Free template
Investor cold email builder: the email that gets a reply
Investors answer emails that are short, specific and show traction in the first line. Enter the facts and the builder writes the subject line, the email and two follow-ups in the structure that works.
Hi Sarah, You backed Ledgerly, and both sell finance tools to small agencies, so I thought this might fit Northwind Ventures. Costifier is pricing software for creative agencies. 32 paying agencies, $4.1k MRR, growing 18% a month since March. We are raising $600k pre-seed on a post-money SAFE. Would you be open to a 20-minute call next week? Deck and metrics are here: https://seedscope.ai/startup/costifier Thanks, Ersan
Hi Sarah, Quick follow-up in case this got buried. One update since my last note: 32 paying agencies. Still keen to get your view on Costifier. A 20-minute call next week would be great. Ersan
Hi Sarah, Last note from me. We are closing $600k pre-seed on a post-money SAFE in the coming weeks and I wanted to make sure Northwind Ventures had the chance to look. If it is not a fit for your thesis, a one-line no helps me too. Thanks for reading, Ersan
Anatomy of a cold email that works
A subject line with the company and the one number. First sentence: what you do for whom. Second: the traction. Third: why this investor, with a reference to a portfolio company or a thesis. Last: the ask, with a link to the deck. Under 120 words. No attachments.
Warm beats cold, but cold works
Ask portfolio founders for a double opt-in introduction first. For cold emails, personalise one line properly rather than five lines badly, and send to the partner whose investments match yours, not to the general inbox.
Follow-ups
Most replies come from the second or third email. Follow up after five to seven days with new information: a customer, a metric, a hire. Stop after three.
What not to include
NDAs, the word revolutionary, the TAM slide, and anything the investor can read in the deck. Do not ask for a coffee; ask for 20 minutes and propose a date.
Questions founders ask
Should I attach the deck?
Link it. Attachments get filtered and you cannot see whether it was opened.
How many investors at once?
Batches of 20 to 30 matched investors, tracked in a sheet or in SeedScope, so you can adjust the email after each batch.
Does the builder store my text?
No. Copy it before you leave the page.
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Stop guessing which investors fit. Let them find you.
Founder Starter is free: your profile goes in front of investors on SeedScope and they can email you. Founder Pro shows who viewed and watchlisted you, by name, and lets you email your matched investors. Founder Premium picks 20 new best-fit investors every week and writes your first email to each one.