Poach

About Poach

Poach is a specialized dealflow intelligence platform designed for venture capitalists and early-stage investors. Its core function is to track the social media activity of top-tier VCs on platforms like Twitter (X) in order to identify and surface promising founders long before they officially begin a fundraising process. By analyzing who influential investors follow and engage with, Poach generates a high-quality, predictive signal that sits between a warm introduction and cold inbound outreach. The platform enriches this raw social data by matching Twitter profiles to LinkedIn accounts, providing detailed work history and educational background. It then employs AI-powered analysis to label individuals—such as "founder," "engineer," or "researcher"—and compiles everything into actionable, filterable data exports. This systematic approach empowers investment teams to expand and qualify their dealflow, identify stealth-mode talent, and gain a significant timing advantage in a highly competitive market.

Features of Poach

VC Social Tracking

Poach continuously monitors the Twitter follows of prominent venture capitalists. Since a VC following a founder often signals early interest or reconnaissance, this activity serves as a powerful, non-public indicator of emerging talent. The platform aggregates these signals across a wide network of investors to build a comprehensive, pre-emptive pipeline of potential investment opportunities before they appear on traditional radars.

LinkedIn Enrichment & Identity Resolution

The platform uses proprietary identity resolution technology to accurately match Twitter handles with corresponding LinkedIn profiles. This process enriches each lead record with verified professional data, including full work history, current and past roles, educational background, and geographic location. This transforms a simple social media username into a detailed professional profile, adding critical context for evaluation.

AI-Powered Categorization & Bio Generation

An AI engine analyzes the combined Twitter and LinkedIn data to automatically label each individual with specific, actionable tags. These labels include "founder," "funded," "engineering," "product," "research," and "investor," among others. The AI also synthesizes a concise, informative bio for each person, summarizing their professional trajectory and current focus, which accelerates initial screening and qualification.

Raw Data Delivery & Custom Filtering

Users receive the complete, enriched dataset via daily CSV exports delivered directly to their inbox. This raw data dump includes all tracked profiles, their labels, bios, and source VC signals. Investors can filter this data using any criteria—such as "founder" AND NOT "funded"—to create highly targeted lists of leads that match their specific investment thesis, enabling precise and systematic outreach.

Use Cases of Poach

Identifying Stealth-Mode Founders

Early-stage VC firms use Poach to filter for individuals labeled as "founder" but not "funded." This allows them to discover entrepreneurs who are building companies in stealth, often months before they publicly announce or start a formal seed round. This provides a critical head start in building a relationship and securing a potential allocation in a competitive deal.

Sourcing Technical & Research Talent

Investors with a thesis focused on deep tech or AI can use the platform's labels to find individuals categorized as "engineering" or "research," particularly those with advanced degrees or experience at elite institutions. This helps in identifying technical founders transitioning from roles in academia or big tech who may be on the verge of starting a company.

Expanding Geographic or Vertical Dealflow

Firms looking to break into new markets or sectors can track VCs who are active in those areas. By analyzing who these domain-specific investors follow, they can build a qualified pipeline of founders and operators within a targeted geography (e.g., Cincinnati) or vertical (e.g., web3), diversifying their deal-sourcing channels beyond their immediate network.

Qualifying Warm Introductions

When an investor receives a referral or a cold inbound pitch, they can use Poach to conduct rapid background checks. By checking if the founder is already being tracked by other reputable VCs, they can gauge external validation and market interest, adding a data-driven layer to their diligence process and helping prioritize the most promising opportunities.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Poach's signal compare to a warm intro?

Poach's signal is considered superior to cold inbound but not as strong as a direct, trusted warm introduction. It provides context—showing that another reputable VC has shown interest—which adds credibility and a talking point for outreach. It effectively bridges the gap, offering a "warm-ish" lead based on observable investor behavior rather than personal connections.

What data is included in the daily CSV export?

The daily CSV file contains comprehensive data for each tracked individual. This includes their Twitter handle, full name, LinkedIn profile URL, the VC(s) who followed them, all AI-assigned labels (like founder, engineering), and a generated medium-length bio. This structured format allows for easy import into CRMs, spreadsheets, or other tracking systems.

How accurate is the AI labeling and LinkedIn matching?

Poach utilizes proprietary algorithms for both identity resolution and categorization, resulting in high accuracy. The LinkedIn matching is designed to confirm identities across platforms, while the AI labeling analyzes bios, work history, and professional language to assign relevant tags. The system is built to minimize false positives, ensuring leads are highly relevant.

Can I filter for very specific types of founders?

Yes, the power of Poach lies in its filterable raw data. Because you receive the complete dataset, you can apply multiple filters simultaneously using the label columns. For example, you could search for "founder + research + (NOT funded)" to find PhDs starting a company, or "product + web3" to find product managers in the crypto space, tailoring results to your exact thesis.

Pricing of Poach

Pricing information is not publicly listed on the provided website content. Interested users are directed to "Sign Up" on the platform, suggesting that pricing details are available upon creating an account or through direct contact with the Poach sales team.