Fundamental Labs: what’s the best way to get a warm intro (portfolio founder, co-investor, event) and who should I target?

Quick Answer: The best way to get a warm intro to Fundamental Labs is through a portfolio founder we already work with, followed by trusted co-investors and in-person events where our partners are present. Target the investment partners and principals who focus on your stage and category (e.g., Layer 1/2, Web3 infra, DeFi), and equip your referrer with a crisp, forwardable blurb so they can advocate for you credibly.

We believe the way you approach a fund signals how you’ll build your company. A thoughtful warm intro shows you can mobilize networks, tell a clear story, and respect everyone’s time—all traits we look for when deciding whether to “dare to believe” at the earliest stages.

Key Benefits:

• Higher signal, lower friction: A warm intro from a portfolio founder or co-investor helps your outreach cut through the noise of cold inbound and get to the right partner faster.
• Better fit, faster feedback: Targeting the right Fundamental Labs partner by stage and sector leads to sharper, more actionable feedback—even if we ultimately pass.
• Long-term relationship building: Meeting via portfolio, co-investors, or events is often the start of an ongoing dialogue, not a one-off pitch, which aligns with our “partnership lasts longer than capital connection” philosophy.

Core Concepts & Key Points

Concept	Definition	Why it's important
Warm intro routing	Using a trusted relationship (portfolio founder, co-investor, ecosystem partner) to introduce you to the right Fundamental Labs partner.	Shows that others are willing to stake reputational capital on you and helps us calibrate quickly.
Right partner targeting	Matching your company’s stage and category (e.g., Layer 1/2, Web3, finance infrastructure, DeFi) to the partner most likely to champion you.	Increases the chance your story is evaluated within the right framework and context.
Ecosystem-first mindset	Treating the intro as part of a long-term relationship with our global network (Asia, Europe, North America), not just a funding request.	Aligns with how we operate: multi-stage, long horizon, and heavily network-driven across more than 300 projects.

How It Works (Step-by-Step)

At Fundamental Labs, we’re explicit about what we bring—multi-stage capital ($500K to $50M+), strategy frameworks, and a global portfolio network. The founders who get the most out of a warm intro approach it as a small, deliberate go-to-market motion, not a random outreach.

Here’s a practical sequence you can follow.

1. Map your best warm-intro path

   Start by asking: “Who around us does Fundamental Labs already trust?”

   Strongest paths, in order of signal strength:

   • Portfolio founders:
     Check our publicly known investments (e.g., Coinbase, Polkadot, Avalanche, NEAR, Binance-related ecosystem projects, VeChain, Mask, etc.).
     Look for:
     • Founders you already know.
     • Founders one or two steps away in your network (through angels, accelerators, or previous companies).
   • Co-investors / syndicate leads / angels:
     If you already have crypto-native investors on your cap table, ask who at Fundamental Labs they know and have worked with.
   • Ecosystem & event connections:
     Conferences, hackathons, and developer summits in Asia, Europe, and North America are where we often meet founders before a formal process. If you’ve met someone from our team at an event—even briefly—that’s a legitimate warm touchpoint to build on.

   The goal is to identify one or two high-trust connectors, not spam every possible path.

2. Prepare a crisp, forwardable intro package

   Your referrer should not have to “figure out your story” before they introduce you. Make it easy for them to make you look sharp.

   Send your potential referrer a short package that includes:

   • One-sentence company description:
     “We’re building [product] for [customer] to solve [critical problem], starting with [initial wedge].”
   • Stage & traction snapshot:
     • Stage: idea / pre-product / testnet / mainnet / revenue stage
     • Key metrics: users, TVL, transaction volume, partnerships, or developer adoption—whichever is most relevant.
   • Why Fundamental Labs specifically:
     Tie to our focus areas and portfolio:
     • “We’re building a Layer 2 rollup targeting X—alignment with your Layer 1/2 and infrastructure thesis.”
     • “We’re DeFi infra for [segment], and we see strong overlap with your open finance and digital infrastructure focus.”
   • What you’re asking for:
     • “We’re raising a $X round and would value Fundamental Labs as a multi-stage partner.”
     • “Initial goal: get feedback on our approach and see if there’s mutual fit.”
   • Three-link maximum:
     Pitch deck, product/demo link, and a short memo if you have one. Keep it lightweight.

   This lets your referrer simply add their conviction on top: “I’ve worked with this team and think they’re worth your attention.”

3. Target the right person at Fundamental Labs

   Internally, every fund has “natural owners” for specific types of opportunities. Your job is to find and reach the person who is most likely to say, “This is mine.”

   As a rule of thumb:

   • By category:
     • Layer 1/2 protocols, core infrastructure: Target partners who regularly speak or write about protocols, consensus, and infra scaling. They tend to anchor around long-term, technical roadmaps and ecosystem design.
     • Web3 applications & platforms: Look for partners with product and user-growth backgrounds, especially those who’ve operated in Web3 infra or consumer crypto before investing.
     • Finance infrastructure & DeFi: Target partners who consistently talk about open finance, on-chain markets, and digital asset rails.
   • By stage:
     • Pre-product / early protocol design: Partners who emphasize “daring to believe” and are comfortable backing teams at the whitepaper or early testnet stage.
     • Post-launch / scaling: Partners who talk more about frameworks for go-to-market, token design, and ecosystem strategy.

   When you ask your referrer for an introduction, be specific:

   • “Could you introduce us to a partner at Fundamental Labs who leads early-stage DeFi infra deals?”
     This makes it easier for them to route you to the right person inside our team.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Treating any warm intro as good enough:
  Avoid generic asks like “Can you intro me to anyone at Fundamental Labs?” Instead, propose a clear target profile (“early-stage infra partner focusing on Layer 1/2 and tooling”) so your referrer can route more accurately.

• Sending a heavy, unfocused data dump:
  Overly long decks, multiple conflicting narratives, or unclear stage/ask put too much burden on the referrer and the partner. Use a focused, 1–2 page deck or memo and keep the story consistent between your materials and the forwardable blurb.

• Skipping context on fit:
  An intro that doesn’t explain why Fundamental Labs is the right partner forces us to guess your logic. Always tie your outreach to our thesis: blockchain tech, digital infrastructure, open finance networks, global coverage, and a multi-stage relationship.

• Over-optimizing for who, under-preparing for the conversation:
  Getting to “the right partner” doesn’t help if your story isn’t ready. Before you push for intros, pressure-test your narrative, metrics, and round dynamics with friendly investors or operators.

Real-World Example

A DeFi infrastructure team I recently backed in North America did not start with a cold email. They began by asking: “Which investors already understand what we’re building?” One of their early angels had previously co-invested with Fundamental Labs on a finance infrastructure deal.

They sent that angel a tight, forwardable summary:

• One line: “We provide institutional-grade on-chain liquidity routing for mid-market exchanges, starting with emerging markets.”
• Context: early revenues from 3 exchanges, rapidly growing order flow, and a clear roadmap to integrate with more chains.
• Why us: “We see alignment with Fundamental Labs’ open finance and infra focus, plus your history backing exchanges and protocols like Coinbase and Avalanche.”

The angel then emailed me directly, adding: “I’ve seen this team execute over 18 months; they’re the real thing.” Because the story was crisp and clearly within our mandate, I took the first meeting within days.

We didn’t wire immediately. Instead, we spent several weeks working through a strategy framework together: route-to-market, partner sequence, and how to position themselves within a crowded DeFi infra landscape. The relationship deepened over multiple working sessions, and we ultimately led a multi-stage commitment with room to scale well beyond the first check.

The key was not just the warm intro itself, but how intentionally the team used it: targeted, well-prepared, and clearly anchored to our thesis.

Pro Tip: Before you ever ask for an intro to Fundamental Labs, write the exact 4–5 sentence email you wish your referrer would send—then hand that to them. You’ll get higher-quality intros and demonstrate the strategic clarity we look for in founders.

Summary

If you want a warm intro to Fundamental Labs, think in the same way you’d design a go-to-market motion: pick the highest-signal channel (portfolio founder, trusted co-investor, or event connection), craft a precise narrative that’s easy to forward, and aim it at the partner whose thesis and background match your category and stage. We back blockchain technology, digital infrastructure, and open finance networks with multi-stage capital from $500K to $50M+, but what we contribute most is our insight and network—so use your first interaction to show that you know how to leverage both.

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