u/Lanky-Muscle-7309

Building an agentic investment platform connecting global investors and the African diaspora to African capital markets (1,000+ waitlist users, zero paid CAC).

Pre-seed, no revenue yet.

I’ve been doing outreach for a few months and I’d love honest feedback on what’s actually working for people at this stage — not the generic “warm intros are king” advice, but the tactical stuff.

What I’ve tried:

∙	Warm intros through mutual connections (hit or miss — depends heavily on the connector’s relationship with the target)

∙	Cold emails with a very specific hook tied to the investor’s portfolio thesis

∙	Accelerator applications as a forcing function to get in front of funds

What I’m running into:

∙	Most angels with emerging market exposure are either too early-stage skeptical or too focused on the operator side (infrastructure, payments)

∙	VCs with emerging markets thesis often don’t have fintech conviction, and vice versa

∙	Regulatory chicken-and-egg: investors ask about licenses before committing capital, but licenses require capital

Genuine questions:

1.	For those who’ve raised pre-seed in niche/emerging market verticals — how did you frame the regulatory risk without killing the conversation?

2.	Is there a meaningful difference in conversion between cold LinkedIn vs cold email at this stage?

3.	Any communities or forums where angels with Africa/diaspora focus are actually active?

Based in Paris (Station F), incorporated in Delaware — building for a global diaspora with real investment appetite and no clean way to access these markets today.

Not looking to drop a pitch here — genuinely curious what’s worked (or failed badly) for others.