How to pitch First Round Capital
Address one partner rather than the firm, and reach them through a person that partner already trusts. The pitch itself is the smaller task, and the bigger one is working out who should carry it.
By Jerry Feng, Growth at Happenstance. Updated August 31, 2026.
The short version
First Round Capital says on its own site that it reads everything it receives, and the note that gets read best is still the one sent to a single partner by way of somebody that partner trusts. Venture firms back companies that come to them through people they know, and the person they trust most is a founder they've funded, so the strongest opening email is a forward from such a founder with a line of their own above it. Before the pitch comes a search: which founder you know has raised from First Round, who else has a tie to the firm, and which friend of yours can introduce you. Happenstance runs that search over the accounts you already have, and it takes one question rather than an afternoon of scrolling.
Write to a partner, not to the firm
First Round backs companies at the seed stage, often as the first institutional money in, across software and consumer businesses. Its how-we-work page says the firm reads everything it receives and names who it wants to hear from, with the founders it has already backed at the top of that list, then angels and other entrepreneurs. That's a reason to send something, and still a reason to address it to a person rather than a mailbox: partners make their own calls, and a note that reaches the investor whose portfolio resembles your company gets read by somebody able to say yes, especially when a founder they've funded is the one passing it on.
A founder they've backed is the reference a partner weighs most. Next in line are alumni of the firm, co-investors who've shared a round with them, and the acquaintances of anyone in those groups. A few are likely a step or two from you already; the open question is which ones you can reach in the next few days.
Finding your path to First Round Capital
Founders First Round has backed. An ex-colleague who left to start something and raised from First Round, a founder you met through a shared investor, or a client whose startup took First Round's money. When one of them forwards you, the note lands with a reputation attached, something no cold subject line can supply.
People at or around the firm. Current members of the investment team, former ones, and the operators the firm keeps in its orbit all count, and so do the friends of yours who know one of them.
Happenstance. Happenstance reads across every account you connect, Gmail, Outlook, Google Calendar, Google Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram, plus the networks of the friends you've added, and replies in plain English. Ask who you know who has raised from First Round, or who you know at the firm, and the answer lists the names, how strong each tie is, which source it surfaced from, and for anyone a friend knows, the mutual who can introduce you. Happenstance is free. The free plan is the whole product, with usage limits on chat and web searches beyond your network. Pro raises the limits: unlimited web searches and results, higher chat limits, and CSV export. The full fundraising walkthrough, from the opening search through to the signed term sheet, is on Happenstance for fundraising.
The ask
Reach the founder first and the investor afterward. Request one forward to a partner you name, and hand over the paragraph you'd like sent on so that agreeing costs about thirty seconds.
Subject: Intro to [partner] at First Round
What Happenstance can see
Email is read as headers only. Message content and attachments never reach our servers. Yes. Your connections are searchable only by you, the friends you accept, and the groups you join, and sharing is always mutual. Your public profile shows a constellation of named people you know by default, which you can turn off anytime. We never share, sell, or use your data to train AI models. Happenstance is SOC 2 certified and DTI Trust Level 2; the full list of what is stored and for how long is on the security page.
Frequently asked questions
Should I email First Round Capital directly or go through a partner?
Through a partner, and by way of someone who can vouch for you if at all possible. First Round says it reads everything it receives, and a forward from a founder it has backed is still the version most likely to get a reply, because it arrives with a reason to be read. Pick the investor whose portfolio resembles your company and look for the shortest path to them.
What if I don't know anyone connected to First Round Capital?
Somebody you know probably does. Founders around you who've raised from First Round are a single introduction away, as are former employees of the firm and the friends of either group. Happenstance searches your accounts together with your friends' networks, so asking "who do I know who has raised from First Round" returns those people and the mutual who can make the introduction.
What should the first email to a First Round Capital partner contain?
One paragraph a founder could forward as is: what the company does in a sentence, the number proving it works, the size of the round and who's already in, and why this partner is the right reader. Under a hundred and fifty words, nothing attached; the deck follows when they ask for it.
How does Happenstance help me reach First Round Capital?
Connect the accounts you already use, Gmail, Outlook, Google Calendar, Google Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram, then ask who you know who has raised from First Round, or who you know at the firm. Each person comes back with how well you know them and which account the tie surfaced from, and anyone you reach through a friend comes with the friend who can introduce you. Happenstance is free, and Pro raises the limits.
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