Founder-led sales is the name of the game in the early startup days, but seed stage founders are struggling with cold outreach. Response rates are abysmal and it's hard to break through the noise. Enter Doug Regner. Doug is a seasoned startup sales veteran who partners with our founders on implementing a disciplined, counterintuitive approach to go-to-market. Read more on Doug's strategy down below.👇 And if you're an Enterprise founder looking for true partners on the journey from formation to product-market fit, hit us up. A lot of VCs give you advice, but we provide you with full-time pmf experts.
How I Achieved a 16% Cold Outreach Response Rate for Seed-Stage Startups at Unusual Ventures Getting cold outreach right is hard—especially for early-stage startups that don't yet have brand recognition or mature products. They really can't leverage as many AI tools as companies with established GTMs are adopting. But with the founders I work with at Unusual Ventures, we’ve consistently driven 7–16% response rates through a disciplined, counterintuitive approach: 1. Obsessively Narrow ICP Focus We pick one extremely tight segment—companies that not only feel the same pain acutely, but care what each other is doing. Founders and I work to deeply understand: -The problem we believe is burning -The types of companies where it's most acute -The individuals who feel it hardest Most founders start too broad. But narrowing ICP doesn’t limit TAM—it increases traction and signal. Critically important: We constantly test and refine our hypothesis. (Because we are often wrong to start) 2. Message = Pain x Precision We write every word to speak to the pain, not the product. No features. No fluff. Just: -The job that’s painful -Why it’s costing time, money, or morale -A crisp description of the unique product concept—only enough to frame the potential solution No cheesy personalization from LinkedIn bios. Just a real understanding of the problem. People can tell the difference—and they respect it. 3. Value First, Ask Second We lead with value: a short case study, blog post, or insight that demonstrates understanding. Only after they engage with that do we invite a conversation—if they see potential in the concept. 4. LinkedIn Over Cold Email Cold email isn’t dead because of volume—it’s dead because of trust. I've been using LinkedIn 100% due to: -Better deliverability -Higher trust (people can check you out before deciding to respond or not) -Improved connection acceptance as your network within the narrow ICP grows This approach takes work. It doesn’t scale in the early days. But if you want real signal, real learning, and real conversations—it works. Hard proof attached.