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21 points iiJDSii | 3 comments | | HN request time: 2.674s | source

As an unknown/nobody with a startup and a pitch, have you personally gotten anywhere cold messaging investors? Emailing them, messaging on LinkedIn, filling out website applications, etc.

What were the results, and how many did you have to contact before you got anywhere?

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bobosha ◴[] No.42154545[source]
In 2017, I secured investment from Mark Cuban for my startup through a cold email. He contributed to our initial seed round, followed on in subsequent funding rounds, and we successfully exited in 2023.

My email was concise, under five sentences, and straight to the point, highlighting the market problem, its size, and our traction. Feel free to ask any questions!

replies(1): >>42155330 #
1. authorfly ◴[] No.42155330[source]
How did you get his real email?
replies(1): >>42155691 #
2. arisAlexis ◴[] No.42155691[source]
For sure through an introduction and connections that helped his email by not being "cold".
replies(1): >>42156220 #
3. bobosha ◴[] No.42156220[source]
Actually, no, I didn’t have a warm introduction. I reached out to him directly and got a response within 5 mins!, I was inspired by another entrepreneur who successfully raised funds in a similar way. (By the way, his email is publicly available and easy to find online.)

Several factors worked in our favor:

- We had an MVP and paying clients.

- In 2017, AI and machine vision were gaining traction and generating a lot of buzz.

- Plus, my academic background likely helped as well.