Most warm intros die because the founder made the connector write the pitch: how to get a warm introduction to a VC

Sunny Ray · May 10, 2026 · 5 min read

Most warm intros die because the founder made the connector write the pitch.

I'm the connector a lot. On May 8 a founder asked me for an introduction to a famous seed investor I've known for years. I said yes, happily. Then I told him what I needed: a short paragraph I could forward to the person who vets that investor's deals, because they prefer double opt-in introductions and they need to see quickly whether the company fits their thesis.

That's it. One paragraph. And I'd bet that's where half of all promised intros quietly stall, because the founder sends a deck and a "whatever you think is best" and the connector has to do homework they never signed up for.

The intro is a product: make it forwardable

Think about the connector's side. They have a relationship that took years to build. They're willing to spend some of it on you. But they're busy, and every intro has a cost: if it's a bad fit, the investor trusts their judgment a little less next time.

So they want two things. To spend as little time as possible, and to look smart. A forwardable blurb gives them both. They read it, agree with it, hit forward, add one line of their own. Done in a minute.

A deck with no context gives them neither. Now they have to read it, figure out why this investor would care, write the pitch themselves and hope they got it right. That email sits in drafts for a week, then forever.

Double opt-in, explained from the connector's side

Double opt-in means the investor agrees to the introduction before your email lands in their inbox. The connector asks first: "I know a founder doing X, want an intro?" Only if the answer is yes does the actual introduction happen.

Founders sometimes see this as gatekeeping. It's respect. The investor never gets surprised with an obligation, so they're far more open when they do say yes. And you never get introduced to someone who would've ignored you, which is worse than no intro at all.

The catch is that the first ask, the one before the intro, is made entirely with your blurb. The investor's yes or no depends on a paragraph you wrote. That's why it has to be good.

The five sentences in a good blurb

Keep it to about five sentences, written in the third person so the connector can forward it without editing:

• What the company does, in plain words a stranger would understand.
• Who it's for and why now.
• The strongest proof: revenue, users, growth or a notable customer.
• What you're raising and where the round stands.
• Why this investor in particular: the piece of their thesis or portfolio you fit.

That last line is the one founders skip, and it's the one the vetting person looks for first. A famous investor's office sees endless decks. The question they're asking is "does this match what we back?" Answer it for them.

Put a link to the deck below the blurb, not inside it. The blurb gets the yes. The deck gets read after.

Why the gatekeeper matters more than the famous name

Famous investors don't vet their own inbound. Someone close to them does. In this case it was the right hand who sees every deal first. Your blurb isn't written for the famous name. It's written for that person, who has to decide in about thirty seconds whether to put it in front of their boss.

Write for a skeptical, smart reader with no time and a clear thesis. If it passes them, it'll pass the person you actually wanted to reach.

The relationship behind the intro

Founders also underestimate how much the connector is putting on the line. On another call that same day, I gave the public backstory on why I can make that particular intro at all. Tim Draper led my Series A. Then, as I said on the call: "We took on the central bank in 2018 and beat them in the Supreme Court in 2020. It's all public info."

That's years of history. The relationship got stronger after we won that fight, and I'm not going to spend it carelessly. When a connector asks you for a blurb, they're not being difficult. They're protecting something that took a long time to build, and they're making it easy for you to borrow it.

Earn the next intro: report back

The intro is not the end. What you do after decides whether you get the next one.

We talked about follow-up rules on the same May 8 call, and they apply here exactly. Reference something specific from the conversation, so the investor knows you listened. Bring value, not just a meeting request. Two or three follow-ups over about a week at most, then wait a month before you try again. And give them more than one kind of touch over time: a short industry insight, a report you put together, a request to quote them on something they know well. Relationships with investors grow on useful contact, not on reminders.

And tell the connector what happened, good or bad. A one-line "we met, they want the data room" or "not a fit, but great feedback" makes the connector want to help you again. Silence makes them wonder whether you even showed up.

Warm intros are great when you can get them. But you can't build a whole raise on a handful of favors. If you want more investor conversations than your network can supply, meet investors through your own show.

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