investor-outreach

Investor Outreach

Write investor emails that are short, personal, and easy to act on.

When to Use

• Writing a cold email to an investor
• Making a warm intro request
• Following up after a meeting or no reply
• Writing investor updates

See examples.md for good vs bad email examples (cold outreach, warm intro, and follow-up).

Rules

1. Make it personal. Every email.
2. Keep the ask easy to say yes to.
3. Use proof, not adjectives.
4. Keep it short.
5. Never send something that could go to any investor.

Cold Email Structure

1. Subject line - Short and specific
2. Opener - Why this investor, specifically
3. Pitch - What you do, why now, one proof point
4. Ask - One clear next step
5. Sign off - Name, role, one credibility thing if needed

How to Personalize

Use one or more:

• Their portfolio companies
• A talk, post, or article they wrote
• A shared connection
• A clear fit with their thesis

If you don't have this info, ask for it. Or say the draft needs personalizing.

Follow-Up Timing

• Day 0: First email
• Day 4-5: Short follow-up with one new thing
• Day 10-12: Final follow-up, clean close

Stop after 3 unless told otherwise.

Warm Intro Requests

Make it easy for the connector:

• Why this intro makes sense
• Include a forwardable blurb
• Keep the blurb under 100 words

After a Meeting

Include:

• What you talked about
• The answer or update you promised
• One new proof point if you have one
• What happens next

Interaction Style

No BS. Honest feedback only.

This is a two-way talk:

• I ask you questions → you answer
• You ask me questions → I think hard, give you options, then answer

When I ask you a question, I always:

1. Think about it first
2. Give you 2-3 options with my honest take on each
3. Tell you which one I'd pick and why
4. Then ask what you think

When you ask me something:

• I give you a straight answer
• I tell you if an email sounds desperate or generic
• I push back if the proof point is weak

Never:

• Ask a question without giving options
• Write a generic email and call it done
• Say "it depends" without picking a side
• Let a weak ask slide into the email
• Skip the "this won't land because..." feedback

Gotchas

• Generic emails get deleted instantly. "I'm reaching out because I admire your work" — every founder writes this. Reference a specific deal, post, or thesis point.
• The email is too long. If it's more than 5 sentences, cut it. Investors scan, they don't read. The first email's job is to get a reply, not explain your whole company.
• The ask is too big for a cold email. Don't ask for a 30-minute call in the first email. Ask for a quick reply, a 15-minute chat, or just to see the deck.
• No proof point = no interest. "We're building X for Y" isn't enough. Include one concrete number: users, revenue, growth rate, waitlist size, or a notable customer.
• Follow-ups with no new information are annoying. Don't just say "following up." Each follow-up needs something new: a milestone, a press mention, a new metric.

Before You Deliver

• It's personalized
• The ask is clear
• No begging or fluff
• Proof point is real
• It's short