Warm intro
Lead with a warm intro when
The introducer actually knows both sides and will say so in one paragraph. Provide a blurb they can forward without editing your adjectives. Then be ready the same week — intros go stale.
Warm Intro vs Cold Email
Warm intro vs cold email: start with the relationship if you have one
Reviewed August 21, 2026 by Robb
If you have a real path to a partner, use it. If you do not, write a short true email. The order is the only difference from the other page. The finance work is identical: a story that matches the books, a cap table you can explain, and cash you can see. Do not spend the intro on a deck that finance has not seen.
Cold email
Write cold when
There is no honest path, or waiting would break the cash plan. Be specific. Be brief. Attach only what you would defend in a room.
Help the introducer
A 12-sentence bio is a tax. Give two lines, one number, one ask. If they have to rewrite you, they will delay or drop it.
Track the process, not the vanity
Intros sent is not a round. We keep operators honest with a simple pipeline and a cash view. CRM theater does not wire.
The second meeting is ours
CFO For Rent’s job starts when someone asks for the model. Have the close, the cap table, and the use of funds on one page before the calendar fill up.
Frequently asked questions
Is a warm intro always better?
A real one is. A stretched one can be worse than a clean cold note. Do not burn a relationship on a maybe.
How fast should I follow an intro?
Same week. If you need two weeks to ‘finish the deck,’ you were not ready to ask.
Can I mix both?
Yes. Intros where you have them, cold where you do not. One set of numbers for every thread.