Many founders are familiar with the cold email pitch to venture capitalists in the hopes of earning funding for their startup. At the same time, those VCs are used to received dozens of emails regularly from founders - many of whom are giving the same, boring pitch. Let us show you how to master cold emailing VCs and get those email pitches open and acted on.

Write a subject line that gets your email opened

Good subject lines when emailing venture capitalists are about what's in it for them and not about what's in it for you. Demonstrate the value for the VC and why they should invest their money in your company. Include details about your company and founder along with clear success metrics and what stage of funding you are in. Generic subjects like "looking for funding" don't help your email stand out among many. 

Remember, VC firms know why you're emailing them. Get to the point and show value to get that open...

Write an email body that gets your pitch deck opened

A VC firm isn't going to open your attached pitch deck if it isn't sold hard in the body of your email. Open with a personalized greeting - NOT a generic "to whom it may concern." Begin your email with information about the VC and why you thought they would be a good fit. Continue with a direct value proposition about your company and provide examples of growth for your product and/or team. Showing other commitments creates a halo effect and demonstrates momentum in your fundraising efforts. Finally, close with a clear CTA and specific ask.

Keep your email body detailed but short, generally less than 700 characters, and your pitch deck is bound to be opened...

Create a pitch deck that generates a reply

A quality pitch deck uses large fonts and explicit titles, but not a lot of text. Keep your pitch around 10-12 professionally-designed slides and make it easy to access - no password protection! Common mistakes we see in pitch decks include too many words, confusing titles, too many slides, or cheap-looking designs.

By following these quality control measures, you're on your way to begin earning VC funding. Now it's time to get emailing...

Nail the actual emailing process

If we haven't made it clear by now, do not copy-paste an email template and mass email it to investors. Start your personalized approach with the firms you want least. It may seem counterintuitive, but you will gain practice and master your approach by the time you get to the big fish. Do a little research and find the best person at the firm to email. Create your custom approach (see above) and repeat 3-4x per day. Before you know it you'll have dozens of lines in the water and your fundraising goals will be closer than ever!

Source: Open VC