How to pitch a founder the week they raise (with a template that works)

The week a startup raises, its founder is flooded with congratulations and pitches — from investors, vendors, and job seekers. Most of the job-seeker messages get ignored, because most of them are the same message. Here's how to write the one that doesn't.

Why most outreach fails

The average "I'd love to work at your company" note asks the founder to do work: figure out who you are, whether there's a fit, and what to do with you. A busy founder in raise week does not have the spare cycles. Your message has to do that work for them.

The four ingredients of a message that lands

• A specific hook tied to the raise. Not "congrats on the funding" — everyone says that. Reference the actual round, investor, or stated plan: "Saw the $12M from Sequoia to scale your logistics network across three new metros."
• Proof you understand the problem. One sentence that shows you know what they're about to struggle with. This is what separates you from someone who read a headline.
• A concrete offer. The thing you would do in the first weeks — a mini project, an audit, a specific role you'd fill. Make it easy to picture you already working there.
• A tiny ask. Fifteen minutes, or "reply if useful." Never a full interview loop. Lower the activation energy.

The template

Adapt every line — a template used verbatim reads like a template. This is scaffolding, not a script:

Subject: 90 days after your raise — [specific thing]

Hi [Name],

Congrats on the [round] from [investor] — the plan to [specific thing from the announcement] is exactly the kind of problem I like.

I'm a [role] who's done [one specific, relevant proof point]. In your first 90 days post-raise, I'd focus on [concrete thing you'd own] — I think [specific insight about their situation].

Not looking to add to your raise-week inbox noise. If it's useful, happy to send a one-page plan or grab 15 minutes. If not, no worries and congrats again.

[Name] · [portfolio/LinkedIn]

Where to send it

Founder's email if you can find it (their name @ the company domain works surprisingly often), otherwise a short, personalized LinkedIn note — not a connection request with no message. If the company just raised, the founder is checking messages more than usual; the raise buys you attention you won't have in a month.

Timing is the multiplier

The exact same message sent the week of the raise versus two months later gets a wildly different response rate — because early, you're a helpful signal in a hopeful moment; late, you're one of hundreds in a hiring queue. The content matters, but the timing is the multiplier.

FundedJobs tells you which founders just raised and are still in that window. Find this week's raises →