How do I get a warm intro to a VC?

Most "warm intros" are actually lukewarm.

The standard playbook: ask someone you know to intro you to a VC. Sounds great in theory.

In practice, 80% of "warm intros" go like this. Connector barely knows the VC. Connector barely knows you. The intro is two lines that read "hi X, meet Y, Y is building Z, Y take it from here."

That's not warm. That's a borrowed cold email with social capital attached. The VC reads it as "random person asking a favor." Often worse than a sharp cold email because it burns the connector's credit for nothing.

Who actually carries weight

Not other VCs. Portfolio founders. Especially the ones the VC funded recently.

A founder the VC sent a wire to in the last 12 months is the strongest possible signal. VCs trust their own bets. A founder they backed vouching for you is the data point they take seriously. A partner at another fund vouching for you is mostly noise.

Ranking, strongest to weakest:

• Recent portfolio founders (last 12 months)
• Exited operators the VC backed
• LPs in the fund (rare but powerful)
• Industry experts the VC publicly respects
• Co-investor VCs who actively share deals with the target fund
• Other VCs who don't co-invest with the target
• "Advisors" who don't have a real relationship with the target
• LinkedIn 2nd-degree connections

Anything below "industry experts" is lukewarm. Above it is gold. Most founders ask the wrong half.

The make-it-easy package

When you ask for an intro, give the connector four things:

1. A 2-line pitch in plain language. Not a deck. Plain English.
2. The specific fund you want intros to. Not "any seed fund."
3. One specific reason for that fund. Portfolio overlap, thesis post, partner's background, recent deal that's adjacent. Concrete.
4. A draft email they can forward or copy-paste.

Takes you 5 minutes per ask. Most founders skip this and dump the work on the connector, who sends a weak intro because they don't have time to do it themselves.

The forwardable email is the key piece. The connector forwards your blurb verbatim. Zero thinking required. That's how good intros actually happen.

When to skip the warm intro entirely

If you can't get a high-quality warm intro in 48 hours, send a sharp cold email instead.

Waiting 3 weeks for a lukewarm intro is worse than a same-day cold email with specific context. The opportunity cost is real. Every week your raise drags is a week of momentum bleed.

Warm intros that work: high-quality connector, knows the VC well, willing to actually advocate (not just forward your blurb).

Warm intros that don't: lukewarm connector, generic "happy to make the intro" energy, too busy to follow up after sending.

If you're not sure your connector is in the first bucket, treat them as the second and skip. See How do I write a cold email to a VC that actually works for the alternative.

The blacklist

Don't ask:

• Other founders raising right now. They need their connections for themselves.
• People who said they'd "happy to help down the road" but never have.
• VCs who passed on you. You're asking them to recommend you elsewhere. Awkward and signals weakness.
• "Advisors" who don't have a real relationship with the target.
• Anyone who sent you a lukewarm intro once. Don't go back to that well.

What a great warm intro actually looks like

A real intro from a strong connector is 4-5 sentences:

1. Who you are and what you're building, in one specific sentence.
2. Why the connector thinks this is worth the VC's time. Concrete reason.
3. The connector vouching for one specific thing — technical chops, founder-market fit, traction velocity. Pick one.
4. A concrete next step. "I told them Tuesday or Thursday works for a 20-minute call."

That's an intro that does what cold email can't. Everything else is paperwork.

The list still comes first

A perfect warm intro to a fund that doesn't actually fund your space is worse than no intro at all. You waste the connector's credit AND the VC's time, and the VC remembers you as "not a fit."

Before you start asking for intros, make sure your target list is right. How do I find investors who actually invest in my space walks through the filter.

FAQ

Should I ask for an intro on the first meeting with someone?

No. Build the relationship to the point where they want to help unprompted. Asking early signals you're transactional.

What if I don't know anyone in the VC's network?

Cold email. Often faster than spending weeks trying to manufacture a warm intro.

How many intros should I ask for from one connector?

Two per quarter, max. More and you're burning their social capital.

Is a LinkedIn intro a "warm" intro?

Almost never. A 2nd-degree connection isn't a relationship. Treat as cold.

Should I follow up if the connector hasn't sent the intro?

Once, after 5 business days. Then move on. They forgot, got busy, or quietly passed.

What if the warm intro doesn't get a reply from the VC?

Move on. The intro got you in the door. The VC's silence is the answer.

Should I thank the connector after the meeting?

Yes. Always. Even if it didn't go well. They burned credit for you.