Even before mainstream AI, cold emailing investors was a low probability gambit but nowadays it's truly lottery ticket odds. For example, over the last year, I've received ~10k cold emails, but I only replied to 3. If you really have no other way to reach an investor, here's the process:

1. Check Contact Preferences

Many investors have application forms or preferred modes of communication, if you don't follow their request, you put yourself at an immediate disadvantage. For example, Sterling Road has an application form on our website and my LinkedIn profile asks visitors not to use DMs.

2. Strong Subject

Grab their attention, by highlighting the company's biggest strength in the Subject. As an idea stage investor, team matters most to me and the 3 I replied to all mentioned team strength in the Subject. Other examples: "We scaled Acme to $50M ARR", "Stripe/Oxford Team starting something new", "Our Research was Featured in Nature".

3. 3 Key Points

Once the investor opens the email, you have only seconds to maintain their interest. State the company's progress clearly in 3 concise bullet points, typically covering traction, technology, and team. For example: "We worked together at OpenAI for the last 2 years", "We have 50 customers on our waitlist and 10 have paid >$1k", "Users spend 3x longer on our app versus Google".

4. Under 100 Words

Keep the message incredibly short. Since you already have 3 bullet points and will need a polite closing with a meeting link, you essentially only have room for your one liner, that's it. Email attention spans are very short, every word over 100 reduces your chances of a reply.

Cold emailing investors is a channel in decline and you should always try to find another route first. However, if you've exhausted all the other options, following these rules will help you get a response.