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How Do Founders Reach Family Offices Outside Their Network?

Four founders we work with needed family offices they couldn’t reach on their own. Here’s how they got in the room, in their own words.

By Vincent Possehl, Partner at Pairs · Published November 3, 2026 · 7 min read

The Short Answer

Through a warm introduction from someone the family office already trusts. Most family offices don’t invest in startups, and the ones that know your sector are rarely in your network. Few even publish a way to pitch them. So start by mapping who you can already reach, then find the family offices that fit and get introduced.

57%

of family offices have no venture exposure at all

45%

of North American family offices’ private holdings are direct deals

3.3%

average share of a family office portfolio in venture

Key Takeaways

Family offices are investing more directly in companies, but only a minority back startups. You have to find them.

The best fits already know your sector. They’re also the hardest to reach without an introduction.

A family office invests its own money, so it can move fast and take a long view. Some will lead a round.

“Family office” describes who owns the money, not how they invest. Vet them the way they vet you.

Why Can’t Founders Just Cold Email Family Offices?

Most family offices don’t take pitches from strangers, and the ones that back startups decide through people they already trust.

J.P. Morgan’s 2026 survey of 333 family offices found 57% have no venture exposure at all. The ones that do are often investing directly instead of through funds. Direct deals now make up 45% of North American family offices’ private holdings, ahead of the 36% they hold in funds.

Exhibit 1, Investing More Directly, but Only a Minority Back Startups. 57% of family offices have no venture exposure at all (J.P. Morgan Private Bank, 333 family offices). 45% of North American family offices’ private holdings are direct deals, ahead of the 36% they hold in funds (RBC and Campden Wealth). 3.3% is the average share of a family office portfolio in venture (J.P. Morgan Private Bank).

Almost none of them have a website you can pitch through. They lean on people they already know, other investors, operators, customers, to decide what to look at. A cold deck has no one vouching for it.

How Did Four Founders Reach Family Offices They Couldn’t Reach on Their Own?

Each one knew who they could reach themselves, and got a warm introduction to the family offices they couldn’t.

Ethermed: An Angel Check That Became the Series A Lead

Ethermed builds AI for healthcare. It had one paying customer and investors wanted more proof. Its investor list was mostly US venture.

One of the things that we had already discussed internally was how do we get to some of these other networks.

John Cococcia

CFO, Ethermed

One introduction was to a family office run by entrepreneurs who had built and sold two healthcare businesses. It invested $500K in the angel round, then introduced Ethermed to its own network as a form of diligence. One of those introductions became a paying customer. Five months later, the same family office led Ethermed’s $3.5M Series A. Read the Ethermed story.

Exhibit 2, Five Months from Angel Check to Series A Lead. 1, a $500K check: it invested $500K in the angel round. 2, a paying customer: it introduced Ethermed to its own network as a form of diligence, and one of those introductions became a paying customer. 3, the Series A lead: five months later, the same family office led Ethermed’s $3.5M Series A. Bars: $500K angel round, $3.5M Series A, 5 months later.

Antaris: The One Group a Well-Connected CEO Couldn’t Reach

Tom Barton had scaled companies through three exits before co-founding Antaris, which makes software for satellite constellations. He could reach the space strategics and the sector’s funds himself.

What I couldn’t get to was the family offices that are interested in the space sector.

Tom Barton

Co-founder and CEO, Antaris

He took more than 20 introductions, and around five of those investors already knew the space market. One family office invested. The Series A closed oversubscribed. Read the Antaris story.

Laundry Sauce: A Family Office That Already Knew the Category

Laundry Sauce was selling about $1 million a month when it raised, and its CEO assumed the round would be easy. It wasn’t, and his own network was tapped out.

These guys had already made a bunch of money in consumer and they saw the vision that we were building.

Ian Blair

CEO, Laundry Sauce

After three calls, the family office invested $1.5M in a Series A extension. Read the Laundry Sauce story.

Natrion: Investors in the Markets Where Its Customers Are

Natrion makes battery materials and already had a lead and blue-chip investors in its round. What it lacked was investors in the regions where its key customers are.

There’s a whole world of VCs, family offices, CVCs that you’ll never get exposure to… that are prominent and prolific in Asia or the Middle East or Europe.

Alex Kosyakov

Co-founder, Natrion

Alex met more than 20 family offices, funds and corporate investors across the US, Europe and the Middle East. Some of those conversations led to customer introductions. Read the Natrion story.

At a Glance, Four Founders, Four Gaps, One Warm Introduction Each. Ethermed could reach mostly US venture; the gap was family offices with healthcare experience; what happened: a $500K angel check, then the $3.5M Series A lead. Antaris could reach space strategics and space VCs; the gap was family offices interested in space; one family office invested, Series A oversubscribed. Laundry Sauce could reach the CEO’s own network, tapped out; the gap was a family office that knew consumer; a $1.5M Series A extension after three calls. Natrion had a lead and blue-chip investors; the gap was investors in its customers’ markets; 20+ investors met across three regions.

How Do You Get a Warm Introduction to a Family Office?

Find the family offices that already know your sector, then find someone they trust who can introduce you, and give them a clear reason for the fit.

Map your reach.

List the investors you can reach yourself and the ones you can’t. Spend your own network on the first group.

Find the family offices that fit.

Look for offices built by founders and operators from your industry, and ask founders in your sector who backed them.

Find who they trust.

Their co-investors, founders they’ve backed, advisors, or a network that works with family offices.

Give the introducer a reason.

One line on why this family office fits your company.

Be ready for their circle.

Many family offices bring in their own network before they invest. Keep your data room current.

How Should You Vet a Family Office Before Taking Its Money?

Ask about its process, portfolio and timeline, and talk to founders it has backed.

There’s no thesis page to check yourself against, because a family office sets its own rules. So look at how the family made its money, who it works with, its past deals and who it’s connected to.

They can take a lot of different flavors… from very, very sophisticated, VC-like… all the way down to cowboys who… meet you and they’re like, I kind of like you, and they write you a check.

John Cococcia

CFO, Ethermed

John also warns about mismatched timelines. He described an investor who had sold a company three years after starting it, and expected everything he backed to move just as fast. Ask how they decide and what they expect, then hold that up against what your company needs.

Exhibit 3, “Family Office” Describes Who Owns the Money, Not How They Invest. Ask, about the family office: its process, its portfolio, its timeline, the founders it has backed. Look at, where the money and the trust come from: how the family made its money, who it works with, its past deals, who it’s connected to.

The View from the Middle

The family offices I talk to see plenty of deals. What they see too few of is deals from people they trust. That’s why a cold deck rarely gets read, and a warm introduction with a clear reason attached usually does.

Vincent Possehl

Partner, Pairs

Sources

Pairs interviews, 2026: John Cococcia (Ethermed), Tom Barton (Antaris), Ian Blair (Laundry Sauce), Alex Kosyakov (Natrion).

Pairs customer stories: Ethermed, Antaris, Laundry Sauce, Natrion.

J.P. Morgan Private Bank, 2026 Global Family Office Report. Venture exposure and allocation.

RBC and Campden Wealth, 2026 North American Family Office Report. Direct investments vs funds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Through a warm introduction from someone the family office already trusts, such as a co-investor, a founder it has backed, an advisor, or a network that works with family offices. Start by mapping which investors you can reach yourself, then find the family offices that already know your sector.

Some do, but most don’t. J.P. Morgan’s 2026 survey of 333 family offices found 57% have no venture exposure, and venture makes up 3.3% of the average portfolio. The ones that do invest are going direct more often than through funds.

A family office invests its own money, so it has no fund deadline and no partnership agreement limiting what it can back. That can make it more patient and flexible. VCs invest other people’s money against a promised strategy and timeline.

Yes, especially when it knows the sector. Ethermed’s $3.5M Series A was led by the family office that had written a $500K angel check five months earlier.

Often both. VCs usually lead and price a Series A, and family offices often join alongside. A mix gives you different points of view around the table.

Most don’t back startups at all, and the ones that do rarely read a deck nobody introduced. Start with someone they already trust.

Pairs (pairs.ai) is a private capital network that introduces breakout founders to the family offices, VCs and strategic investors who fit their market, through warm introductions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, especially when it knows the sector. Ethermed’s $3.5M Series A was led by the family office that had written a $500K angel check five months earlier.

Often both. VCs usually lead and price a Series A, and family offices often join alongside. A mix gives you different points of view around the table.

Most don’t back startups at all, and the ones that do rarely read a deck nobody introduced. Start with someone they already trust.

Pairs (pairs.ai) is a private capital network that introduces breakout founders to the family offices, VCs and strategic investors who fit their market, through warm introductions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, especially when it knows the sector. Ethermed’s $3.5M Series A was led by the family office that had written a $500K angel check five months earlier.

Often both. VCs usually lead and price a Series A, and family offices often join alongside. A mix gives you different points of view around the table.

Most don’t back startups at all, and the ones that do rarely read a deck nobody introduced. Start with someone they already trust.

Pairs (pairs.ai) is a private capital network that introduces breakout founders to the family offices, VCs and strategic investors who fit their market, through warm introductions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, especially when it knows the sector. Ethermed’s $3.5M Series A was led by the family office that had written a $500K angel check five months earlier.

Often both. VCs usually lead and price a Series A, and family offices often join alongside. A mix gives you different points of view around the table.

Most don’t back startups at all, and the ones that do rarely read a deck nobody introduced. Start with someone they already trust.

Pairs (pairs.ai) is a private capital network that introduces breakout founders to the family offices, VCs and strategic investors who fit their market, through warm introductions.

About This Piece

Built from Pairs interviews with John Cococcia (Ethermed), Tom Barton (Antaris), Ian Blair (Laundry Sauce) and Alex Kosyakov (Natrion), and from the customer stories at pairs.ai/customers.

About Pairs

Pairs (pairs.ai) is a private capital network founded by Vincent Possehl and Jamal Chraibi. We introduce breakout founders to the family offices, VCs and strategic investors who know their market. pairs.ai