| name | warm-intro |
| description | Get warm introductions to investors. Writes the forwardable (double opt-in) intro the founder sends to a mutual connection, plus the ask that makes saying yes easy, and ways to find warm paths. Use when a founder says "ask my contact to intro me to <investor>", "write a forwardable intro", "I have a mutual connection to <fund>", or wants to turn a connection into an investor meeting. A warm intro beats the best cold email — route here whenever a path exists. |
Warm introductions
A warm intro is the highest-converting way into an investor. This skill helps a
founder (1) find who can introduce them and (2) write a forwardable, double
opt-in intro that makes the connector's job effortless and the investor's
decision easy.
Read shared/references/outreach-ethics.md first. The connector is spending
their credibility for you — never make that costly or risky for them.
The core mechanic: double opt-in, forwardable
The gold-standard etiquette:
- You write a short note to your connector asking if they're willing to
intro — and you include a forwardable blurb they can paste/forward as-is.
- The connector checks with the investor first ("can I intro you to X?") —
double opt-in. This protects the connector and means the investor arrives
warm, not ambushed.
- The connector forwards your blurb; the investor replies; you take it from
there.
Your job is to make step 1 take the connector 30 seconds. The easier you make
it, the more likely it happens — and the better it reflects on you.
Step 1 — Find the warm path
If the founder doesn't yet know who to target at the firm or who can
introduce them, run the warm-path-finder skill first — it pinpoints the
right person and ranks connection paths from the founder's own authorized data
(Gmail, exported LinkedIn connections, contacts) and public sources. This skill
takes over once a named introducer exists.
Before writing, help the founder figure out who can intro them:
- Direct: do they already know someone at/near the firm?
- Second degree: search LinkedIn for shared connections to the target
partner; check who in their network knows portfolio founders (a portfolio
founder's intro is gold — investors trust their founders).
- Community paths: accelerator alumni, university/employer networks, angel
syndicates, founder Slacks, mutual advisors.
- Best connector ≠ most senior. The ideal introducer is someone the investor
trusts and replies to and who genuinely rates you. A lukewarm intro from a
big name is worse than an enthusiastic one from a respected peer.
If no path exists, say so and route to the cold-email skill — but suggest
cheap ways to build a path first (engage with the investor's content, get into a
community they're in, ask a portfolio founder for advice rather than an intro).
Step 2 — Write the ask to the connector
Short, no-pressure, with an easy out. Include the forwardable blurb. See
references/forwardable-template.md for full templates. Shape:
- Warm one line to the connector (real, personal).
- The ask: "Would you be open to introducing me to at ? Only if
you're comfortable — no worries at all if not."
- Why this investor (1 line) so the connector can vouch with context.
- "I've written a short blurb below you can forward if it's easy." → blurb.
Step 3 — Write the forwardable blurb
This is what the investor actually reads, so it follows cold-email discipline
(short, specific, one ask) but warmer because it's vouched-for:
- Who you are + one-liner.
- The 1–2 strongest, truest traction points.
- Why this investor specifically.
- The ask: a 20–30 min call.
- A link (deck/site), no big attachment.
Keep it ~75–110 words. The connector should be able to forward it without
editing.
Step 4 — After the intro
- Reply fast (same day) and move the connector to bcc in your first
reply to the investor — standard etiquette that respects their inbox.
- Close the loop: thank the connector and tell them how it went, whether or
not it converts. They took a reputational risk; gratitude keeps the channel
open for next time.
Hard rules
- Never fabricate a relationship or imply a closer connection than is real.
- Always give the connector an easy "no." Pressure poisons the well.
- Truthful traction, same as everywhere.
- One investor per ask (unless the connector explicitly offers several) —
don't hand someone a list to shop you around; it reads as low-conviction.
Bilingual / China market (中文)
If the founder is raising in the China market or asks for Chinese
output, use references/zh-talk-tracks.md and first read
shared/references/china-market-playbook.md. In China, intros usually run over
WeChat (拉群 / 推名片) rather than a forwardable email, and closing the loop
with the connector (致谢) is even more important — 人情 is reciprocal. The zh
file gives the connector ask, a forwardable blurb, group-intro etiquette, and the
thank-you/loop-close, all in Chinese.
Output format
Deliver:
- Note to the connector (with the no-pressure ask).
- Forwardable blurb (ready to paste).
- The follow-up reply to send once the investor responds (connector to bcc).
- A reminder to close the loop with the connector afterward.
