Fundraising & Investors

When should I actually ask my investors for warm intros, and how do I make it easy for them to say yes?

A starting point

Ask in every update, but make it specific enough that a distracted investor can forward it in ten seconds. Name the exact company, the exact person or title, and paste a two-line forwardable blurb they can copy. Vague asks like "intros to enterprise customers" get ignored, "a warm intro to the Head of Payments at any of these five banks" gets acted on. Batch your asks so you are not pinging investors weekly. In India, your investors' networks often unlock the first few brand-name logos that unblock everything else, so treat intros as a renewable resource you ration, not spam.

Go deeper

Hand-picked from around the web, each with a note on why it earns your time.

3 resources 3 link-checked

Read

📄 Article
✓ Link checked Free Beginner

Why we picked it This is the actual template you paste under your ask, written by an investor who receives these forwards and decides whether to act on them. It walks through a real founder's forwardable blurb (Bento Box to Iskold) that a distracted investor can send with zero editing: one line on who you are, the traction in numbers, why the target specifically, and the clean ask. Copy the structure and swap in your company, your named person or title, and your two-line pitch.

How to write a forwardable introduction email

From Startup Hacks (2048.vc) by Alex Iskold 6 min read

  • Write the intro request as a blurb the connector forwards as-is, so their only job is to add one sentence of vouch, not explain your business
  • Lead with hard traction (MRR, growth, named customers or angels) because that is what makes an investor confident to spend their social capital
  • Keep the subject line forwardable and unique so the thread stays findable, and move the introducer to BCC once connected
Open startuphacks.vc →
✍️ Essay
✓ Link checked Free Beginner

Why we picked it This is the post that explains why your investor sometimes goes quiet on an intro ask: their reputation rides on every forward, so they will not push you to someone until they are confident you will not embarrass them. Wilson coined the double opt-in that is now default etiquette in VC, and reading it from the investor's side tells you exactly how to earn more intros: give them a specific, credible ask they can vouch for without hesitation. Vague asks make them do the reputational math themselves, so they stall.

The Double Opt-In Introduction

From AVC (Union Square Ventures) by Fred Wilson 4 min read

  • An investor checks with the target before forwarding, because their standing with that person is on the line, so make it trivially easy for them to say yes to you first
  • Intros are rationed by trust, not abundance: earn more by never putting the introducer in an awkward spot with a weak or ill-fitting ask
  • Explain why the intro makes sense for the recipient, not just for you, so the investor can pitch it as a favor to both sides
Open avc.com →
📄 Article
✓ Link checked Free Beginner

Why we picked it The most practical guide to investor updates, from a company that exists purely to help founders send them. Concrete structure plus real templates you can copy this month.

How to Write the Perfect Investor Update (Tips and Templates)

From Visible.vc by Visible.vc 15 min read

  • Five core parts: summary, KPIs, highlights, lowlights, and specific asks
  • Consistency and cadence matter more than polish; send it every month
  • Make asks specific and easy so investors can actually act on them
Open visible.vc →

People also ask

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