When to poke the VC bear — writing the perfect follow-up email

You’re a founder raising capital. You’ve found a VC you really want to work with. You send an email and attach your deck. Then… silence.

Founders are often frustrated when they don’t get a reply from VCs. But investors are people too — struggling with overflowing inboxes. Emails can slip through the cracks.

So when should founders follow up on emails to VCs — and how much persistence is too much?

Two types of follow-up emails

There are two types of follow-up emails that a founder might write to a VC: follow-up emails after a meeting and following up after a cold email. The principles to timing these emails are more or less the same; the difference is in the content.

We would recommend going with a first follow-up in three days (72 hours). If you don’t hear back, follow up within 48 hours, then about seven days later. Count only working days. And always have a call to action!

Alina Gegamova, Head of Communications at LETA Capital, shared the best practices in her opinion article for Sifted.

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