---
name: investor-update
description: "Write a structured monthly or quarterly investor update. Use when asked to write an investor update, investor newsletter, board update, or startup progress report for investors. Produces a clear, credible update with highlights, metrics, challenges, and asks — in the format investors actually want to read."
---

# Investor Update Skill

This skill writes a complete investor update — structured for clarity, honest about challenges, and specific about asks. Output follows the format preferred by most early-stage and growth investors.

## Required Inputs

Ask the user for these if not provided:
- **Company name and stage** (Seed / Series A / Series B / etc.)
- **Period covered** (month or quarter)
- **Key metrics this period** (revenue, MRR, users, churn, burn, runway — whatever's relevant)
- **Biggest wins**
- **Biggest challenges or misses**
- **Specific asks from investors** (intros, advice, talent, partnerships)
- **What's coming next period**
- **Tone** (formal / conversational — most investors prefer conversational)

## Output Structure

---

**[Company Name] — [Month/Quarter] Update**
*[Date]*

---

Hi [Investor names or "all"],

[One or two sentence opener — a specific highlight or honest framing of the period. Don't open with "Hope you're well." Open with the most important thing that happened.]

---

## The Numbers

| Metric | This Period | Last Period | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| [MRR / ARR] | [Value] | [Value] | [+/- %] |
| [Active users / customers] | | | |
| [Churn rate] | | | |
| [Burn rate] | | | |
| [Runway] | | | |
| [Other key metric] | | | |

[1–2 sentences of narrative on the numbers — what's the story behind the movement? Don't just repeat the table.]

---

## Highlights

**[Highlight 1 — 4–6 word title]**
[2–4 sentences. What happened. Why it matters. Be specific — name the customer, the number, the milestone.]

**[Highlight 2]**
[2–4 sentences]

**[Highlight 3 — optional]**

---

## Challenges

[This section is what separates trustworthy updates from self-promotional ones. Investors know you have challenges. Being direct builds trust.]

**[Challenge 1]**
[2–4 sentences. What the problem is. What you've tried. What you're doing about it. Don't spin — investors see through it.]

**[Challenge 2 — if applicable]**

---

## Focus for Next [Month/Quarter]

[3–5 bullet points. What you're concentrating on next period and why. Keep it tight — not an exhaustive roadmap.]

- [Priority 1]
- [Priority 2]
- [Priority 3]

---

## Asks

[Be specific. "Let me know if you can help" is not an ask. These should be actionable items an investor can act on immediately.]

1. **[Ask type: e.g. Intro]** — [Specific request. e.g. "Looking for an intro to procurement leads at mid-market SaaS companies. Happy to share a warm intro note."]
2. **[Ask type: e.g. Advice]** — [Specific question you want input on]
3. **[Ask type: e.g. Talent]** — [Specific hire you're looking for — title, key requirements]

---

[Closing line — 1 sentence. Forward-looking or a genuine thanks. Not "as always, let me know if you have questions."]

[Signature]
[Name]
[Company]
[One way to reply — email / Calendly / reply to this thread]

---

## Writing Rules

- Updates should take an investor 3–4 minutes to read. If it's longer, trim it.
- Never lead with process ("This month we focused on...") — lead with outcomes
- Challenges section must be honest. A missing challenges section signals the founder isn't self-aware or isn't being transparent.
- Metrics table must include comparison to last period — a number without context is meaningless
- Asks must be specific enough that an investor knows within 5 seconds if they can help
- No jargon or buzzwords ("synergies," "crushing it," "hockey stick") — plain language only

## Quality Checks

- [ ] Opens with a specific highlight or honest framing (not a pleasantry)
- [ ] Numbers include period-over-period comparison
- [ ] Challenges section is present and honest
- [ ] Asks are specific and actionable
- [ ] Total length is skimmable in 3–4 minutes
- [ ] No spin or buzzwords

## Anti-Patterns

- [ ] Do not omit challenges or bad news — sanitised updates erode investor trust faster than bad results do
- [ ] Do not bury the lead — use BLUF structure and put the most important news in the first paragraph
- [ ] Do not send an update without a clear "Ask" section — investors who want to help need to know how
- [ ] Do not use buzzwords or spin — investors see hundreds of updates and will see through vague positive language
- [ ] Do not report metrics without a comparison baseline — numbers without context (vs. last period or target) are meaningless

## Example Trigger Phrases

- "Write an investor update for [month/quarter]"
- "Draft a monthly update for our investors based on these notes: [paste notes]"
- "Help me write a board update for Q[N]"
- "Write our Series A investor newsletter"