Section 01
The format that works
- Subject line: concrete and specific. Not 'Investment opportunity'.
- Line 1: why them, specifically. Reference a recent investment, essay, or portfolio company.
- Lines 2-3: what you are building, in plain English, with one number that matters.
- Line 4: the ask. Round size, stage, check sizes you have room for.
- Signature: link to a one-pager, not a 20-slide deck.
Section 02
Subject lines that get opened
- 'Pre-seed in vertical SaaS for dental clinics, $1.2M round'
- '$3.2M ARR, growing 22% MoM, raising Series A'
- 'Following [Portfolio Co] thesis, pre-seed AI for legal'
Section 03
Follow-up cadence
Send the first email. Follow up on day 4. Follow up again on day 11. Then move on. Three touches, two weeks, done. Anything more is noise.