The Art of Effective Follow-up for Founders

At a conference yesterday, a founder asked why I still give out business cards. “What were you born in the 80s?” In fact, yes. Yes I was. But kidding aside... business cards are a wildly effective tool. Let me explain...

I only give cards to founders I want to hear from again. It’s the first screen. If they take it and follow up, I get signal. If they ghost? That’s signal too.

But here’s the key... When I hand someone a card, I ask for something specific: A deck A product roadmap An overview of unit economics

Not a data room. Not a 47-tab spreadsheet. Just what we discussed. Precisely what matters. That’s the second screen.

And then the final test... When do they follow up? End of week? Not a fit. Next day? Losing signal. Same day? Let’s talk.

Why? Because there’s one thing I can’t teach: Desire.

And one of the clearest indicators of desire? You clear your desk. Every. Single. Day.

The best founders don’t carry today’s to-dos into tomorrow. Because they know what tomorrow brings: more to-dos. More noise. More clutter. More opportunities, slipping by.

If you’re at a conference, burning precious time meeting investors, you’ve already decided fundraising is mission-critical. So act like it.

Now, I get it. Not everyone has time to write up a roadmap on the fly. That’s fine. Just say so: “Great to meet you. I’ll send the roadmap Saturday.”

Perfect. You took the first step. You kept the thread alive. This isn’t about urgency theater. It’s about momentum. It’s about priorities. It’s about how fast your learning cycle spins.

Do you follow up and follow through? Pretty simple. That tells me how you operate.

Do you think Jeff Bezos sent the wrong follow-ups to his seed investors? Think Jobs waited a week to email back? He was probably calling prospective investors at 12am with ideas.

And yes, I’m literally showing my cards. Founders can game the system after reading this.

So why share it? Because while desire can’t be taught, routine can. Some founders are relentless, brilliant, driven, but haven’t yet built the muscle. The habit. The clock speed.

Will we miss some great ones because of this filter? Probably. But I can tell you this: Every founder we back is maniacal. They have: Mindset. Desire. Fast cycles. Attention-to-Detail. None of it guarantees success. But it sure increases the chances.

Kobe once said: "The most important game of the season is the next game.”

Don't look too far back or too far forward. Win every day. That’s how he played. That’s how great founders build.

Desire is rare. But routine is learnable. So if you are obsessed but still scattered... Start small. Build the muscle. Clear your desk. Every day.