Investor Advisor with Anders Nygren

Meet our featured investor, Anders Nygren. He is a founding partner at Foundry Ventures, where he focuses on early-stage investing. He works closely with founders, evaluating pre-seed and seed opportunities while helping startups refine their positioning, prepare for fundraising, and develop effective go-to-market strategies. With a strong interest in AI-driven, software-based businesses, Anders is particularly passionate about ventures that significantly enhance productivity, quality, and the speed of workflows.

1. What do you usually look for in a startup before deciding to explore it further?

I look for clear problem definition and a specific customer, a team with strong founder-market fit, some early evidence of pull (usage, retention, paid pilots, or credible willingness to pay). I also want to see a focused wedge with a believable path to expansion and differentiation. All of it has to be AI infused ie have a truly AI native component.

2. Which sections of a pitch deck do you pay the most attention to?

Problem/customer clarity, what the product actually does (and why it’s meaningfully, 10x... better), traction/proof points, and a believable go-to-market for the first wedge. Team matters a lot too—especially execution velocity.

3. How can pre-seed startups increase their chances of attracting investors’ interest?

Be concrete (customer, workflow, pain, “why now”), show pull over promises (even small traction), and demonstrate speed of iteration. Also be explicit about what the round funds, which milestones it unlocks and why the timing is now.