Investors Guides: The Full Collection

Tactics from 50 elite investors on finding breakout companies, winning deals, and constructing enduring firms.

“Best tech writer on the internet!” - Adam G, a paying subscriber

Illustrations by Harol Bustos

Friends,

Without really realizing it, I think we’ve written the most actionable and comprehensive book about venture capital ever.

Through our writing at The Generalist, I’ve had the chance to see how elite investors build, manage, and grow their funds. As much as I was interested in the what of these discussions, I became increasingly obsessed with the how.

“Ok, you found this breakout company, but how, exactly? What sourcing strategy delivered it to your doorstep? How did you go about winning it? How many of your deals do you actually win? Do you track it? What else do you track? Did you double down? Why not triple-down? What does that say about your model?”

I discovered that many of the answers to these questions were far from obvious, even to someone who studies and participates in the ecosystem. There were new frameworks, good rules of thumb I hadn’t considered, common pitfalls to avoid, time-tested tactics to try, and pearls of wisdom that I’d never heard. By getting this education up close, I was able to supercharge my own investing journey, speedrunning through lessons that might have taken me a decade to learn otherwise.

Starting last year, we kicked off a series called “Investors Guides” to share these lessons and discover new ones. I conducted detailed interviews with 50 VC and angel investors from up and down the capital stack. I talked to promising new managers undertaking novel strategies and Silicon Valley stalwarts, sector specialists and avowed generalists, geo-specific vehicles, and those with global ambitions. Issue by issue, we've documented the strategies and frameworks that the best investors use to:

• Find breakout companies before anyone else

• Identify supertrends that could yield multiple fund-returning companies

• Convince founders to take their capital over rival investors

• Build powerful portfolios that outperform the market

• Exit investments at the perfect time

Earlier this month, we released our tenth edition (not including two bonus pieces). Together, these guides total over 138,000 words—the equivalent of a 571-page book filled with battle-tested tactics you won't find anywhere else.

I think it has a strong claim to being the most detailed and directly actionable resource for those building their career in venture or keen to level up their angel investing.

The Complete Investors Guide Collection

1. How to Raise Your First Fund

2. How to Be a Top 1% Angel

3. How to Spot a Supertrend

4. How to Find a Unicorn

5. How to Win a Competitive Deal

6. How to Actually Add Value

7. How to Construct a Portfolio

8. How to Build Soft Power

9. How to Raise from Institutions

10. How to Exit

11. (Bonus) The Best Investing Advice

12. (Bonus) Mario’s 52 Venture Lessons

We've also created an "Investor's Cheat Sheet" which you’ll find in the email below – a concentrated distillation of the most powerful insights from all 12 guides. In just 30 minutes, you'll absorb frameworks that would take years to develop on your own.

The full Investors Guide, bonus editions, and Cheat Sheet are available exclusively for members of our premium newsletter, Generalist+. For just $22/month, you’ll unlock powerful, practical insights that you won’t find anywhere else and that have been distilled from hundreds of hours of research. To unlock them all, join now:

Unlock everything

For just $22/month or $200/year (saving 24%), Generalist+ members get:

• Full access to all 12 Investors Guides (1,000 hours of work)

• The exclusive Investor's Cheat Sheet (not available anywhere else)

• Private correspondences with elite founders and investors

• Access to our exclusive database of high-potential startups

• The complete Generalist archive of company breakdowns and market analyses

Becoming a member is an investment in your information diet, your pattern recognition, and ultimately your career. Many of our members tell us their subscription paid for itself after reading just one edition.

With the complete collection now available, there's never been a better time to join.

The Investor’s Cheat Sheet

Below, you’ll find a concentrated distillation of the most powerful insights from all of the Investors Guides. Happy reading!