Warm intro

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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 <Name> at <Fund>? 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.