--- name: fundraising-email description: When the user wants to write an email to an investor — cold outreach, warm intro request, follow-up after a meeting, monthly investor update, or thank-you note. Also activates for "intro email", "investor email", "follow up with VC", or "investor update". related: [pitch-deck, investor-research] reads: [startup-context] --- # Fundraising Email ## When to Use - The founder needs to write a cold outreach email to an investor. - The founder wants to draft a warm intro request (a "forwardable email"). - The founder needs a follow-up after an investor meeting. - The founder is writing a monthly investor update. - The founder wants to send a thank-you or round-closing notification. ## Context Required From `startup-context`: company one-liner, stage, key traction metrics, fundraising status, and any notable social proof (investors, customers, press). From the user: email type, recipient (investor name and firm), prior relationship context, and desired outcome (meeting, intro, materials review). ## Workflow 1. **Read startup context** — Pull the company narrative, metrics, and fundraising details from `.agents/startup-context.md`. 2. **Determine email type** — Classify as one of the five types below. Each has different structure, tone, and length. 3. **Draft the email** — Follow the type-specific template. Keep it short — investors scan, they don't read. 4. **Add personalization** — Include at least one specific reference to why this investor is a fit (thesis, portfolio company, blog post). Generic emails get ignored. 5. **Review against principles** — Check the draft against the quality checklist. Trim aggressively. 6. **Deliver the final draft** — Output subject line and email body, ready to copy-paste. ## Output Format ``` **To:** [Investor Name] **Subject:** [Subject line] [Email body] ``` For investor updates, output a longer structured email with sections (see type 4 below). ## Frameworks & Best Practices ### The Five Email Types #### 1. Cold Outreach **Goal**: Get a 30-minute meeting. **Length**: 5-7 sentences, under 150 words. - **Line 1**: Why *this* investor specifically (1 sentence). - **Lines 2-3**: What you do and for whom (no jargon). - **Lines 4-5**: Strongest traction proof point — one number that makes them lean in. - **Line 6**: Specific, low-commitment ask ("Would you have 30 minutes this week or next?"). - No attachments on first email. **Subject line formula**: `[Specific hook] — [Company Name]` (e.g., `"$40K MRR in 6 months, AI contract review — Lexara"`). #### 2. Warm Intro Request (The Forwardable Email) **Goal**: Make it effortless for your connector to intro you. **Two parts**: - **Note to connector** (2-3 sentences): "Would you be willing to introduce me to [Partner] at [Firm]? Short blurb below you can forward directly." - **Forwardable blurb** (4-6 sentences): Written so the connector sends it as-is. Include what the company does, strongest metric, why this firm is relevant, and what you're looking for. If the connector has to rewrite it, they won't send it. #### 3. Follow-Up After Meeting **Goal**: Maintain momentum, deliver materials, set next steps. **Length**: 4-8 sentences. - Thank them and reference one specific thing discussed. Attach requested materials. Address any open question. Propose a specific next step with a date. **Send within 3 hours** — speed signals competence. #### 4. Monthly Investor Update **Goal**: Keep current and prospective investors informed. **Length**: 300-500 words. - **Highlights**: Top 3 wins (metrics-first). - **KPIs**: Table with this month, last month, MoM change. - **Challenges**: 1-2 honest struggles (invites help; investors respect candor). - **Asks**: 1-3 concrete requests (intros to specific customer types, candidates for a role). - **What's Next**: Top 2-3 priorities for next month. - Send on the same day each month. Monthly updates are the #1 way to convert a "not yet" into a future "yes". #### 5. Thank-You / Round Closing Note **Goal**: Maintain the relationship. **Length**: 3-5 sentences. - If invested: genuine thanks, confirm logistics, add to update list. - If passed: thank them, leave the door open, ask if they want monthly updates. Never burn bridges — the investor who passes on seed may lead your Series A. ### Core Principles 1. **Brevity wins** — Investors get 50-100 inbound emails weekly. Over 200 words in a cold email gets skimmed. 2. **Specificity beats superlatives** — "$42K MRR growing 25% MoM" beats "fast-growing revenue". 3. **Social proof early** — Recognizable customer, investor, or accelerator in the first two lines. 4. **One clear CTA** — Every email gets exactly one ask. 5. **Personalization is mandatory** — Reference their thesis, portfolio, or writing. Doubles response rates. 6. **Subject lines are headlines** — Lead with your best metric or most surprising fact. 7. **Send Tuesday-Thursday, 8-10am investor's timezone** — Open rates drop on Mondays and Fridays. ### What Not to Do - No "disruptive", "revolutionary", "game-changing", or "the Uber of X". - No NDAs. No reputable investor signs them for startup pitches. - Don't email multiple partners at the same firm. They compare notes. - Don't follow up more than twice without new information. - Don't CC multiple investors on the same email. ## Related Skills - `pitch-deck` — the email drives the meeting; the deck carries the meeting - `investor-research` — research determines who to email and what personalization to use ## Examples **Example prompt**: "Write a cold email to Sarah Chen at Greylock. We're an AI code review startup with $55K MRR." **Good output**: > **Subject:** $55K MRR — AI code review, 4 enterprise customers — CodeLens > > Hi Sarah, > > Your investment in Developer Infrastructure at Greylock — particularly the thesis in your "Next Wave of DevTools" post — is why I wanted to reach out to you specifically. > > I'm the CEO of CodeLens. We automate code review for enterprise engineering teams using LLMs, catching security vulnerabilities and logic errors that slip past existing tools. > > We launched 5 months ago: $55K MRR, 4 enterprise customers (two Fortune 500), growing 30% MoM. We're raising a $3M seed round. > > Would you have 30 minutes this week or next? **Example prompt**: "Help me write this month's investor update." **Good output approach**: Pull metrics from startup context, ask the founder for this month's highlights and challenges, then produce the structured update. Flag any missing or stale KPIs.