Guillermo Flor recently shared something that caught my attention: "BREAKING: I built the Ultimate Twitter Investor List" and then added, "Every top-tier VC and founder is on X." He explained he spent a week compiling "1,000+ top angel investors who are active on X" and that the list only includes angels who "have invested recently," "still take first meetings," and "write early cheques."

That framing matters because it is not just another directory. It is a thesis about fundraising reality in 2026: distribution and dealflow have moved upstream. If you can understand who is actively investing, what they care about, and how they talk online, you can show up as a familiar name instead of a cold email in the void.

"By the time you reach out directly, you’re no longer a stranger." - Guillermo Flor

Below is my expanded take on why this works, what makes a list like this valuable, and how to use it without turning into spam.

The hidden problem Guillermo is solving

Most founders do not fail at fundraising because their product is terrible. They fail because they run a process that is too slow, too random, or too cold.

Here is the typical pattern:

Build a long spreadsheet from Crunchbase or intros
Send generic outreach
Wait weeks
Get a few polite passes
Repeat with new names

Guillermo’s post points to a better pattern: start with investors who are demonstrably active right now, and use public context to make the first touch relevant.

The difference is not cosmetic. "Active on X" means you can observe:

What they are curious about this month
The language they use to evaluate startups
The projects and founders they amplify
Whether they actually respond to founders

That is a real-time signal that most founder fundraising lists ignore.

What makes an "ultimate" investor list actually useful

Guillermo shared the criteria for inclusion, and I think those are the right filters for an early stage founder.

1) "Have invested recently"

Recency beats reputation. An investor who was active two years ago but has not written a check in 12 months is a low-probability target.

When I build (or evaluate) an investor target list, I look for evidence of recent deployment:

Recent angel checks (not just follow-ons)
New portfolio announcements
Public congrats posts that imply participation
Syndicate activity (where applicable)

Practical tip: if someone posts thoughtful analysis but never seems to invest, treat them as media, not capital.

2) "Still take first meetings"

Some angels become allocators who only invest through friends, inside rounds, or follow-ons. That is fine, but it is not what most first-time founders need.

Signals they take first meetings:

They say it explicitly in their bio or pinned post
They frequently reply to founders
They ask for decks or one-liners in public
Their portfolio includes first-time founders

3) "Write early cheques"

For pre-seed and seed, check size and speed matter. A smaller check written quickly can be the difference between momentum and a stalled round.

You are not just looking for wealth. You are looking for:

Appetite for ambiguity
Comfort underwriting without full metrics
Pattern recognition in your sector

Why X can outperform traditional fundraising channels

Guillermo’s line "Every top-tier VC and founder is on X" is not hype, it is distribution math.

On X, investors self-segment by what they post about:

AI tooling vs biotech vs fintech
Developer tools vs consumer vs marketplaces
GTM tactics vs deep technical threads

And because the content is public, you can build context before you ever ask for a meeting. That is the core advantage.

The goal is not to "pitch on X." The goal is to use X to earn relevance, then move the conversation to a proper meeting.

The five fields in Guillermo’s list (and how to use them)

Guillermo mentioned that for each investor they compiled a subset of details: conversation starters, X + LinkedIn links, personal emails (when available), sector + stage focus, and recent portfolio companies. Each of these supports a specific step in a clean outreach workflow.

Conversation starters

This is the difference between "Hi, can I send you my deck?" and "I read your thread on usage-based pricing for vertical SaaS, and our early data matches your point about payback periods."

A good conversation starter:

References a specific post or idea
Connects it to your company in one sentence
Leads to a simple next step

Bad conversation starters:

Vague compliments
Copy-pasted lines
Overly long life stories

X + LinkedIn links

You want both because they serve different functions:

X: shows current thinking and responsiveness
LinkedIn: shows background, mutual connections, credibility signals

Practical workflow: engage lightly on X first (one or two meaningful replies over a week), then send a concise DM or email. If you have mutuals, use LinkedIn to validate and request a warm intro only after you have earned context.

Personal emails (when available)

Email still wins for clarity and forwarding. But it only works if you respect the investor’s time.

A tight email structure:

Subject: specific + credible
One line of relevance (why them)
One line of traction (or insight if pre-traction)
One clear ask (15 minutes?)

Example:

Subject: "Pre-seed: AI ops for clinics - saw your workflow thread"
Body: 5-7 sentences max

Sector + stage focus

This prevents wasted cycles. Even friendly investors pass if it is outside their focus.

Use focus tags to route your outreach:

Start with high-fit investors for early momentum
Then expand to adjacent fits once you have interest
Avoid "spray and pray" unless you are in a true blitz and can handle the reputational downside

Recent portfolio companies

Portfolio is the fastest way to calibrate taste and thesis.

Use it to:

Identify similar go-to-market models
See if they already backed a direct competitor
Understand what "good" looks like in their eyes

If they backed something adjacent, you can say: "I noticed you invested in X. We solve the next layer down for Y." That is a real hook.

A simple playbook to become "not a stranger"

Guillermo’s promise is time savings: "If you’re raising now (or planning to), this should save you weeks, if not months." The savings come from running a tighter loop.

Step 1: Build a 30-investor Tier 1 list

Pick investors who match:

Stage (pre-seed, seed)
Sector
Geography (if relevant)
Evidence of recent checks

Step 2: Warm up with real engagement (7-10 days)

Rules I follow:

Reply to one post with substance (not flattery)
Share one insight that adds to their thread
Do not pitch in public

Step 3: Send a direct, specific first touch

DM or email:

Reference the exact post or idea
State what you are building in one sentence
Add one proof point
Ask for a short call

Step 4: Track responses like a sales pipeline

Fundraising is pipeline math.

Track status: contacted, responded, meeting, follow-up, pass
Set follow-up reminders
Keep your updates short and metric-driven

Step 5: Use updates to create momentum

If someone does not respond, a monthly update can reopen the door if it contains real movement:

Revenue
Retention
A major hire
A signed pilot
A product milestone

Common mistakes to avoid when using an investor list

A list is leverage, but it can also amplify bad behavior.

Avoid:

Mass emailing the entire list in one day
Over-personalizing with irrelevant details (creepy beats cold)
Pretending you have a relationship you do not have
Asking for money before you have framed the opportunity

Instead:

Be brief
Be specific
Be consistent
Treat each touch as the start of a relationship, not a transaction

Why Guillermo’s call to action worked

The post ends with: "Comment "ANGEL" and I’ll send you the link." That is classic viral mechanics, but it is also aligned with the value: founders want speed, and a single keyword lowers friction.

More importantly, the offer is concrete. A curated list with conversation starters and context is not generic content. It is a fundraising accelerator.

If you are raising soon, the real takeaway is not "get the list." It is to adopt Guillermo’s mindset: qualify for activity, collect context, and approach investors as humans with clear interests.

This blog post expands on a viral LinkedIn post by Guillermo Flor, Angel Investor | Founder Product Market Fit. View the original LinkedIn post →