# The First Email to an Investor > Two sentences, a reason to write to this person, and an offer to send the one-pager. Five short templates built on the rule from Anioł w Piekle. Author: Lech Kaniuk (https://lechkaniuk.com/about) Published: 2026-11-01 Canonical: https://lechkaniuk.com/fundraising/first-email-to-an-investor Write the first email in two sentences. Startups email me too, as an angel investor. If an email is long and I can see from the first lines that someone is looking for money, I stop reading. If you cannot get me interested in two sentences, I do not have time for the rest. That is on the sender, who went into details too early. For a fund you are one more email this week with a great idea, maybe the hundredth. Most founders contact investors far too early, without preparation, and with long emails that try to win the fund over in one go. Short emails make the investor's work easier and give you a better chance of a reply. ## What the first email is for It has one job: a reply that says "send more" or "let's talk". It does not have to explain the company. What goes in: 1. Who sent you, or why you write to this fund. This is the one sentence from your [investor list](https://lechkaniuk.com/fundraising/build-an-investor-list). 2. What the company does, in plain words. 3. One proof point: revenue, paying customers, pilots. 4. What you are raising. 5. An offer to send the one-pager, or a question about which material they want. What stays out: the full deck, the budget, the long story, and a request to sign an NDA. Asking for an NDA before the first call builds a wall in a relationship that has not started. ## One-pager first, deck later Prepare the budget and the pitch deck first. Then condense them into a one-pager, also called a teaser. The teaser goes out to raise interest and get a call. When someone answers "OK, we want to meet", you send the full deck and the budget. That means both have to be ready before the first email goes out. You can attach the one-pager right away. I prefer to offer it. If they do not answer a short message, they will not open the attachment either. ## Five templates Replace everything in brackets. Keep each one short enough to read on a phone without scrolling. ### 1. With a referral > **Subject:** [Referrer] suggested I write > > Hi [Name], > > [Referrer] told me how [Fund] works with [their company]. We build something similar for [another industry]: [one line on what you do]. Would you be interested? I can send our one-pager. > > [Your name] This is the strongest opening. Use it only when the referrer agreed to it. ### 2. Cold, with a reason > **Subject:** [Stage] [sector], [one proof point] > > Hi [Name], > > We are raising [€X] [stage] for [Company]: [what it does, one line]. [Proof point, for example 14 paying customers and €25K monthly revenue]. [Fund] backed [portfolio company], so I think we fit your thesis. Can I send you the one-pager? > > [Your name] ### 3. Asking a contact for an intro > Hi [Contact], > > Could you introduce me to [Name] at [Fund]? Below are three lines you can forward as they are. > > [Company] does [one line]. [Proof point]. We are raising [€X] [stage] and would like 20 minutes with [Name], because [reason]. > > Thanks, > [Your name] Make the intro easy to forward. The less your contact has to write, the faster it goes out. ### 4. Follow-up after no reply > **Subject:** Re: [original subject] > > Hi [Name], > > A short follow-up on my email below. Since then: [one new fact with a number]. Is this a fit for [Fund], or should I stop taking your time? > > [Your name] ### 5. Back to a fund that passed > **Subject:** [Company] update: [milestone] > > Hi [Name], > > You passed in [month] because of [their reason]. Since then [what changed, with a number]. We are raising [round] now. Is it worth a new look? > > [Your name] Write this one only when something has changed. A pass followed by an email with nothing new is noise. ## Follow-ups Follow up once after about a week, and a last time a week later. Then stop, and move the fund to a list for a later update. Each follow-up adds one new fact. Do not send the pitch again. Keep the other conversations moving while you wait. One silent fund must not stop the round. The free [pipeline template](https://lechkaniuk.com/tools/pipeline-template) calculates the follow-up dates for you. ## Before you hit send - The right person by name, not a general inbox. - One sentence on why this fund. - Fits on a phone screen. - One-pager ready, and the deck and budget ready for when they say yes. - No NDA request, no heavy attachments. --- *Source: adapted from the teaser and first-contact section of the Polish original* Anioł w Piekle *(2021).* ## FAQ ### Should I attach my pitch deck to the first email? No. Start with a short message and offer a one-pager. Send the full deck and the budget when the investor wants to meet. If they do not answer a short message, they will not open the attachment either. ### How long should a cold email to an investor be? Short enough to read in a few seconds. The rule from Anioł w Piekle: if you cannot get an investor interested in two sentences, a longer email will not help.