How to Build a Killer Dealflow Machine (That Actually Works)

The Ultimate Deal Sourcing Playbook for VCs (2025 Edition)

Let’s be honest: The best deals don’t usually start in public databases. They show up in inboxes, in backchannel Slack groups, or via warm intros from that one underpaid analyst who somehow knows every founder in Berlin.

If you want to win at dealflow in 2025, you need more than intuition and a CRM. You need a system. A tech-enabled workflow that turns weak signals into pipeline gold. Here’s how.

1—> Build Your Dealflow Engine

Good dealflow comes from three main sources:

Most VCs still overindex on outbound and neglect building scalable inbound and warm-source systems. Personally I see the big edge here.

2—> Use Make.com to Scrape Startup Newsletters and Websites

Startup dealflow often hides in plain sight: accelerator batches, early funding announcements, emerging founder intros (and 90% of that starts in newsletters).

Here’s how to set up an automated scraping pipeline using Make.com (formerly Integromat) to create a live database of early-stage startups:

🛠 Setup Workflow: Newsletter → Google Sheets

Tools:

• Make.com

• Gmail or newsletter inbox

• Google Sheets

• Optional: Crunchbase or Synaptic API

Steps:

1. Set up email watcher in Make
   → Trigger: Every new email from sources like Y Combinator, Entrepreneur First, Plug and Play, Seedcamp, etc.

2. Parse the content
   Use Make's HTML parser or regex module to extract startup names, links, locations, verticals, founders.

3. Enrich automatically (optional)
   Ping APIs (like Crunchbase or Clearbit) for metadata: funding stage, team, sector.

4. Save it to Google Sheets
   Store in a structured database:

   Startup Name | Sector | Stage | Country | Link | Source | Notes

Want the full playbook for the newsletter scraper?
Like or comment and I’ll share it.

Bonus Tip:

Schedule weekly Slack reports from this Sheet via Zapier, Make or Google App Script to keep your team in the loop.

✅ Result: You build a dynamic, constantly-updating list of new startups hitting the ecosystem before they hit TechCrunch (In one year, I gained around 5k startups through this… Could be worse!).

3—> Monitor Accelerators & Early VCs

Tier your programs:

• Tier 1: YC, EF, Antler, Techstars (track closely, scrape systematically)

• Tier 2: Regional programs (e.g. APX, leAD, STATION F)

• Tier 3: Niche vertical-focused (climate, fintech, deeptech)

Best Practice:

• Set calendar alerts for demo days and batch announcements

• Use your scraper setup to parse landing pages (if not email-based)

Note: Don’t forget to filter by geography. Especially for European or Asian investors, it makes more sense to focus on accelerators and early-stage ecosystems in your own region. Most US-based founders already have deep local networks and they rarely prioritize cross-border capital unless it comes with significant value. Yes, exceptions exist. But in general, founders prefer investors who are nearby, connected, and relevant to their go-to-market.

4—> Build a Founder Watchlist

Not every promising founder is raising now. That’s why elite investors keep a “Watchlist” of second-time or stealth founders.

Where to find them:

• LinkedIn: Former unicorn employees leaving

• Twitter/X: Founders building in public

• AngelList / Wellfound: Profile changes

• Notion: Self-updating databases of emerging founders

Use a Google Sheet or Airtable with fields like:

Bonus:

Pair with Clay or folk.app to enrich their networks and surface warm intro paths.

5—> Warm Intros > Cold Outbound

You already know this: 70% of top deals come via warm intros (Harvard Business Review).

But are you actually tracking your relationships?

Use a relationship intelligence CRM:

• 4Degrees

• Affinity

• folk.app

Key workflows:

• Tag contacts by strength of relationship

• Track who refers the best quality deals

• Schedule nudges or “reminder pings” for key scout angels or ex-founders

Example:

"Set quarterly reminder for check-in with Sophie from Cherry Ventures. She referred 2 of our top 5 pipeline deals last year."

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6—> Thematic Sourcing with Synaptic + LinkedIn + Notion

Let’s say your thesis is “AI for Logistics.”

Instead of waiting for a founder to find you, go hunt them down.

Thematic Prospecting Process:

1. Use Synaptic (optimal) or Crunchbase Pro to query:

   • Keyword: "logistics", "warehouse", "supply chain"

   • Filters: founded <2 years ago, <$5M raised, B2B SaaS

2. Export list and enrich with LinkedIn scraping (Clay or Phantombuster)

3. Tag leads in Notion or CRM by theme and score by:

   • Relevance

   • Traction

   • Intro path

4. Reach out with context:

   • “Saw your piece on robot-powered supply chains – would love to chat if you're exploring external capital.”

7—> Let LinkedIn Work While You Sleep

LinkedIn isn’t just for founder memes. If you publish the right content, you become a magnet for relevant inbound.

Best formats for visibility:

• “We’re currently looking for pre-seed founders in [X] — feel free to reach out or share!”

• “Here’s what we’ve learned reviewing 100+ fintech decks this quarter.”

• Portfolio updates with a CTA for similar startups

➡ Pro Tip: Create a monthly content calendar where each partner or associate posts once. Use templates and rotate who writes.

8—> Track What Works (and Kill What Doesn’t)

You’re not building a newsletter. You’re building a deal engine. So treat it like a product.

Track weekly metrics:

Pesonally I created this chart out of curiosity, based only on startups I actually spoke with. It’s by no means comprehensive, but it gives a solid directional view. I’d recommend doing the same every month. Track the sources of your dealflow and see how the pie shifts over time. Patterns emerge fast.

Kill what's useless. Double down on what moves the needle (efficiency > effectivity).

If you track what works, talk to founders early, and stay consistent, you don’t need to chase. Good stuff finds you.

That’s it.

Cheers,
Jannis 🥂