# 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. Source: https://12inf.ai/resources/investor-shortlist-template Updated: 2026-10-14 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](/resources/first-check-investors-pre-seed) 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](/resources/build-an-investor-search-brief) before filling rows. Use the [evidence scorecard](/resources/investor-evidence-scorecard) when the problem is confidence in the sources. For a sourced starting pool, bring the [European pre-seed investor list](/resources/investors/pre-seed-europe) into the template and verify each constraint before moving a name to the shortlist. Use the [published check-size ranges and round worksheet](/resources/pre-seed-seed-check-size-data) 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](/resources/ai-software-seed) and [first-cheque and lead/follow criteria](/resources/uk-first-cheque). For a choice of research method, compare [manual research, databases and AI](/resources/ai-investor-research-vs-database). Before moving your sheet, use the [fundraising CRM migration checklist](/resources/foundersuite-alternatives) to preserve evidence and next actions. Choose a starting source with the [free investor database comparison](/resources/free-investor-databases-for-startups), then retain evidence in your shortlist. Before expanding the shortlist, calculate [how many suitable investors your round needs](/resources/how-many-investors-to-contact-seed-round) 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](/try) ## Shortlist kit [Download ZIP](/resources/skills/12inf-investor-shortlist-kit.zip)