Ask HN: Best information sources to learn about VC

There isn't just one way, so there isn't just one source. Depending on where you're at in your knowledge, YC has some good content to start with.

A newsletter I started checking out recently is Last Money In, which is for those interested in joining syndicates. So far, the newsletter I've found most useful is this one on how VCs evaluate pre/seed stage investments: https://lastmoneyin.beehiiv.com/p/vcs-evaluate-startups-part... But you have to subscribe to read that.

There's also this deck I've had bookmarked (not sure when it was made) by Jyri Engeström explaining early-stage VC for founders: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/117ezrVxa9pwzBD7rbCv4...

One thing I'd caution is while it's good to read a bit to get some familiarity, don't paralyze yourself with consuming endless content. Just put in the work to make a deck and start pitching. That way, you at least have some experience to hang your learning on.

In terms of targeting VCs, think of it as who you could have great conversations with about your core competency/opportunity. That'll help you target the right ones who are most likely to get it, and the conversations will help you get a better idea of who you'd like to work with.

I read Brad Feld's book and it let me keep up in a few conversations about fundraising. From it, I also derived my own perspective on how fundraising stages drive product decisions, and which in turn drive day to day company engineering culture. https://www.venturedeals.com/

My own view is your engineering management culture is driven by your fundraising activities, and whether they are aware of it or not. Where you are in your board members portfolios (vintage and age of fund, etc) decides how much tech debt (leverage) you will be required to produce, whether you're focused on marquee clients to land the next round, or blowing cash on perks to attract talent, being oddly generous with equity without a view of other prefs and dilution, looking for acquisitions, packaging up your tech for a sale, etc.

Imo, the Feld book gives you the foundational tools to intuit what your founders/execs have to do to survive in the stage the company is in.

This post is a few years old (https://alexfmac.substack.com/p/angel-investing-a-toolkit-) but it tackles your question from the Angel Investing side.

If by "fundraising", you mean you are an investor raising funds to invest in startups, then the above has myriad links for you to explore.

If by "fundraising", you mean you are a startup raising money, then the above could still be helpful to understand what the other side of the table will be looking at when you approach them with your company.