Finding by who they are
How to find a startup founder's email
To find a founder's email, check the startup's site, their launch posts and newsletter, then their investors' portfolio pages, because early founders usually want to be reachable.
By Invenitor team. Updated .
Why are founders easier to reach than you might expect?
A founder of an early company is usually the head of sales, support and fundraising all at once. Their address tends to be simple, and they read their own mail. They also need things: customers, people, press, advice. A useful note from a stranger can really matter to them.
That changes as the company grows. A founder of a large company has an assistant and a filter, and a note to them may never arrive. So the first thing to work out is the company's size. For a large company, the guide on finding the right person at a company is likely more useful.
Where do you look first?
Founders leave many traces, because they spend a lot of time promoting their company:
- The company site. Look at the contact, about and press pages, and the footer.
- The launch post. Founders often sign launches with an address, or invite replies to one.
- Their newsletter or company updates. A reply to a founder's newsletter often reaches them directly.
- Interviews and podcast appearances. Hosts often ask how listeners can reach the guest, usually near the end.
- Their accelerator or investor's portfolio page, which usually links to the company and sometimes the founder.
- Startup directories and product launch sites. These often link to the maker's profile.
When you need several founders, describe them instead: "founders of small climate startups in India" returns up to 100 people on Invenitor, with role, company and links. Then you can read about them and pick who to write to.
What does a founder actually read?
Founders skim for three things: a real customer, a real insight, or a real introduction. Notes that lead with any of these get a response. Notes that ask to "pick your brain" do not, because the phrase promises nothing and asks for time.
Show you have used the product, if you can. "I signed up last week. The export button fails on Safari" is one of the best first lines there is. It helps them right away, and it proves you are real. If you want something later, you have already given something first.
What should you ask for?
It depends on why you are writing. Here is what tends to work for common reasons.
| You are | Lead with | Ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Selling to them | One thing you noticed about their business | A yes or no on whether this is a priority |
| Looking for advice | What you have tried, and where you are stuck | One specific question they can answer in a reply |
| An investor | Why this company, and what you back | A short call, with no pressure on timing |
| A writer or researcher | The piece, and why they are relevant | A few written answers, or twenty minutes |
| A student | That you are a student, and what you are learning | One piece of advice, not a mentor relationship |
How do you get a founder to reply?
Keep your first note under about a hundred words, so it can be read and answered on a phone between meetings. Make the next step obvious. A question they can answer with one line gets more replies than one that needs a meeting.
Good timing helps. Soon after a launch or a funding announcement, a founder is unusually visible and busy. A note that responds to what they just did stands out, but a generic note that week gets buried. Avoid telling them how impressive their round was. Everyone is saying that. Instead, tell them something new.
One polite follow-up is fine. See how to follow up without annoying people. If you hear nothing after that, let it go.
What should you avoid?
Do not pretend to be a customer if you are not. Do not add the founder to a mailing list because you have their email. Do not reach out through their family or their personal social accounts. And do not write the same note to all the cofounders at once, since they will compare notes that afternoon.
Keep the cost small until you know your message works. 25 free credits on Invenitor cover one search and five contacts. Write to those five people carefully and see what comes back. If you are a founder yourself looking for customers, read how to find your first customers, and see how founders use people search.
Common questions
- Should I email the CEO or the cofounder?
- Pick the one closest to your topic. A technical question goes to the technical cofounder, and a sales proposal to whoever runs sales at that stage.
- Is it fine to email a founder with an idea they did not ask for?
- Offer something specific that you could do for them, and keep it short. Founders read useful notes.