How to find decision makers at startups
Everything you need to know about how to find decision makers at startups
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Who Actually Makes the Decision at a Startup
At a startup, the decision maker depends on company size: - Under 20 people: almost always a co-founder or the CEO - 20 to 50 people: a department head (Head of Growth, Head of Eng) with founder sign-off - 50 plus: a VP or director owns the budget for their function
When in doubt at an early-stage company, go straight to a founder. They would rather forward your email to the right person than have you guess wrong.
Finding and Verifying the Right Contact
To reach the real decision maker:
1. Identify the function that owns your problem
2. Find the most senior person in that function, or a founder at early stage
3. Get a verified email rather than guessing the pattern, which protects your sender reputation
4. Cross-check on LinkedIn to confirm the role and tenure
JustRaised provides verified founder contacts for recently funded companies, so you start with the person who can actually say yes.
Ready to take action?
Access our database of recently funded startups and connect with founders directly.