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The YC essay tells you the rules; this shows you real founders following (and bending) them. These are 13 actual cold emails sent through OpenVC, annotated for what made each one land, so you can see the difference between an email that earned a meeting and one that would get skipped. Read it for the pattern, then write in your own plain voice.
13 Cold Email Examples Sent to VC Investors
From OpenVC Blog by OpenVC 12 min read
- Every strong example pairs a tight pitch with one honest signal: revenue, growth, a known customer, or a committed investor.
- The best emails sound specific and matter of fact, not eager or apologetic, which is what keeps them from reading as desperate.
- Copy the structure, not the wording: borrowed phrasing is obvious and does the opposite of standing out.
