested £500k fits the stated range
• Example Fund B — UK software; £1m–£5m per company. Initial cheque and entry stage are not specified — Clarify. The per-company range cannot answer whether it will write the first £500k cheque
• Example Fund C — Relevant software portfolio but published mandate is US-incorporated Series A companies — Exclude for this brief. Sector relevance does not override two explicit mismatches

The kit keeps these rows in a separate example file. Your blank shortlist contains no invented investor records. “Approach” is an editorial research decision, not evidence that an investor is interested.

How to turn a longlist into an outreach-ready shortlist

• Write the brief once. Separate the total amount being raised from the amount sought from this investor. Capture your actual stage and geography.
• Add candidates without assuming they qualify. A directory result, recommendation or portfolio connection is a discovery source. Record it and start the row as research.
• Check the fund’s own current material. Read its thesis, FAQ, team and portfolio pages. Log individual claims rather than pasting an unexplained homepage link.
• Apply explicit constraints first. Exclude a confirmed mismatch. Keep missing information as unknown. A missing cheque range is not a zero and is not an automatic pass.
• Resolve contradictions. If a directory and a current fund statement disagree, record both. Note which source supports your current interpretation and what still needs confirmation.
• Choose one next action. For example: confirm whether £1m is an initial or lifetime investment; verify the relevant vehicle; or check an apparent portfolio conflict.
• Refresh before outreach. Reopen the sources that determine eligibility and route the approach through the investor’s published contact process.

For source-backed fund examples, see AI and software seed investors and first-cheque and lead/follow criteria. For a choice of research method, compare manual research, databases and AI.

Before moving your sheet, use the fundraising CRM migration checklist to preserve evidence and next actions.

Choose a starting source with the free investor database comparison, then retain evidence in your shortlist.

Before expanding the shortlist, calculate how many suitable investors your round needs and record your conversion assumptions.

Template questions

Is this an investor database?

No. The blank files are a research structure. The example funds are fictional. Start with candidates you discover and attach real sources before making decisions.

Can I use it in Google Sheets?

Yes. Unzip the download, then import each CSV into a separate sheet. Keep the investor_id and claim_id columns so the shortlist and evidence log remain connected.

Does it automatically score or filter investors?

No. These are plain CSV files with explicit decision fields. The example demonstrates judgment; it does not hide a ranking formula in a spreadsheet.

Why not start with an investor CRM?

A CRM is useful for tracking outreach, replies and follow-ups. This template handles the earlier decision: whether the name belongs in that pipeline at all. Move qualified rows into your preferred CRM when you are ready.

Start with your own company

Bring your website and funding context to 12inf to start an investor search.

Find investors for your startup

Sources and examples are identified in the article. Research criteria do not establish investor interest.