Most investor emails get skipped for the same reason: they could have been sent to anyone. The partner sees a generic pitch, a round that does not fit their fund and a sector they have never backed, and moves on.
The templates below are built to avoid that. Each one has slots for the facts that show you picked this investor on purpose: the stage they invest at, the cheque they usually write, the sector they back and the fund they are investing from right now. Fill those slots with real data, replace the other brackets and cut anything that does not apply to you.
How to use these templates
- Check fit before you write: stage, typical cheque size, sector and how recently the firm raised a fund. If two of the four do not match, do not send.
- Write to one partner per firm, the one who covers your sector, not the generic info@ address.
- Keep the first email short enough to read on a phone. Link the deck, do not attach it.
- Replace every [Bracket]. One forgotten placeholder undoes all the personalisation.
- Follow up in the same thread, two or three times at most, with something new each time.
Which template to use
The follow-up timing is our suggestion, not a rule. What matters more is that every follow-up carries news.
| Your situation | Template | If there is no reply |
|---|---|---|
| No mutual connection with a VC that fits | Cold email to a VC partner | Follow up after a week, then 1–2 weeks later |
| The firm announced a new fund in the last 12 months | Cold email to a VC that just raised a new fund | Same as above |
| You own a profitable company and want a PE partner | Cold email to a PE firm from a founder or owner | Follow up after a week, then once more |
| You are an advisor running a process | Deal email from an advisor with a mandate | One follow-up before the bid deadline |
| Someone you know knows the partner | Asking a connection for an introduction, plus the forwardable blurb | Nudge the connector once after a week |
| You are raising Fund I | Cold email to a family office or fund of funds | Follow up after 2–3 weeks |
| An investor said "too early" or "keep me posted" | Investor update | Keep sending monthly or quarterly |
| Three emails and no answer | Closing the loop | Stop. Come back only with real news |
Personalise with investor data before you send
Four data points tell you whether an investor fits, and they give you the first line of the email. All four are usually on the firm's website. On Private Equity List they sit on one profile (stages, typical ticket size, industries and funds with launch dates) for 7,923 investors in 113 countries.
Stage. If a firm invests at seed and Series A and you are raising a Series B, nobody there will forward your email. If you are on the edge, say so plainly: "We are raising a pre-Series A, which I know sits between your seed and A cheques."
Cheque size. Compare your round with their typical ticket. A firm that writes $1–5m cheques can lead a $3m seed. A firm that writes $10–50m will usually pass on it, and a firm that writes under $1m will not lead it but may join. Ask for the role that fits: lead, co-lead or a participating cheque.
Sector. "You invest in fintech" is not personalisation. Name a portfolio company and say how you relate to it: you sell to them, you complement them, you serve the next customer segment in the same market. Never pitch a direct competitor of a company they already own.
Recent fund. A fund closed in the last year or two usually has most of its money still to invest, and its partners are looking for new deals. Name the fund in your email. If the latest fund is several years old with no news of a new one, the firm may be mostly backing its existing companies, so move it down your list. Our new funds list tracks funds launched in the last 12 months (755 at the time of writing) and is updated weekly.
Then find the right person. At most firms one partner covers your sector or region, and their name is often on the deals you are about to cite. PEL shows investment team contacts to paid accounts, with emails where they are known. Some contacts have a name and LinkedIn but no email, so check before you send.
A quick test for your first line: could you send it to another firm by changing only the name? If yes, rewrite it.
- Weak: "I have long admired [Firm]'s work in B2B software."
- Specific: "You led the seed in [Portfolio Co] and closed [Fund III] in [month]. We sell the audit layer that companies like [Portfolio Co] buy once they pass 50 employees."
Cold emails to venture capital firms
The subject line carries the facts, because it is all a partner sees before deciding to open. Put traction in numbers and dates, not adjectives.
Cold email to a VC partner
Use this when you have no mutual connection.
Subject: [Company] – [what you do in six words] – raising $[X]m [stage]
Hi [First name],
You led [Portfolio Co]'s [stage] round and [Firm] backs [sector] at [stage], so I think we are in your range.
[Company] [does what] for [customer]. We have [traction in numbers: revenue, customers, pilots], up from [earlier number] in [month].
We are raising $[X]m to [one concrete use of funds]. [Lead status or committed amounts, if any.]
Deck: [link]
Would you have 20 minutes in the next two weeks? If this is outside your focus, a one-line no is genuinely helpful.
[Name]
[Title], [Company] · [Phone] · [LinkedIn]
Cold email to a VC that just raised a new fund
Subject: Congrats on [Fund name] – [Company], [sector] at [stage]
Hi [First name],
Congratulations on closing [Fund name]. The announcement said it will back [focus quoted from the announcement], which is exactly where we are.
[Company] [does what] for [customer]. [One traction line with numbers and dates.]
We are raising $[X]m and are looking for a lead who can write $[amount within their typical cheque]. I am writing to you specifically because [portfolio overlap, a thesis post you wrote, your background in the sector].
Deck: [link]
[Name]
[Title], [Company] · [Phone]
Cold emails to private equity firms
PE firms want size and profitability first: revenue, EBITDA, ownership and the kind of deal on the table. Check the firm's stated EBITDA or deal-size range on its website before writing. Its typical equity cheque tells you roughly how large a company it buys.
Cold email to a PE firm from a founder or owner
Subject: [Company] – [sector], $[X]m revenue, $[Y]m EBITDA – [majority sale / growth capital]
Hi [First name],
I founded [Company], a [sector] business based in [city]. I am exploring [a majority sale / a minority investment / growth capital], and [Firm] looks like a fit: you invest in [sector] companies of our size, and [Portfolio Co] is [how it relates, e.g. a natural add-on partner].
The numbers:
- Revenue: $[X]m in [year], $[X]m in [year]
- EBITDA: $[Y]m, [margin]% margin
- [Recurring revenue share, customer concentration or headcount]
- Ownership: [e.g. founders own 100%, no institutional investors]
I am speaking with [a small number of / no other] firms. Could we have a first call in the next few weeks?
[Name]
[Title], [Company] · [Phone]
Deal email from an advisor with a mandate
Subject: [Project codename] – [sector], $[Y]m EBITDA, [region] – [transaction type]
Hi [First name],
We have been retained by the shareholders of a [sector] company in [region] and are running a [transaction type] process. Given [Firm]'s [platform investment / recent deal in Portfolio Co], we think it is relevant to you.
Snapshot:
- Revenue $[X]m, EBITDA $[Y]m ([year], [audited / management accounts])
- [Market position, recurring revenue, contract length]
- [Growth and margin trend]
- Process: teaser now, information memorandum after NDA, first-round bids by [date]
Blind teaser: [link]. If it fits, I can send the NDA today.
[Name]
[Title], [Advisory firm] · [Phone]
Warm intro requests
An introduction is only warm if the person making it knows the investor and will vouch for you. Ask that first. Then make it easy: give them a note they can forward as is, and ask them to check with the investor before introducing you (a double opt-in). An introduction the investor agreed to gets read.
Asking a connection for an introduction
Subject: Intro to [Partner name] at [Firm]?
Hi [First name],
I saw that you [worked with / co-invested with / sit on a board with] [Partner name] at [Firm]. We are raising a $[X]m [stage] round, and [Firm] is one of the few funds that [specific fit, e.g. leads seed rounds in climate software in Europe].
Would you be comfortable introducing us? If you do not know [Partner name] well enough to vouch, no problem at all. Just tell me.
A short note you can forward is below. Edit it as you like.
Thanks,
[Name]
Forwardable blurb
Subject: [Company] – [what you do in six words] – raising $[X]m [stage]
[Company] [does what] for [customer]. Founded by [Name], [one-line credential, e.g. former head of payments at Company X].
- Traction: [revenue, users or pilots, with numbers and dates]
- Round: $[X]m [stage], [lead status, committed amounts]
- Why [Firm]: [portfolio link or thesis match]
Deck: [link]
Follow-ups
Reply in the same thread, so the investor sees your first email under the new one. Every follow-up should add one fact: a customer signed, last month's numbers, a lead committed. "Just bumping this" adds nothing.
Follow-up with news
Subject: Re: [original subject]
Hi [First name],
A quick update since my note on [day]: [one new fact, e.g. we signed [Customer], our second enterprise contract, at $[X]k a year].
The round is [status, e.g. $[X]m committed, lead in discussion]. Would a 20-minute call make sense in the next two weeks?
[Name]
Closing the loop
Subject: Re: [original subject]
Hi [First name],
I will stop filling your inbox. If [Company] is not a fit for [Firm] right now, that is completely fine.
If it is a question of timing or stage, could I add you to our quarterly investor update? We plan to raise our [next round] in [quarter and year].
[Name]
That last line turns silence into a reader. An investor who has watched your numbers for two quarters is easier to raise from next time.
LP outreach for a first-time fund manager
The first email to an LP has one job: getting a first call. Put three things in it: a track record they can attribute to you, a thesis narrow enough to be believable, and a fund size that fits the strategy.
Write only to LPs that actually invest in funds. Many family offices only invest directly in companies, and some funds of funds run dedicated programmes for emerging managers. Check their website and any public commitments first. Private Equity List lists 294 funds of funds and 246 family offices that you can filter by region, sector and stage as a starting list. A profile tells you what a firm is and where it invests, not which funds it has backed, so verify that part yourself.
Cold email to a family office or fund of funds
Subject: [Fund name] – [thesis in six words] – $[X]m Fund I
Hi [First name],
I am the founding partner of [Fund name], a $[X]m [stage] fund investing in [thesis] in [region]. I am writing because [Investor] [has backed emerging managers / committed to Fund name / invests directly in our sector].
Why us:
- Track record: [N] investments since [year] as [angel / partner at Previous firm], including [Company] ([outcome, e.g. acquired by Buyer])
- Edge: [how you see deals others do not: operating background, network, location]
- Fund: $[X]m target, $[Y]m committed, GP commitment [Z]%, first close [date]
Could we find 30 minutes for me to walk you through the strategy? I can send the deck and full track record beforehand.
[Name]
[Title], [Fund name] · [Phone]
Put LP prospects on your quarterly letter before they commit. A manager who reports steadily from the first close is easier to back at the final one.
Investor update emails
Updates keep current investors useful and turn "too early" into "now". Send them to everyone who said "keep me posted", not only to your cap table. Use the same structure every time, so readers know where to look.
Monthly or quarterly investor update
Subject: [Company] update – [Month Year] – [headline number]
Hi all,
Headline: [one sentence, e.g. MRR passed $[X]k, up from $[Y]k last month].
Metrics
- [Revenue or MRR]: $[X] ([change] vs last period)
- [Customers or users]: [X] ([change])
- Burn: $[X] a month · Runway: [X] months
Wins
- [Win 1]
- [Win 2]
Challenges
- [What is not working and what you are doing about it]
Asks
- [Intro to a specific person or type of company]
- [Hire you need: role and profile]
Thanks,
[Name]
The asks are what investors can act on, so be specific: "an intro to the head of procurement at a mid-sized European insurer" gets answered, "any intros welcome" does not.
Find the right investors and the right partner to email
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