This is how to get a venture capital introduction for your ...

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1. Alexander “I am however totally anal about curating each email to the recipient.” I press send. Richard responds a day later and says he doesn’t know Martin well. He could make an intro but there could be better people to do so. I thank Richard and ask him about the details of his traction so start a new thread.

   In Cold email personalization

2. Click on each profile and check the background of the VC. Is this the partner you want? Check your shared connections. How many do you have? This is the key starting point. Then look at each shared connection and make a judgement call how good you think that relationships is going to be. You know this by their status, work history etc. “For each shared connection, reach out to them with a curated and specific message and ask if they are willing to make an introduction.” The prospective introducer will let you know (or not) if they are placed to make the intro for you. If so, send them your template email to email to Jim so the prospect has to do as little work as possible

   In Permission-based introductions

3. I’m lazy so I write templates. I am however totally anal about curating each email to the recipient. One mistake will blow up in your face. I triple check everything before I press send. In particular check I spell people’s names. That is a cardinal sin. “He could make an intro but there could be better people to do so.” I wait and see what the other 4 people respond. It turns out that 2 more don’t know him at all. They connected on LinkedIn and never chatted. Crap.

   In Selecting introduction sources

4. The category of the person who makes the intro is not so as important as the nature of the relationship of the person with the VC. It may turn out that pizza boy isn’t tight with the mob but grew up near Sand Hill and his godfather is Ron Conway. He may not be an investor, but he has a close relationship with the targeted investor. “So the best intro is, in fact, people with personal relationships.” Does it always matter how close the relationship is to get an introduction? Not for low level intros

   In Selecting introduction sources

5. Click on each profile and check the background of the VC. Is this the partner you want? Check your shared connections. How many do you have? This is the key starting point. Then look at each shared connection and make a judgement call how good you think that relationships is going to be. You know this by their status, work history etc. “Don’t send the template intro email, ask them first “See you know Jim at Blue Shirt Capital. Do you think you are best placed to make an intro for me?” The prospective introducer will let you know (or not) if they are placed to make the intro for you. If so, send them your template email to email to Jim so the prospect has to do as little work as possible

   In Selecting introduction sources

6. Do not accept any offer to make an introduction! “Always ask if the person knows your target well enough to make a qualified introduction first.” How well placed are you to make an introduction to John? Do you know him well?

   In Selecting introduction sources

7. 12. Unfunded founders they accidentally added on Linkedin / everyone else “While these may well be potentially great sources of introductions for you they can also be dangerous.” The reason this may potentially be dangerous to you is that you do not know what a good introduction is and what a bad one is. The better sources from a better network will say upfront that their relationship is not very high-quality (and look elsewhere), but the poor source of introductions don’t know that they are a bad introduction themselves. They think by sending deal flow they can somehow curry influence when this is actually not the case. Understand that venture capital and startup is very sexy to a lot of people. Most people overstate the quality of their relationship with investors.

   In Selecting introduction sources

8. One VC is ok with cold emails if you share friends… “Before you take that as all the evidence you need, note he expects to be able to check up on you through a shared network.” “A lot of VCs ask to be introduced through someone.  If the connection is a strong, trusted one, that helps, but to be honest, there are probably less than 50 people than I would just blindly take a meeting based on an intro alone.

   In Founder network outreach

9. “A lot of VCs ask to be introduced through someone.  If the connection is a strong, trusted one, that helps, but to be honest, there are probably less than 50 people than I would just blindly take a meeting based on an intro alone. “Reality is that we’re probably connected in some way anyway through various social networks anyway and I’m very quick to figure out all of those connections to ask about you.” So, if your connection can’t really speak that much to what you’re doing, or you want to save them time, feel free to just point me to LinkedIn and tell me who we know in common that you think would provide a good reference.

   In Founder network outreach

10. But Alexander, I know someone who got funded without an intro? “That’s a meeting, not invested.” Yes, like everything in life there are exceptions, just few

    In Founder network outreach

11. But Alexander, I know someone who got funded without an intro? “One VC surveyed his friends and reckons the probability of getting a meeting from a cold email is 1/600.” Yes, like everything in life there are exceptions, just few

    In Founder network outreach

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