How to Cold Email Investors

Video overview

Michael Seibel discusses concise cold outreach to investors. He covers describing the company, including relevant evidence of progress, avoiding jargon and excessive history, and making a proportionate request. He also discusses sender identity, optional decks and follow-up habits. The original video dates from 2019.

The preparation workflow below is original PitchPolar material. The sample company and message are fictional. The video's mention of tracking email opens is historical advice; these exercises do not depend on tracking pixels or treating an open as evidence of interest.

01 Decide why this recipient is relevant

Before writing, check the investor's publicly stated stage, sector and location preferences. Look for a concrete reason your company might fit. Record the source rather than relying on a name in a large contact list.

Exercise: write a one-line research note for each intended recipient. If the only connection is that they invest in startups, spend more time establishing fit before personalizing the message.

A portfolio company can be useful context, but it does not prove willingness to fund a competitor. Treat uncertain relationships as questions to research.

02 Assemble the facts before writing the email

Create a brief fact sheet with the customer, product, current stage and one or two supported indicators of progress. Give every number a definition and date range.

Fictional example: a distributor-software team has three organizations testing its prototype. That is a pilot claim. It should not appear as three paying customers unless payment has actually occurred.

Keep a link to the evidence behind each claim in your internal notes. The email can stay short while the team remains ready to answer a detailed question.

03 Write a message that is easy to respond to

Here is an original example using that fictional business:

“We build order-management software for small food distributors. Three distributors are testing the prototype; we are measuring how staff handle order changes before dispatch. Your focus on early B2B software prompted me to reach out. Would a short overview be relevant to your current interests?”

This example is deliberately modest. Replace it with your own accurate facts and a request suitable for the recipient. Avoid implying a personal recommendation or an existing relationship you do not have.

04 Check links and the requested next step

Open every link before sending. Confirm that a deck is accessible, a demo works and the material does not expose confidential customer data. If your attachment has a forecast, label the assumptions.

Exercise: ask a teammate to read the draft once and answer: what does the company do, what exists today and what response is requested? Revise whatever they cannot answer.

05 Keep follow-ups factual

Maintain a record of when you wrote, what you sent and any explicit next step. A genuine product milestone or requested answer can justify a useful update. Repeatedly sending the same message does not add information.

Distinguish no response, a pass and a request for more information in your records. A polite conversation is not a funding commitment. Respect a request to stop contact.

Before sending

• Confirm the recipient's relevance.
• Verify each claim and date range.
• Test the links.
• Make the requested response clear.
• Record the message and any agreed follow-up.

Original source

YC: How to Cold Email Investors — Michael Seibel includes the official video and topic timestamps.