How to write a cold email to an investor (with a template)

Investors receive many emails every week and can give each only a few seconds. A warm introduction is always more effective, but a well-written direct email can still open doors. This guide shares what emails that get replies have in common and a structure you can use.

Before you send: the right investor

Choosing the right recipient matters as much as the email itself.

• Does the investor back your sector and stage?
• Does their ticket size match your need?
• Do they have a competitor in their portfolio?

Filter by sector and stage on our investors page. For angels, also see this guide.

What a good investor email looks like

• Short: readable on a phone without scrolling, roughly 120–200 words
• Personal: one sentence on why this investor is the right person
• Evidence-based: numbers instead of adjectives
• A clear ask: it is obvious what you want

Subject line

The subject line decides whether the email is opened. Combine what you do with your strongest proof:

• "B2B payments software · 20% monthly growth · seed round"
• "Intro via [mutual contact]: AI for logistics, 40 enterprise customers"

Suggested structure

1. Opening (1 sentence): why you are writing to this investor, such as a similar portfolio company or something they wrote.
2. What you do (1–2 sentences): which problem you solve and for whom. No jargon.
3. Traction (2–3 bullets): revenue, growth, customers, a notable partnership.
4. Team (1 sentence): why you are the right team.
5. Ask (1 sentence): how much you are raising, at what stage, and a request for a 20-minute call.
6. Attachment: a short deck link or your Türkiye Startups profile.

Example

Subject: Inventory software for restaurants · MRR up 4x in 3 months · seed round

Hi [Name], I have been following your food-tech investments and your work with [portfolio company]. We build software that automates stock and ordering for restaurants, cutting waste and manual counts. We have 120 paying restaurants, our monthly recurring revenue has grown fourfold in three months and monthly churn is below 2 percent. Our founders include an operator with 8 years in restaurant-chain operations and a CTO who has scaled a SaaS product before. We have opened a seed round to accelerate growth; would you have 20 minutes next week? Our short deck is attached.

Follow-up

If there is no reply, send a short follow-up about a week later with something new: a new customer, a growth figure or a product update. Stop after two follow-ups; write again in a few months with updated metrics.

Common mistakes

• Mass, unpersonalised emails and "Dear Sir or Madam"
• Long paragraphs and large attachments in the first email
• Unsupported claims such as "revolutionary" or "no competitors"
• Asking for an NDA; most early-stage investors will not sign one
• No clear ask

Once the meeting is booked

Prepare your deck and metrics. Our pitch deck guide and metrics guide will help at this stage.