Ask HN: How to go about asking for VC funding?

I have a prototype for a project that I would like to sell, and I was curious to the steps involved with getting a funding from angels and/or VCs.

I don't know that my project is big enough or interesting enough to get something like YC to fund it (though I do have a plan to monetize it), but I was curious to what people here would recommend in regards to getting seed money? Do you just call up a firm to request a meeting? Do I have to "know someone" and get a meeting that way?