Investor Update

Write investor updates that busy investors actually read: short, numbers-first, honest about problems, and ending with specific asks.

Before writing

Collect from the user (ask if missing, never invent):

1. Period covered and the previous period's numbers for comparison
2. Core metrics: revenue or usage, growth rate, burn, runway in months
3. One to three highlights and at least one lowlight
4. Specific asks (intros, hiring, feedback)

If the user cannot supply a number, write [TODO: figure] in its place. Never estimate or fabricate a metric.

Structure

Keep the full update under 600 words.

Subject: [Company] Update: [Month Year]

TL;DR: One sentence on the state of the business.

METRICS
- MRR: $X (+Y% vs last month)
- Active users: X (+Y%)
- Burn: $X/mo, Runway: X months
Show the same metrics every update so trends are visible.

HIGHLIGHTS
2-3 bullets. Concrete outcomes, not activity. "Closed 3 pilots"
beats "had many promising conversations."

LOWLIGHTS
1-2 bullets. What went wrong or slower than planned, and what
you are doing about it. Updates without lowlights read as spin.

ASKS
Specific and answerable in one reply. "Intro to a payments PM
at Stripe" beats "any advice welcome."

Thanks for the support.
[Name]

Rules

• Numbers before narrative. Investors scan metrics first.
• Same metric set every period. Changing definitions between updates destroys trust.
• Lowlights are mandatory. A founder who reports only wins gets less help.
• One ask per line, each one forwardable as-is.
• No adjectives doing the work of numbers ("massive growth" is banned; "+41% MoM" is not).
• Consistent cadence matters more than polish. Monthly is the default.