Term sheet secured, but lead VC wants us to find a co-investor through our own network. How do we break in?- i will not promote

Current Status:

We’re raising a co-investment round and have about 50% filled:

• Term sheet from a VC (introduced by our Investment Banker)

• Interest from SFOs (also via our IB)

• Committed capital from HNIs (via our alumni network)

We have \~50% left to close.

The Problem:

Our lead VC insists we bring another VC onboard through our own network, not our IB, to prove our founder outreach capabilities. We also cannot ask the lead VC for warm intros, because they are charging a success fee on any capital raised through their connections.

We want to build our own network, but our cold emails, LinkedIn messages, and form submissions have gone absolutely nowhere.

Our Niche:

We are not SaaS. We operate in a heavy industry: modular barge building, shipbuilding, and floating water intake systems (B2B/B2G, based in India). Finding VCs who actually understand this hardware/infrastructure space makes cold outreach even harder.

My Questions:

1. Getting In: What are the most effective, tactical ways to get warm intros to VCs right now when cold outreach is failing?

2. Alternative Leverage: How can we leverage our committed HNIs or alumni network to open VC doors without coming across as desperate?

3. Heavy Industry Networking: For founders in niche/hardware/B2G spaces, how do you build a sustainable investor network outside the typical tech circles?